Monroe says, “Poetry has always been independent, unaffiliated with any institution or university—or with any single poetic or critical movement or aesthetic school.” All poetry has a different theme that it focuses on, or does it? In these four poems, there is a strong sense of social anxiety, and then the overcoming of that with courage. In Sylvia Plath's Mirror, Anne Sexton’s Courage, Gwendolyn Brooks’ The Explorer, and Robert Hayden’s Frederick Douglass there is a strongly shared theme. To start off is the theme of social anxiety in Sylvia Plath’s Mirror. This poem is about a mirror that spends most of it’s days reflecting the wall, but occasionally, it is the friend of a man or woman. One day, a woman comes to stare into its depths, …show more content…
He feared what was behind each door as he walked in a long hallway of doors. In lines 12 and 14 of the poem it states, “He feared most of all the choices, that cried to be taken… There were no quiet rooms.” The man was feeling left out in the world and didn’t know where to settle down. He just couldn’t find the right door for him. Bohl concludes, “The bend occurs on him, at first, thinking there might be somewhere where he can go and don’t worry about all the problems, and then the bend comes in stating that there is no such place.” The social uncomfort in this poem is very prominent as we progress through the theme. Last, but certainly not least, is the continuing theme of perturbation in Robert Hayden’s Frederick Douglass. This poem is about former beaten slave who escapes and waits for the day when freedom will belong to everyone. He is different than others because of his skin color, and doesn’t quite fit in with the rest. Aagard reminds the reader, “Hayden's poem has so much thrust, pushes forward with such alacrity and rhetorical incantation, that the poem triggers for me both the power of his longing for freedom and his tasting of it.” Frederick Douglass’ inquietude comes from the fact that he has never even experienced freedom. In lines 1-3 in the poem, Hayden wrote, “When it is finally ours, this freedom, this liberty, this beautiful and terrible thing.” Here, Hayden reflects on the
Frederick Douglass was an African American who rose from slavery to become a leading voice in the abolitionist movement; he was also known to be a public speaker and writer who published many works. Frederick Douglass then went on to write an autobiography titled “My Bondage and My Freedom”, discussing in great detail the struggles of being a slave. Throughout his autobiography, Douglass argues very boldly that slavery was in institution that victimized not only slaves, but also slave owners and non-slave owning whites. Frederick’s statement is true in the sense that slavery dehumanized slaves, it destroyed the natural good in slave owners, and slavery robbed non-slave owning whites.
The tone established in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is unusual in that from the beginning to the end the focus has been shifted. In the beginning of the narrative Douglass seems to fulfill every stereotypical slavery theme. He is a young black slave who at first cannot read and is very naïve in understanding his situation. As a child put into slavery Douglass does not have the knowledge to know about his surroundings and the world outside of slavery. In Douglass’ narrative the tone is first set as that of an observer, however finishing with his own personal accounts.
Slavery is a topic very capable of putting an emotional weight on a person. This is even more so for those that have actually experienced it first-hand. Frederick Douglass, one of the more influential African-Americans in history, himself, was once a slave. He experienced everything that comes with being a slave in first-person. All the wickedness, hardships, and mental and physical damage, that came with being a slave, were experienced by him. Frederick is able to experience freedom after taking the step himself and escaping slavery. After what is almost an entire life of slavery, one would expect him to have many thoughts floating in his mind about his new found freedom. In the passage from the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass use figures of speech and syntax, and repetition of key phrases to convey his feelings of excitement, insecurity, and loneliness from escaping slavery and arriving in New York in 1838.
Frederick Douglass was the champion to a lot of people especially those enslave at that time. It’s easy to imagine slavery but hard to see it. Douglass was inspired by his own story which then inspired millions of others. He is confronted with a challenging task in his writing by trying to fulfil the need. Frederick Douglass opens up people eyes. His book helps to see through his eyes, someone who resisted and fought for freedom for each and every one of us. The road of inspiration taken by Frederick Douglass lead to his freedom along with leading others to freedom.
Leaders, Achievers, Courage are only a few words that describe Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Abraham Lincoln and what they achieved. Frederick Douglass was a very courageous man and leader because he stood up for what was right and he escaped slavery, For Example in the text it says “ The more I read , the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers”. What that sentence means is that he was reading a book about a slave and his master and the more he read the more he wanted to enslave all slaves. Sojourner Truth was a courageous leader. She stood up for what she thought was right and for her that was women rights and ending slavery. In fact, in the text is says “ Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much right as men, cause christ wasn't a women! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a women! Man had nothing to do with him. ANother sentence was “ Then they talk about this thing in the head;what’s this they call it? [Members of audience whispers “ Intellect”] That's it honey. What's that got to f with women rights or negroes rights. She would always stand up for what was right. Abraham Lincoln was a Achiever and a Courageous leader. He was the man that stopped slavery. It's Important to realize, that in the text it said “ My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will, The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and
In Fredrick Douglass’s a narrative, Narrative of The Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave, he narrates an account of his experiences in the dehumanizing institution of slavery. This American institution was strategically formatted to quench any resemblance of human dignity. Throughout, the narration of his life Fredrick Douglas, meticulously illustrates the methodical process that contributed to the perpetual state of slavery. In his narration Douglass, denounces the idea that slaves are inferior to their masters but rather, it’s the dehumanizing process that constructs this erroneous theory. Ultimately, the desires of his consciousness for knowledge ferociously leads him to mental and physical pursuit of his emancipation.
For a man that was brought up not knowing his birthday, beaten for wanting to learn, and tortured for not perfectly completing the task asked by his master, he; Frederick Douglass had the ability to write an articulate novel explaining in detail, the hardships of being a slave. In the novel, it is prevalent that Douglass came from nothing and reinvented himself into an affluent abolitionist and writer. Rhetorical devices furthered Douglass’s argument by making it known that the way he writes and speaks has no effect on the torture and violence he endured. Also the rhetorical devices added emphasis that the subject of slavery matters.
