In folklore writer Sterling A. Brown's most famous poem, “Ma Rainey,” the music of the blues (in particular, the abridged version of “Backwater Blues” which found in -text) validates a range of difficulties found in everyday African American life – from issues of poverty and segregation to issues of identity formation – and unifies African Americans in the validation of their shared histories. 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 spiritual catharsis for audience members: instead of being saved by God, blues music gives African Americans the power 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 works to establish and reinforce a mood that suggests people are literally experiencing the blues. Another line found in both the poem and the song explicitly refers to trouble: “Trouble took place on the plains at night” (43). “Ma Rainey” validates the hardships that are symptomatic of being a poor African American in the racist era of the 20th century. -Southern century. The speaker's use of the vernacular captures the setting: "She grabbed us somehow" (40). Brown describes African Americans as facing “bad luck…[and] a lonely road…middle of paper…belief in a bleak future, isolation, and reluctance to leave one's door in the morning to face the future.” allegorical road of life. It is evident that Rainey's song resonates with audience members as they "bow their heavy heads, clutch their mufs, and cry" (49). This phrase is repeated once again, reaffirming that the audience bows in reverence for the words that ring true to them, speak to them, and push them to recognize the common pains of their personal microstories. “Backwater Blues” depicts the situations that African Americans endure every day; Brown illustrates this poignantly when he notes that there is nothing more to say than that Ma Rainey captures her listeners and their problems (40, 52). It is interesting to note the parallel between the poem's focus on the unification of different people and the unification of poetry and song within the poem..