After reading Robert Hayden's 1970 poem, "The Whipping"; (1075), one may feel very upset. The title is not subtle in hiding the fact that the plot of the poem is about a mother beating her son. The tone of the poem is very violent and filled with a lot of anger. The character of the boy immediately demands sympathy from the reader and just as instantly the mother is hated by the reader. From the first stanza to the sixth, Hayden uses an arsenal of words, symbols, and images to create an intense and emotional scene for the reader. Hayden introduces his poem with the first stanza, which begins 'The old woman on the other side the way / Is whipping the boy again'; (1-2). These lines create a setting in which they are introduced the characters and the action indicated in the title is underway. What the reader senses is that this whipping is not unusual. It is happening again and whoever the narrator is, he is not surprised or alarmed that this is happening lines of the verse describe the mother very well "shouting at the neighborhood/his goodness and his wrongs" (3-4). the illegitimacy of having beaten his son. He chose to shout, so that everyone could hear, almost as if he was confessing his sins. It seems that he is making a show, a production from this beating his son beating him outside, instead of inside the house. A simple four-line introduction creates a perfect picture of the event that is taking place. In the second stanza, the setting and the mother's physical appearance are revealed in further detail. The setting is in front of the house, in a kind of garden, full of lush plants, greenery and bright flowers. Instead, the boy is brutally thrown and beaten into this delicate foliage. “Wildly crashes against the elephant's ears, / begs in dusty zinnias”; (5-6). Another symbolic image portrayed by Hayden is that of zinnias. Zinnias are generally supposed to be a plant with beautiful flowers of various colors; these zinnias are dusty, which means they are dull, lifeless and unattended. This is symbolic of the boy. If properly cared for, a boy can become a lively and colorful young man, but if the fog... in the center of the paper... the room shows the reader the fat old woman physically leaning against a tree Tired. Hayden also states that the woman has been purged, meaning that she has purified herself of all guilt, sin and impurity. This use of purged guides the reader to the next two lines. 'vengeful in part for the lifelong hiding / she had to endure'; (23-24). The woman feels redeemed after beating her son because she too has suffered abuse in her life. This final stanza answers the question: why is the mother so violent towards her son? justify child abuse just because the parent has been abused in the past. However, this reinforces the fact that abuse is passed down from generation to generation and occurs everywhere. Hayden uses the perfect point of view in this scenario. Third-person omniscience allows the reader to feel the personal connection of the narrator and the family he sees across the street. The excellent selection and use of "deleted"; lead the reader directly to the conclusion of the poem. Using many of the weapons in writing, Hayden strategically conquers the reader's thoughts and emotions in the poem "The Whipping".';.