Frederick Douglass
By Robert Hayden
When it is finally ours, this freedom, this liberty, this beautiful
and terrible thing, needful to man as air,
usable as earth; when it belongs at last to all,
when it is truly instinct, brain matter, diastole, systole,
reflex action; when it is finally won; when it is more
than the gaudy mumbo jumbo of politicians:
this man, this Douglass, this former slave, this Negro
beaten to his knees, exiled, visioning a world
where none is lonely, none hunted, alien,
this man, superb in love and logic, this man
shall be remembered. Oh, not with statues’ rhetoric,
not with legends and poems and wreaths of bronze alone,
but with the lives grown out of his life, the lives
fleshing his dream of the beautiful, needful thing.
Summary of Frederick Douglass
- Popularity of “Frederick Douglass”: The poem ‘Frederick Douglass’ was written by Robert Hayden, a US based African American poet, essayist, and teacher. This remarkable poetry narrates the inspiring journey of an African American luminary who ceaselessly fought against the pernicious evils of racial discrimination and oppression inflicted upon his fellow brethren in the United States. The poem appeared first in 1947 in The Atlantic. It was later included in the Collected Poems of Robert Hayden. The poem’s distinctive quality arises from its thematic focus on freedom and the transformation of Douglass Frederick into legendary figures.
- “Frederick Douglass” As a Representative of Racial Discrimination and Freedom: With his usual poetic outlook the poet starts showing Frederick Douglass anticipating they will certainly win freedom. Despite this, the captivating aspect is that when they secure the win, it is a beautiful and wonderful thing to acquire. In his assertion, he likens freedom to other natural elements and argues that it serves as a life-saving physical element, just like the other cardiac functions. However, when they will be able to extract it from the politicians, they would remember Frederick Douglass, saying that although he suffered a lot during his abolitionist movement and was tortured, he stayed steadfast. As he praises the extraordinary advocate of freedom, he continues to assert that Douglass’s exceptionalism was not limited to matters of the heart alone, but extended to all aspects of life, highlighting their determination to pay tribute to him in ways that surpass poetic recitations or the simple act of laying wreathes on his grave. This is the most pressing work that they are going to do in his memory.
- Major Themes in “Frederick Douglass”: Freedom, oppression and remembrance of a hero are three major thematic strands. The poem compares liberty and freedom, expressing hope for the African American community to attain it one day. However, when they would win it, they will take this work from the politicians and make the African American community to enjoy it fully. In this setting, they would recall Frederick Douglass as a brave figure who fought to end racial discrimination. The tributes won’t solely be poems, stories, or wreaths.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Frederick Douglass
literary devices are unique strategies used to make writings beautiful and meaningful. The analysis of these devices in the poem is given below.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /o/ and /uh/ in “than the gaudy mumbo jumbo of politicians”, the sound of /i/ in “and terrible thing, needful to man as air” and the sound of /i/ in “When it is finally ours, this freedom, this liberty, this beautiful / and terrible thing, and needful to man as air”.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /s/, /t/, and /l/ in “when it is truly instinct, brain matter, diastole, systole”, the sound of /b/ and /m/ in “than the gaudy mumbo jumbo of politicians”.
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,
where none is lonely, none hunted, alien,
this man, superb in love and logic, this man
shall be remembered.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The poem shows the use of imagery such as “And terrible thing, needful to man as air”, “than the gaudy mumbo jumbo of politicians” and “beaten to his knees, exiled, visioning a world”.
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use liberty as a metaphor, comparing it to a natural element that is usable.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of freedom, air and earth.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Frederick Douglass
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Free Verse: The poem does not follow any rhyme scheme. Therefore, it is free verse poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There is a single stanza, having fourteen verses.
- Repetition: The poem shows the use of a rhetorical device of repetition that stresses upon the main idea such as “this…” in the first and the 8th verse, and the use of life/lives in the last two verses.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “Frederick Douglass” are relevant to use when teaching about the changing political situations and the role of great heroes who have fought for human values.
Oh, not with statues’ rhetoric,
not with legends and poems and wreaths of bronze alone,
but with the lives grown out of his life, the lives
fleshing his dream of the beautiful, needful thing.
