The Venus Hottentot

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1989

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

Though neither section has a consistent meter or rhyme scheme, Alexander uses different forms for her two different speakers. Cuvier’s section, the first part of the poem, consists of 13 couplets. These couplets reflect how Cuvier compartmentalizes and categorizes his research.

Alexander uses the form to criticize Cuvier. Visually, his section takes up a large section of the poem. Cuvier’s section is centered in the page. Alexander draws attention to the space the white Cuvier takes up in the Venus Hottentot’s story. The poem begins with his words, describing and defining the Venus Hottentot before she can speak for herself.

When she has a chance to speak, she includes detailed descriptions of her experiences and emotions. Her section has 12 stanzas of 8 lines. By letting her speak so extensively, Alexander humanizes her. While she is just one of the “[s]mall things” (Line 26) in Cuvier’s world, Alexander uses the poem’s form to reject that claim.

The slightness of Cuvier’s section becomes more apparent when comparing the number of words and sentences. Over the 26 lines, there are only 10 sentences for a total of 100 words. The first 25 lines are three to five words. The final 26th line is seven words. The sentences are simpler and shorter. In contrast, Baartman’s section includes 37 complex sentences, with a total of 513 words. In speaking, Alexander rejects the racist argument that someone like Baartman would not be able to speak so eloquently.

Point of View

Alexander uses point of view to create a dialogue between the two characters’ dueling perspectives. By including Cuvier’s point of view, Alexander gives a voice to scientific racism’s actions, revealing the intention and methodology of the movement’s actions. As a result, Alexander can criticize him and what he represents. In contrast, Baartman’s section humanizes her. The persistent use of the personal pronouns “I” and “my” throughout this section draws attention to the captured and enslaved Black woman as a person.

The division of the poem between the two characters is an important feature of the poem. In having Cuvier speak first, Alexander allows her readers, especially her white readers, to begin engaging with her poem without being threatened or challenged. His savagery only becomes apparent in the seventh stanza. In the second part of the poem, Alexander creates the lost voice of Baartman to express the bitterness and rage Black women have felt over time.

Synecdoche

Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole. In part one, Baartman’s genitalia are used to represent her as a whole. For Cuvier and other white scientists, Baartman can be completely defined by her sexual organ as she has been reduced to her sexuality. In contrast, Cuvier uses Broca’s brain to stand in for the whole of an educated white man, as he can be reduced to his intelligence.

Baartman appropriates the use of body parts as synecdoche when she describes the revenge she would like to take. She uses his “black heart” (Line 116) to stand in for the evil brutality of his so-called research. She then uses the tools of science, like “science fluid” (Line 117) and a “bell jar” (Line 118), to criticize the role science and pseudoscience has played in racism.