Characters Call Us What We Carry Amanda Gorman

Selma Epp: The Child Witness of the 1918 Pandemic in Call Us What We Carry

Overview

Selma Epp is a historical figure whose childhood experience of the 1918 influenza pandemic is preserved in a brief but potent poem within Amanda Gorman's Call Us What We Carry. The poem, titled after her name, is attributed to an account she gave as an adult, recalling her youth in a Jewish neighborhood of North Philadelphia during the epidemic. Gorman does not develop Selma as a full fictional character with a detailed biography; instead, Selma functions as a witness—a real person whose memory becomes a vessel for collective grief and resilience. What we know explicitly from the text is that she was a child at the time, that she observed people distancing themselves, praying, growing weaker, and that she remembered the death of a two-year-old boy named Daniel. The rest—her motivations, personality, and later life—remains inferred from the sparse evidence and the poem’s placement in the collection.

Plot Role

The poem “Selma Epp” appears in the book near other historical pieces, including “The Donohue Family,” which also recounts the 1918 epidemic. Selma’s role is to provide a ground-level perspective from a child’s eyes, contrasting with the broader societal scale in other poems. Her testimony serves as a direct link between the past pandemic and the COVID-19 crisis, which is the book’s central contemporary subject. The poem uses fragmented, short lines to mimic the isolation of the moment, and the single line “Protest” stands alone, suggesting a moment of defiance or resistance amid the suffering. By placing Selma’s account in the collection, Gorman honors the ordinary person’s experience and asserts that such personal memories are essential records of history. The poem acts as a microcosm of the larger themes: distancing, faith, care, and death.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Because the poem is only ten lines long plus a footnote, Selma Epp’s personality is conveyed through what she chose to remember and how she ordered those memories. She notes that “They stood away” and “Made their own sick,” indicating she understood the concept of self-isolation. She recalls that “The strongest carried everyone,” which suggests she valued communal care. The isolated line “Protest” implies she or others resisted the circumstances, either against the disease or perhaps against injustice (the poem does not specify). Her memory of Daniel—“He was just a little boy. His body took him away”—shows that the death of a child affected her deeply. These observations reveal a person who is observant, empathetic, and aware of both human kindness and loss. Her motivation for providing the account is not stated, but we can infer a desire to testify to the truth of what happened, to ensure that Daniel and the community’s ordeal are not forgotten.

Chronological Arc

Selma Epp’s life, as presented in the book, follows a three-part arc: childhood during the 1918 influenza epidemic, the gap of a lifetime, and the moment she shares her account (likely as an older person). The poem itself does not date the account, but the footnote attributes it to her. Gorman then recreates that memory in the poem, which becomes part of a contemporary conversation about the COVID-19 pandemic. This arc mirrors the book’s broader structure, where past and present are woven together. Selma’s story does not end with the poem; it continues as readers carry it forward, fulfilling the collection’s call to “call us what we carry.”

Relationships

The poem mentions two key relationships: Selma’s connection to Daniel and her bond with the Jewish community in North Philadelphia. Daniel is a two-year-old who dies; Selma remembers him as “just a little boy,” implying she knew him or that his death was a notable loss to the community. The community is described as a collective: “They” stand away, pray, weaken, and the strongest carry everyone. This suggests interdependence and mutual care. The Jewish neighborhood gives the account a specific cultural identity, though the poem does not explore Selma’s own family. The “Protest” line may indicate a relationship with authority or the larger society, but the poem leaves that open.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Selma Epp’s key decision, based on the text, was to share her memory of the epidemic. The consequence is that her personal experience enters the public record through Gorman’s book. That decision, whether made by Selma and recorded by someone else, or recalled by Gorman from archives, allows the poem to exist. The consequence for the reader is a visceral link to a past tragedy. The poem’s brevity and attribution force readers to consider how individual memories are preserved and how they shape our understanding of history. Without her decision to testify, Daniel’s death and the community’s struggle might have been lost.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Selma Epp connects directly to several major themes in Call Us What We Carry:

  • Grief and Trauma: The poem centers on Daniel’s death and the community’s weakening. The grief is both personal and collective, and it remains unresolved—the poem does not offer healing, only testimony. Learn more about grief and trauma.

  • Collective Memory and Erasure: Selma’s account prevents the 1918 epidemic from being erased from memory. By preserving a child’s perspective, Gorman highlights how grassroots testimony counters official neglect. This aligns with the book’s epigraph from Anne Carson, which defines history as inquiry that leads to survival and the responsibility to carry experience. Explore collective memory and erasure.

  • Resilience and Healing: The line “The strongest carried everyone” demonstrates resilience, though the poem does not describe healing. Resilience here is the act of continuing to care despite loss. The poem itself, as part of the collection, becomes a tool for healing by giving voice to shared pain. Read about resilience and healing.

  • Unity and Fellowship: The community’s response—distancing for protection, while the strongest help others—shows fellowship in crisis. The solitary “Protest” may also signal a unified stance against something. See unity and fellowship.

  • Hope and Transformation: Although the poem is bleak, its inclusion in a collection about carrying forward suggests that remembering is an act of hope. Selma’s memory is transformed into art, allowing it to reach new audiences. Understand hope and transformation.

Selma also serves as a symbol of the child witness—an innocent observer who carries the weight of trauma into adulthood and beyond. This connects to the poem “What We Carry,” which states “Children understand: / Even grime is a gift, / Even what is mired is miraculous.” Selma’s child’s-eye view treats the grim experience as something to be preserved.

Book-Specific Questions and Answers

Q1: What specific event does Selma Epp recall in her poem?
A1: She recalls the 1918 influenza epidemic in a Jewish neighborhood of North Philadelphia, focusing on people distancing themselves, the death of two-year-old Daniel, and a moment of protest.

Q2: How does the poem’s form reflect its content?
A2: The short, fragmented lines echo social isolation and the physical weakening of the people. The single line “Protest” breaks the narrative, emphasizing a defiant action.

Q3: What is the significance of the footnote in the poem?
A3: The footnote identifies Selma Epp as the source, transforming the poem from a general description into a specific historical testimony. It forces readers to confront the reality of a real child’s experience.

Q4: How does Selma Epp’s account connect to the contemporary COVID-19 pandemic in the book?
A4: The poem parallels COVID-19 through themes of distancing, prayer, care by the strong, and death. It shows that these experiences are not new, creating a continuum of grief and response.

Q5: Why might Amanda Gorman have chosen to include such a brief poem attributed to a specific person?
A5: The brevity honors the child’s perspective—spare but weighted. By naming Selma Epp, Gorman emphasizes that history is made of countless personal accounts, and that carrying forward includes preserving the voices of the young and marginalized.

For more context on the book’s ending and themes, visit the ending explained and questions and answers pages.