Select one of the poems and explain why the poet is effective in presenting his message. Consider such elements: rhythm, rhyme, diction, imagery, and purpose. In this Petrarchan sonnet, Dunbar makes clear his message and expression of the pain of racial injustices after the Civil War. Douglass, as depicted as a great leader, is called upon for comfort through this problem that America faces. The purpose of this poem I feel is to represent the struggles the African Americans had to endure during their time being slaves while offering hope for the black community, letting the reader knows that one day someone will lead them out of this struggle and into their promise land.
These were forms of expression, which enabled them to make it through those hard times and gave a voice and a form of self -awareness and endurance. The Vernacular tradition let them express what they felt in their hearts, minds, and bodies and gave inspiration to keep moving forward. Religion and faith kept them going even when it was difficult to hold on Thomas Jefferson says in the Vernacular Tradition “musically the slaves are more generally gifted than the whites with accurate ears for tune and time.” (pg 6) They were so gifted when in came to music and literature that it was even observed and noticed by their slave masters. They were able to make songs and poems about what they were going through at the drop of the hat. Poems and songs such as “Been in the Storm so long” “This little light of mine” and “Soon I will be done”.
Benjamin Banneker Rhetorical Analysis In his sentimental, yet candid letter, Banneker reminds the reader of their past with the British Crown and his oppression in order to relate the reader to the struggles faced by a hopeless slave. In lines 1-25, Banneker makes strong use of past experiences faced by colonists in order to connect his reader to slavery. Banneker starts off with reminding the reader of when, “the British Crown exerted every powerful effort in order to reduce you to a state of servitude.” The use of this concrete detail leads the reader to remember a time when they suffered a form of slavery in order to help the reader understand the struggles faced by slaves. The reader is then brought to remember when, “every human aid appeared unavailable.” Although this may be a hyperbole, it is successful in emotionally attaching the reader to the hardships of slavery. The hyperbole doesn’t come off as over- dramatization, but rather shows the negative significance of slavery.
By analysing the two poems and their complex structures, the reader discovers a similarity on the subject, of spiritual journeys, however a difference in the context of the journey. The difference of representation in each subject is conveyed in different styles and voices, leading to differences and similarities within the style of each poem. The first poem, (Ione, Dead The Long Year), written by Ezra Pound, is composed in a way where the poem portrays the thoughts of the character – the reader receives a ‘head-on’ perspective of the character, thus evoking deep emotion within. Pound’s use of patterns of imagery are used to create a tone and to suggest rather than state, the poet’s theme; his use of personification in describing the flowers, portray his feeling of loss and how that seems to also be reflecting on his surroundings, “And the flowers, Bend over with heavy heads. They bend in vain”.
The poet writes as if she knows what it is like to feel homesick, as imagining a place is not an easy thing to do if you have no experience of it. This also makes the poem more personal and relatable and allows us to really imagine what it is like to come from a bright island to an alien, dull city halfway across the world. The irregular length of each poetic line is a representation of the sea and the uneven lapping of waves, this allows the reader to understand the themes of the poem and imagine themselves near the sea. The simple language that is used shows the man is not fully awake during the poem and is still in the simple land of sleep and dream. The poet uses many poetic skills to get across the ideas of dreaming and longing for a faraway place.
The narrator wishes to keep those memories of his people alive in the form of song. One of Cane's recurring themes is the struggle to finding an appropriate language to express the world as the narrator (or perhaps Toomer) sees it. Hence, the book experiments with prose, poetry, verse and hymns. Here, however, the narrator is recognizing the use of song to communicate and keep the past alive. The opening stanza's direction to sing out into the night is something of a warning to pay homage to previous generations of slaves before they are forgotten.
Jacobs suggested that slave masters manipulated religion to fit their own needs and wants. Preacher’s sermons portrayed the fears that white slave holders had about their slaves. One sermon reads, “Although your masters may not find you out, God sees you; and he will punish you. You must forsake your sinful ways, and be faithful servants. Obey your old master and your young master--your old mistress and your young mistress.
In this poem the beat that the author is talking about is not a happy beat as the author is using a metaphor of what people were feelings about the situation they are in at that time. Sometimes I feel mad and anxious at the same time wanting to be free. I usually feel this way when experiencing racism from someone in authority over me. The racial persecution placed on African Americans to live as second class citizens with no hope in moving forward toward advancement in society was very hard. Reading this I was able
These songs were meant for hope to let slaves know that God is watching over them even though the times fell hard on them. Back then African Americans used to sing outside of churches. During and after slavery, slaves and workers who were working in the fields or anywhere else outdoors, were allowed to sing work songs. Usually work songs were sang when they had to coordinate their efforts for doing strenuous activities such as moving a heavy load of things or lifting trees or whatever their master requires of them. Even prisoners used to sing chain gang songs when they worked on the road or on some construction project.
Alliteration sates that in a poem there is a repetition of a certain letter. In this case the author writes “Tyger Tyger! Burning bright” and also “In what distant deeps or skies” the caesura used between these words and the alliteration ties them together thus making readers pay more attention to the words written in the poem. Assonance is used in this poem as well to emphasize the greatness of God such as in “twist the sinews”. There are two different sounds in the poem.