That Shall Not Be Taken Away by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It alludes to Luke 10:42 in the Bible, where Jesus tells Martha that her sister Mary has chosen "that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Instead of tackling household chores, Mary chose to sit and listen to Jesus—she prioritized spiritual devotion over the distractions of daily life. Longfellow echoes this sentiment in his subject: the woman gave up her wealth and status, but the grace and love she gained through that sacrifice can never be taken from her.

Longfellow doesn't name her, and scholars haven't identified a single confirmed real-life model. She comes across as a composite ideal—a wealthy Southern woman who liberated her enslaved workers and became a teacher. Some readers link her to actual figures in the abolitionist movement, but the poem mainly serves as a moral portrait rather than a biography.

Kenhawa, now known as Kanawha, is a river located in present-day West Virginia. At the time Longfellow wrote the poem, it was part of Virginia. By setting the story there, the woman is depicted in the slaveholding South, making her decision to free her enslaved workers even more remarkable. She isn’t a Northern outsider; rather, she is someone challenging the norms of her own community.

The poem mentions that they sailed "beyond the Southern Sea," which probably points to Liberia on the West African coast. In the early to mid-19th century, the American Colonization Society helped facilitate the journey for freed Black Americans to Liberia. It's important to note that this practice sparked significant controversy—many Black Americans and abolitionists criticized colonization as a way to sidestep genuine racial equality in the United States.

Longfellow was part of a tradition where religious arguments were the strongest weapon for abolitionists. By depicting a woman reading the Gospels and connecting Christ's mission to the liberation of captives, he's asserting that slavery isn't just a political issue but a sin — a clear violation of Christian teachings. This approach was a widely used and impactful rhetorical tactic in the abolitionist writings of that era.

'Decent' here refers to being dignified or respectable. This phrase suggests that the woman has chosen her poverty rather than it being a result of failure, and she handles her less fortunate situation with grace. It reflects the Christian notion of voluntary poverty as a spiritual virtue — similar to monks or missionaries who intentionally renounce wealth to pursue their calling.

The poem uses ballad meter, featuring alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter, with an ABAB rhyme scheme. This structure is typical of hymns and folk ballads, lending the poem a sing-song, devotional feel that fits its theme. The consistent meter emphasizes a sense of steady, quiet virtue instead of dramatic heroism.

The main point is that true love and sacrifice lead to lasting outcomes. The woman surrendered her wealth, status, and the company of those she liberated — yet what she lost returned to her as grace, evident in her expression and experienced in her everyday life. Longfellow suggests that doing the right thing is rewarding in itself, and the spiritual bond between people who have loved each other deeply cannot be diminished by distance or hardship.