Frederick Douglass Analysis Essay

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Frederick Douglass by Robert Hayden In the biography of Robert Hayden, it states that he “passionately insisted he was not a “black artist” but an American one” (Hayden 1346) This shows the character of Hayden that he didn’t like being confined to anything, which is reflected in his overall writing. For instance, when looking at the style the poem is written in, you notice that it resembles a sonnet poem but does not quite follow all the guidelines of a sonnet poem, as he puts his own twist to the sonnet style showing his “freedom”. Also although it is assumed that the subject of the poem was influenced by the Civil Rights movement as it was written in the nineteen sixties, never in the poem does the poet directly state that the poem is intended …show more content…

For example, Robert states that freedom is “as needful to man as air” showing that just like a man’s existence is dependent on breathing air, the true American society is dependent on the freedom of everyone. He then goes on to say that freedom is “as usable as earth” (3-5). Earth comes with everything we need to live or is the foundation of everything we have, just like freedom is what we need in society and is the foundation to the true American society. These two similes also coincide because the beginning to life is both air and earth, as without air no man would exist and without earth where would we live. Just like freedom is the beginning to America, because what makes America is the fact that we are the land of the free. So an American society without the freedom of everyone is not truly “American”. Also after mentioning earth and air which are two natural components to life he continues to say “when it is truly instinct, brain matter, diastole, systole, / reflex action;” (4-5). As if saying that just like earth and air are natural components to life, nothing none of us have to make its just there. Freedom should be natural to our minds and bodies, a natural make up of who we are. Freedom should flow within society like the heartbeat within our bodies, a natural reaction to

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