Frederick Douglass Poem Analysis

One of the greatest arts in poetry is the ability to interweave multiple meanings of significance behind a single poem. In the poem “Fredrick Douglass,” Robert Hayden does just that. Even more, in doing so he characterizes freedom through the lens of Fredrick Douglass’ contribution. In this poem Hayden utilizes a unique form of structuring the poem. At first glance, the poem appears to be an English sonnet because of its fourteen line structure. Yet, it does not follow the rhyme sequence of a sonnet nor does it follow the traditional number of syllables per line. This deviation from the standard form of a sonnet begins to unfold some of the layers of the portrayal of Douglass that Hayden is painting.

The way that his poem rebels from traditional

He structures his rhetoric in the manner of a speech, or almost even a sermon. Both imagery and anaphora are devices often used in sermons to convey an idea in a manner that can be digested by the average listener and here Hayden uses them to ensure that everyone understands the importance of his message.

Throughout the poem, Hayden encapsulates the idea of freedom by metaphorically referring to it as a “beautiful and terrible thing” (lines 1-2). From there he proceeds to grant vivid tangible characteristics to the abstract idea of freedom. He refers to this liberty as essential by comparing it to air and alludes that it should be second nature by comparing it to essential bodily functions. This idea is then furthered through the use of anaphora.

In rhetoric, anaphora is repetition of certain phrases to draw attention to them. At the start of his poem Hayden writes, “This freedom, this liberty, this beautiful and terrible thing,” to express the importance of the fundamental idea that he will build upon throughout the poem (lines 1-2). First, he identifies freedom as what he will discuss. Next, he refers to it as liberty; a term that his general audience would agree is synonymous with freedom. Then he juxtaposes that idea by referring it as a beautiful and terrible thing, a terminology that is not immediately synonymous with liberty on the surface. For the rest of the poem Hayden hinges off the attention grabbing statement by illustrating how freedom is both beautiful and