Final answer:
In 'Floodtide,' rain symbolizes renewal and cleansing, while water serves as a central motif, reflecting African-American history's link with water's life, power, and potential.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the poem 'Floodtide,' rain is used as a symbol of renewal and cleansing, and water functions as the poem's main motif, aligning African-American history with the life, power, and potential of water. This interpretation is deeply rooted in the cultural significance of water in African cosmology, where it is often seen as a symbolic divide between the living and the dead, as posited by the peoples of the Senegambia region, such as the Wolof and the Fulani - the latter to which Phillis Wheatley possibly belonged. Furthermore, the theme of crossing over water has historical resonance in the context of the black Diaspora, having been a recurring motif in African elegies and nineteenth-century slave spirituals, symbolizing a journey towards Christ and freedom, and reflecting memories of Africa and the aspiration to reunite with lost loved ones.
Literary figures like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Claude McKay, through their works, highlighted African-American heritage and the triumph of the African-American spirit, often incorporating themes associated with water and crossing over to a promised land. The use of water as a powerful symbol connects to these broader themes and carries with it the weight of shared memories and collective history within African-American literature and culture more broadly.