In folk writer Sterling A. Brown's most famous poem, "Ma Rainey", the music of the blues (specifically, the abbreviated version of " Backwater Blues" found in -text) validates a number of difficulties encountered in the daily lives of African Americans – from issues of poverty and segregation to questions of identity formation – and unifies African Americans in validating their common stories. In his 1932 poem, "Ma Rainey", Brown uses Rainey's music to fulfill both of the above purposes and to immerse and engage the audience so that they become active participants. This, in turn, allows for a spiritual catharsis of audience members: rather than being saved by God, blues music allows African Americans to save themselves from a tragic situation. Initially, Brown's "Ma Rainey" uses blues music to address hardship, a thematic centrality of the musical genre. The poem begins by referencing Rainey's "Backwater Blues" with the following line: "It rained for days and the sky was dark as night" (42). The lyrics describe a storm, which regularly symbolizes internal or external turmoil in works of art. In the full version of “Backwater Blues,” the previous line is immediately repeated; this repetition aims to establish and reinforce a mood that suggests that people are literally experiencing the blues. Another line found in both the poem and the song explicitly refers to the difficulties: "Troubles took place in the lowlands at night" (43). “Ma Rainey” validates the difficulties that are symptomatic of being a poor African American in the racist context of the 20th century. -South century. The speaker's use of vernacular captures the context: "She jes' catch hold of us somekindaway" (40). Brown depicts African Americans as facing "bad luck...[and] a lonely path...... middle of paper...confidence in a bleak future, isolation, and reluctance to leave their own door in the morning to face the allegorical path of life. It is evident that Rainey's song resonates with audience members as they "bow their heavy heads, clutch their mittens, and cry" (49). This line is repeated once again, reaffirming that the audience bows with respect for the words that ring true to them, that speak to them, and that lead them to recognize the common pains of their personal microhistories. “Backwater Blues” describes the situations that African Americans endure on a daily basis; Brown illustrates this poignantly when he notes that there is nothing left to say except that Ma Rainey takes hold of his listeners and their problems (40, 52). It is interesting to note the parallel between the poem's emphasis on the unification of different people and the unification of poetry and song within the poem..