In lines five through fifteen, Douglass’ dissertates his first real experience of excitement and freedom. To introduce the latter experience, Douglass opens up his story using parallelism: “I have been frequently asked how I felt when I found myself in a free State. I have a never been able to answer the question with any satisfaction to myself” (5-6). Douglass
Unlike other forms of literature, poetry can be so complex that everyone who reads it may see something different. Two poets who are world renowned for their ability to transform reader’s perceptions with the mere use of words, are TS Eliot and Walt Whitman. “The love song of J Alfred Prufrock” by TS Eliot, tells the story of a man who is in love and contemplating confessing his emotions, but his debilitating fear of rejection stops him from going through with it. This poem skews the reader’s expectations of a love song and takes a critical perspective of love while showing all the damaging emotions that come with it. “Song of myself”, by Walt Whitman provokes a different emotion, one of joy and self-discovery. This poem focuses more on the soul and how it relates to the body. “Song of myself” and “The love song of J Alfred Prufrock” both explore the common theme of how the different perceptions of the soul and body can affect the way the speaker views themselves, others, and the world around them.
The glaring, almost scorching sun beats down on the backs of the enslaved. The sweat rolls down, past their scared backs and down to the heel of their tired aching feet. The plantations roar of devastation, but not of its crops but the people that tend to it. From dusk they rise and to the rake of night they rest, laden with what little sleep, and what little time they have to dream. Their aching scars tell tales far beyond, their eyes seen what no other, and their ears hear like no other; the slaves, encumbered as they are living history. Freedom is all but a dream, and those who dare to even dream or think are those who are not blind and know that freedom is their right. Slavery has weakened the back and soul of Frederick Douglas but surely not his mind and not even slavery can destroy the paramountcy of motherhood and community as Harriet Jacob’s simply shown. In after all, slavery has made Frederick a man and Harriet, a mother. In the “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave,” by Frederick Douglass, it details a momentous passage of conquering education and reconquering manhood; gaining glory even though he was left to his own devices from an early age dissimilar to Harriet Jacobs in the “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.” Family values are destroyed, can we even say some existed; what it means to be a man, a husband, and a mother is a trial all on its own. Slavery is a troubling situation; it can
“When it is finally ours this freedom, this liberty, this beautiful” (Line 1) is one of the many lines in Robert Hayden's poem “Frederick Douglass”. One of many poems in which Hayden takes events or figures from African American history as his subject. This poem was written as a tribute to Frederick Douglas himself. One of the very well-known and praised African Americans in the nineteenth century. This is no ordinary poem for Hayden. It is written in an improper sonnet. By improper I mean, sonnets are usually fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, which typically has ten syllables per line. Hayden has done a great job in using many different literary techniques to emphasize the work Frederick Douglass has done.
Frederick Douglass writes his speeches in a way that makes the audience jump. He writes them with true feeling and power, which can only be accomplished by a person who has felt these many times in their life. Douglass’ Fourth of July speech, talks about him being a slave for the majority of his life, and how he is unable to relate to the joy felt by the rest of the Americans on the Fourth of July. He is “not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary!” and believes the Rochester Ladies Society, whom he is talking to’s “high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between” him and them, because his whole life Douglass wasn’t free and now can be taken back to slavery at any moment. By saying this,
Frederick Douglass is not just a mind boggling work of talk. It addresses our each mistake induced by the gap between the feelings of the United States and reality we witness each day; between the Bill of Rights and our ruining customary open doors; between the USA's general presentations of human rights and the requested robot strikes kept up by presidential "kill records"; between the words "life, adaptability and the mission for enjoyment" and a country that leads the world in keeping its own particular local people; between our most raised standards and our darkest substances. In a perfect world individuals set aside the opportunity to examine the entire of Douglass' stunning talk, even however his were words that spoke especially to his intersection ever, regardless they ring with an unsettling power. As Douglass says, "Had I the utmost, and may I can achieve the country's ear, I would today spill out
Patrick Henry once said, “give me liberty, or give me death.” In the eyes of Frederick Douglass and countless others enslaved, this took on a much deeper meaning to them. “It was doubtful liberty at most, and almost certain death is we failed.” [51] Frederick Douglass was one of the most commonly known slaves to have existed. Slavery has been around since the 1700s, but the subject of slavery is controversial because it not only includes information written from former slaves, but information acquired from historians. The question that has with stood the test of time is, “are these encounters that have been written out, exaggerated or the whole truth and nothing but the truth?” In the early 1800’s Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland, and grew up on Colonial Edward Lloyd’s plantation. Children would be separated from their mothers before they were twelve months in age-Frederick too was separated from his mother. As a result of entering slave-hood at an early age, he did not know his birthdate (like most slaves). Frederick Douglass’s account on slavery could be seen as biased as a result of first hand experiences with being held as a slave. Although, Douglass is able to be direct our thoughts to these experiences in such a light, you feel as if you are witnessing it happen right before you. Because of Douglass’s quest for freedom, his daring attitude, and determination to learn, he shows us the way through American Slavery in his eyes. Douglass provides
During the 1900’s, a series of new poets came into existence. These poets brought about new themes and perspectives that manipulated the minds of humans all across the world. The poets that are in our study are Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Robert Hayden. These four poets wrote detailed, intricate poems that are packed full of a slew of different themes and perspectives. These themes can be distilled and life lessons can be derived from them. Raymond A. Schroth states intelligently, “Perhaps the best way to define courage is to live it.” Anne Sexton’s poem Courage thrives off of