“Paul gave voice to the hardships of the slave experience…” (Australia Broadcasting Corporation). Paul Robeson was a civil rights activist who shared his beliefs through song and music. He believed artists should use their talents and exposure to support causes around the world. He advocated for racial justice, African decolonization, and against imperialism. He was a national symbol and cultural leader who spoke for his community. He fought for justice for his country and was unjustly targeted by the CIA to silence his voice. In doing that, they ruined his life. Gwendolyn Brooks was inspired by his passion for his community and was angered by the wrongs inflicted on him; she captured that inspiration in her poem, “Paul Robeson”. The theme …show more content…
In the fifth and sixth stanza, the theme is supported through word choice. Brooks writes, “The major Voice/The adult Voice/forgoing Rolling River/” she emphasizes the word “Voice”, to convey the idea that Paul used his voice not just to sing, but to expose the injustice that is poisoning our world. There is a common saying, “Giving voice” which means to shed light on an important and usually ignored reality. Brooks using “Voice” both reminds us of what made him famous, as well as how he used that fame and talent to speak for those without the ability to speak for themselves. And the last line – “forgoing Rolling River” – shows how he transcended the song that first brought him to fame and instead used it to become a speaker for a much greater cause. By using “Voice” in multiple meanings, she's allowing us to see how using your influence and power to fight for equality, is taking care of your community. Brookes continues to develop the theme using figurative language. In the last section of the poem (lines 12-17) she writes, “that we are each other's/harvest:/we are each other's/business:/we are each other's/magnitude and bond.” By using the figurative speech, “harvest” and “business”, and singling them out between each