# The Riddle of the Sphinx explained — Darkwater

> Chapter companion for Darkwater by W. E. B. Du Bois.

## What happens

A poetic lament and call to awakening for the Black race, personified as a dark daughter and a prisoned soul, burdened by white supremacy, colonialism, and exploitation. The poem condemns the white world's greed, violence, and hypocrisy, and prophesies a future reckoning where the oppressed rise to reclaim manhood and justice, culminating in the birth of a 'black Christ.'

## Themes in this chapter

### Racial Oppression and White Supremacy

The poem vividly describes the burden of white men, the stifling of Black voices, and the exploitation of non-white peoples.

### Double Consciousness and the Veil

The 'prisoned soul a-panting to be free' and the call to 'Awake, O ancient race' evoke the dual identity and struggle for self-realization.

### Economic Injustice and Labor Exploitation

Critique of 'the greed of gold,' 'barter of women,' and 'cheating of childhood' highlights systemic economic exploitation.

## Character check-ins

### The Woman

Addressed as 'O woman' and 'Black mother,' symbolizing the Black race and its struggle for freedom.

### The Narrator

The voice of the poem, expressing hatred for oppressors and a vision of liberation.

## Key lines

> But the burden of white men bore her back and the white world stifled her sighs.

The weight of white supremacy and oppression silenced the Black woman's cry for freedom.

_Illustrates the theme of racial oppression and the suppression of Black voices._

> If I were God, I’d sound their knell This day!

The narrator wishes divine punishment upon the oppressors immediately.

_Expresses intense anger and desire for justice against white supremacists._

> Then shall our burden be manhood, Be it yellow or black or white;

In the future, the shared struggle will be for human dignity regardless of race.

_Envisions a post-racial world where all people share the burden of being fully human._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/darkwater_se/chapters/the-riddle-of-the-sphinx
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/darkwater_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/darkwater_se/chapters