The Epitaph and the Lynching

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The poems "Epitaph" and "The Lynching" are two very similar poems. They both deal with oppression, oral history, slavery, racial prejudice and a cruel act that was done. For both poems the tone is somewhat sad. Both poems also deals with the unjustly death os a man, most likely a slave. The Lynching is about the hanging of a man unjustly and how his body was burnt and left hanging for all to see. In this poem the children playing was a very important part, as they were the ones left viewing the hanging body. This is where oral history would come in as because they are young the story would be passed on for generations. This poem also gives light os a father figure, both biologically and heavenly. The poem shows the strength the person that died and the pain he or she had to go through. The poem Epitaph, also deals with an unjustly act that was done. This act that was done was on a Clement morning and left sorrow in the hearts of the fellow onlookers of the man that died. This poem also promotes oral history. This poem also mentions children playing but they did not know they were to know they were to stop and pay their respect to the dead. An adult had to tell them to stop which shows they were not mature enough to know what was happening. There were other onlookers but they weren't allowed to stop working, so they could not pay their respects. Basically both poems brings racial prejudice to light and demonstrates how power can be used to strike fear into the hearts of many
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