Chapter 15 Summary: How Could We Not Have Appreciated That
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
The poem “How Could We Not Have Appreciated That” traces the speaker’s journey from childhood hair rituals to adult self-acceptance. It opens with painful self-judgment, then recalls nights between her mother’s knees having her “nappy” hair cornrowed with Bergamot and Glover’s Mange. Preteen years bring a desire for “big girl” hair, Sunday mornings with a curling iron near the stove, burnt knuckles, and church-ready ringlets. The speaker later observes how hair became “mutated, weaponized, revolutionized,” as she and her community reclaimed natural textures with Afro combs, cake cutters, and even a blond streak. Through braids, locks, extensions, and Afros, hair becomes a crown of individuality and a message of beauty despite enduring hardship. The refrain “How could we not have appreciated the beauty and the art of that” anchors each stanza, turning regret into celebration.
Key Events
- The speaker recalls being judged harshly for her own appearance.
- She describes childhood nights spent between her mother’s knees getting tight cornrows.
- Bergamot and Glover’s Mange are applied to encourage hair growth.
- Preteen years bring a longing for “big girl” hair and weekly curling iron sessions.
- The speaker gets burnt knuckles while trying to preserve her ears from the hot iron.
- She remembers Sunday best outfits with ribbons and patent leather shoes.
- Later in life, hair becomes politicized: transformed into Afros, decorated with cake cutters and Afro combs.
- The speaker adds a blond streak to her natural hair as an individual statement.
- She lists current hair styles: braided, locked, plaited, extensioned, dyed, fried.
- The poem concludes with a declaration that Black women may wear their crowns in any manner they choose.
Character Development
- The Speaker: Moves from harsh self-judgment to recognition of her own beauty. She evolves through stages – child enduring painful grooming, teenager seeking mainstream standards, adult who reclaims natural hair and embraces individuality. Her perspective shifts from regret (“how could we not have appreciated”) to proud affirmation.
- The Mother: A figure of care and discipline. She painstakingly cornrows her daughter’s hair, applies treatments, and later curls it for church. Her actions are motivated by love and tradition, though the speaker initially only remembers discomfort. The mother is indirectly present when the speaker later chooses natural styles “to my mother’s dismay,” showing a generational tension around beauty standards.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Hair as a Canvas for Identity: Hair is the central symbol, representing the speaker’s relationship with cultural norms, family tradition, and personal expression. From cornrows to Afros to extensions, each style marks a phase of self-definition.
- Intergenerational Ritual: Mother-daughter grooming sessions are depicted as both loving and painful. The motif of “seedlings” – hair that must be tended and forced to grow – suggests nurture and expectation.
- The Refrain of Appreciation: The repeated question “How could we not have appreciated the beauty and the art of that?” acts as a call to revalue what was once dismissed: natural hair, childhood routines, and cultural practices.
- Transformation and Revolution: Hair “mutated, weaponized, revolutionized” signals a political awakening. The Afro is described as a “message” to a “deaf world,” linking personal grooming to social resistance.
- Beauty in Spite of Struggle: The poem frames beauty as something created “in spite of, / Or is it because of, / All we continue to endure.” Endurance itself becomes part of the art.
- The Crown Motif: Hair is called “crowns of hair,” “crowns of beauty,” “mother’s glory,” and “God’s glory.” This royal imagery elevates everyday grooming to sacred self-esteem.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter shifts the collection’s focus from external rage to internal reflection. While earlier poems often confront systemic violence and oppression, Chapter 15 turns inward to examine how Black women have internalized – and later unlearned – standards that devalued their bodies. By narrating the specific, intimate history of hair, McGowan shows that liberation begins with reclaiming how one sees oneself. The poem serves as a bridge between personal memory and collective identity, emphasising that self-love is both an artistic and political act. It also honors the often-unseen labor of mothers and grandmothers who passed down rituals of care, even when those rituals caused discomfort. In the context of the book, this chapter provides a necessary counterweight: a celebration of survival and beauty that does not erase pain but transforms it.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does the speaker’s relationship with her mother change over the course of the poem?
The speaker initially experiences her mother’s hair care as violent and uncomfortable – “ruthlessly corralled,” burnt knuckles, forced growth. Later, the speaker’s own choices (like wearing natural hair) go against her mother’s wishes. Yet the poem’s refrain suggests a retrospective appreciation for the mother’s efforts and artistry. The relationship evolves from resentful dependence to understanding and independence, while still honoring the mother’s role.
2. What does the line “Hair / Mutated / Weaponized / Revolutionized” mean in the context of the poem?
The line marks a turning point where natural Black hair becomes a political statement. “Mutated” suggests deviation from white beauty standards; “weaponized” implies that wearing natural hair is a form of resistance; “revolutionized” points to the cultural movement (the natural hair movement, Black Power aesthetic) that redefined what is considered beautiful. The speaker embraces this shift, choosing styles that sing “each soul’s song.”
3. Why does the poet repeat the question “How could we not have appreciated the beauty and the art of that” after each memory?
The repetition creates a rhythm of reflection and regret, then celebration. It invites readers to examine their own past dismissals of Black beauty rituals. By asking the question rather than asserting an answer, the poet makes space for collective reckoning. Each repetition also transforms the memory – what was once painful is reframed as art, and the act of re-seeing becomes an act of love.