Sympathy By Frederick Douglass And Sympathy By Paul...

In the past, slaves, whether they were men or women, child or an adult, were often treated cruelly. The slaves weren’t able to rebel or escape and just had to go with it. They needed a way that they could express their emotions and the feelings that they had inside of them. That’s when they decided to start singing, and when they would be sent on a journey, they would sing the entire way there. They would sing about all the cruelty, harsh treatments, and misuse that was being done to them. Frederick Douglass’s Narrative and the poem â€Å"Sympathy† by Paul Laurence Dunbar both argue that the slaves sang songs during their journeys to express their emotions and feelings. In Narrative Douglass explains how the slaves sang their songs to†¦show more content†¦The slaves sang, â€Å"†¦ most when they are most unhappy. The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as his aching heart is relieved by its tears†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Pages 8-9). With the previous quote, Douglass uses a metaphor in which he compares the song to all the sorrow that the slaves have been through. As one can see, in order to relieve all the pain and misery that the slaves went through, they sang songs. In the poem â€Å"Sympathy† by Paul Laurence Dunbar, Dunbar also explains how the slaves sang songs to relieve their pain and misery which was caused by slavery. Dunbar also went through something similar to what Douglass went through when he states, â€Å"I know what the caged bird feels.† It’s different when you have been through it yourself, and when you have just heard about it. Experience is the real deal, and once you have, you’re scarred for life as Dunbar states with the help of imagery, â€Å"I know why the caged bird beats his wing till its blood is red on the cruel bars.† The use of imagery in this quote helps the readers imagine what the poet is talking about. When you go through all that, all the misery and pain, you need a way to express your emotion and the things you have been through. That’s why the slaves sang their songs, â€Å"It’s not a carol of joy and glee, but a prayer that it sends from its heart’ s deep core,† stated Dunbar in the poem. In the previous quote he uses invocation to callShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Theme of Freedom in Poetry2575 Words   |  11 PagesThe Theme of Freedom in Poetry Write about three poems on freedom: On Liberty and Slavery (George Moses Horton), Sympathy (Paul Laurence Dunbar) and Caged Bird (Maya Angelou). I have chosen to write about three poems on freedom: On Liberty and Slavery (George Moses Horton), Sympathy (Paul Laurence Dunbar) and Caged Bird (Maya Angelou). The full text of the poems is attached. I chose these three poems because the subject matter appealed to me and I believe that the poems convey their