Alice Walker published "Women" in her first collection of poems, Once, in 1968. The poem's speaker praises the strength, courage, and perseverance of the Black women of her "mama's generation." Despite not being given the opportunity and resources to excel at (or possibly even attend) school, these women fought for their children to have access to education. The poem further implies that education is an important tool for the liberation of communities oppressed by racism, sexism, and classism.

• Read the full text of “Women”

• “Women” Summary

• “Women” Themes

  • 

    Black Women’s Strength, Perseverance, and Sacrifice

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-27
  • 

    The Importance of Education

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 19-27

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Women”

  • Lines 1-6

    They were women ...
    ... Hands

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 7-11

    How they battered ...
    ... Shirts

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 12-18

    How they led ...
    ... Ditches

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 19-27

    To discover books ...
    ... Themselves.

    

    

    

    

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• “Women” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 3-4: “of / Step”
    • Lines 5-6: “as / Hands”
    • Lines 7-9: “down / Doors / And”
    • Lines 9-10: “ironed / Starched”
    • Lines 10-11: “white / Shirts”
    • Lines 12-13: “led / Armies”
    • Lines 15-16: “mined / Fields”
    • Lines 17-18: “trapped / Ditches”
    • Lines 22-24: “what / we / Must”
    • Lines 24-25: “know / Without”
    • Lines 25-26: “page / Of”
    • Lines 26-27: “it / Themselves”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “were,” “women”
    • Line 2: “My,” “mama's”
    • Line 3: “Husky,” “stout”
    • Line 4: “Step”
    • Line 6: “Hands”
    • Line 7: “How,” “down”
    • Line 8: “Doors”
    • Line 18: “Ditches”
    • Line 19: “discover”
    • Line 20: “Desks”
    • Line 22: “what”
    • Line 23: “we”
    • Line 25: “Without”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 7-8: “How they battered down / Doors”
    • Lines 12-18: “How they led / Armies / Headragged generals / Across mined / Fields / Booby-trapped / Ditches”

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Lines 3-4: “Husky of voice—stout of / Step”
    • Line 7: “How they”
    • Line 12: “How they”
    • Line 22: “How they,” “knew”
    • Line 24: “know”
    • Line 25: “knowing”

• “Women” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Husky of voice
  • Stout of step
  • Battered down
  • Starched
  • Headragged
  • Booby-trapped
  • (Location in poem: Line 3: “Husky of voice”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Women”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Women” Speaker

• “Women” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Women”

• More “Women” Resources

  • External Resources

    • A Reading of the Poem — Listen to a recording of "Women."

    • Learn More About Alice Walker — A biography of the poet from the Poetry Foundation.

    • A Brief Description of Walker's First Book of Poems — Read a description of the poems in Once, in which "Women" first appeared. 

    • Writer's Symposium by the Sea with Alice Walker — A 2020 interview with the poet in which she discusses her writing, love, freedom, and societal change. 

    • Alice Walker Looks Back on Life — A New York Times article exploring Walker's legacy, the publication of her diaries, and her sometimes contentious stances on various social issues. 

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Alice Walker

    • Poem at Thirty-Nine

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