Henry Timrod's "The Cotton Boll"

In reading Henry Timrod’s poem, “The Cotton Boll”, I felt as if this poem was a typical pro-South piece of literature that I learned about in high school history. The poem exhausted itself in talking about how glorious the cotton was, which was often the main perspective and argument given by the Southerners in their fight for slavery, because they often tried to avoid admitting that the war was really about the unjust enslavement of a people.
Timrod begins this poem in a quite relaxed yet smug mood. “While I recline at ease beneath this immemorial pine, small sphere!” (lines1-4). Timrod is in a state of content state of mind as he inspects this cotton boll. He seems carefree and worriless, despite the fact that the Civil War is going on in the country right now. This initial presentation of a self satisfied state of mind shows that this is not going to be one of those pieces of literature that is bashing blacks and the Northerners, but rather shining a positive light on the Southerners. “By dusky fingers brought this morning here and shown with boastful smiles (5-6).” As I read this line, I realized that this line could be interpreted a few different ways; those dusky fingers are most likely from the hands of a Negro slave, however that boastful smile could be either be his own boastful smile or oddly enough a boastful smile from the slave. Timrod could be insinuating that the slave is proud of this perfectly white cotton boll that he has picked or this boastful smile could come from Timrod himself in a gloating manner, because it feels good for him to know that he has a slave out there working hard for him and bringing him that beautiful white boll of perfection which feeds the South. As Timrod carries on in his description of this cotton boll, he is becoming quite vivid and colorful that the image of the cotton boll is seen by the reader. “Through which the soft white fibres peer…unite like love, the sea-divided lands…thread by thread, draw forth the folded strands…” (8-12). It seems as if Timrod has slipped into a state of bemusement. He is infatuated with this cotton boll and his description of the boll seems to be dictated by a trance-like state. Timrod, in his bemused state, goes as far as to call this cotton boll, “the loveliest fragment of the earth!”.
Timrod’s attitude as well as his words become even more typical of a Southerner attempting to stray from the real reason for their enslavement of blacks, as he begins his discussion about how the North does not recognize the beauty and importance of cotton and how justice will see the South prevail. “The source wherefrom doth spring that mighty commerce which, confined to the mean channels of no selfish mart, goes out to every shore of this broad earth...” The excuse for the profitable side of slavery is used here, however note that in this poem, Timrod does not use the word “slave” nor does he touch on that subject. This is because in justifying the system the Southerners attempted to take the focus away from the unlawful and unjust enslavement and more towards the benefits. They made it seem as if the Northerners and their allies did not understand the importance of the cotton to America as well as making it seem as if the North didn’t want the South to prosper. Timrod says “thy foes be hard and cruel as their weapons”. Timrod’s arrogance is causing him to name the Northerners as the bad guys and make it seem as if they do not understand what it is good for the country.
Timrod’s arrogance continues to flow even though towards the end he attempts to act as if he will be sad once the war is over (with a Southern victory), because of all of the blood shed. “O Lord! We cannot all forget that there is much even Victory must regret…and therefore not too long delay our just release!” Timrod is sympathetic for about one second when he admits that with every winner there is a loser, however he completely loses all sympathy (from me at least) when he has the audacity to call on the Lord to help speed up the victory of the Couth. This was another typical occurrence from Southerners during that time. They would often say that the Lord was on their side and that the Bible validates slavery and therefore it was alright, because the Bible even said that Blacks were inferior.