Esther+Popel

=Esther Popel: A wonderful Rolemodel= =By: Abigail McCallister= ==

Esther Popel
Esther Popel was a very talented poet during the Harlem Renaissance period. She was born in Harrisburg, AP, and graduated from Dickisons College in Carlisle, PA. Popel worked as an editor for multiple African-American journals. One of the main journals she worked at was The Journal of Nefro Education. Esther Popel also taught at two schools in the Washington, D.C. area. Esther was fluent in four languages: French, Latin, German, and Spanish. Popel taught French and Spanish at Francis Junior High School and also taught at Shaw Junior High School. In addition to all of these responsibilities and accomplishments Esther was also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa. Popel was an author of many works, some of these are: __Our Thirteenth-in Ohio__, which was written in 1936 in the Journal of the National Association of College Women, __Give Me Strength__, and __October Prayer__. Esther Popel was also a part of the literary salon that was hosted by another poet by the name of Georgia Douglas Johnson. She was also friends with many other famous poets during the Harlem Renissance such as Marita Bonner and Langston Hughes. Not only was Esther a wonderful writer, friend and editor, but she was also a greatwife and mother. Esther was married to William A. Shaw who died in 1946. The couple then became parents a beautiful daughter named Particia Shaw Iversen. Within Esthers' life she had accomplished many great things and never gave up, this is what makes her a great rolemodel.

By: Esther Popel
Give me the strength Of verdant hills Washed clean by summer rain;

Of purple hills At peace when weary Day Sinks quietly to rest In Night's cool arms;

Of rugged, wind-whipped hills That lift their heads Above the petty, lowland, valley things, And shake their shoulders free Of bonds that hold Them close to earth;

Of snow-capped hills Sun-kissed by day, by night Companioned by the stars;

Of grim volcanoes Pregnant with the fires Of molten fury!

Grant me strength, Great God, Like that of hills!

__Analysis:__
"Give me the strength Of verdant hills" it seems to me that she is asking a higher power for strength to never miss out on a moment of life. She is asking for the power to keep up with her very busy life and not miss out on any opportunity that is given to her. It is easy to get this interpretation because of knowing about her life and how busy she was. It would be very hard to keep up with life as she was a part of many groups and had a very career driven life. As she was also a mother and wife she would have to find a balance between work, charity work and family which would leave very little free time to relax. When Popel states, "Of purple hills At peace when weary Day  Sinks quietly to rest  In Night's cool arms;" it paints a very calming picture into your head. This shows that Esther was very peaceful even though her life was hectic. To be this calm she must have had amazing time management skills otherwise she would have been very stressed and tease which would have shown in her writing. When Esther states "Of grim volcanoes Pregnant with the fires  Of molten fury!" it shows us that she is asking god for the "fire" to push her to do what she needs to get done and to strive towards her goal. The "fire" Popel is talking about is a symbol for motivation. This means that sometimes even Esther got down on herself and needed hope, strength and motivation to get through each day.

__Works Cited:__
"Born Again Black Poetry." //Good Morals//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. []. "Harlem Renaissance Resources: Esther Popel." //Northern Kentucky University//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. __<http://www.nku.edu/~diesmanj__ "Esther Popel | Harlem Renassiance Women Writers." //Harlem Renassiance Women Writers//. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. []. __﻿__