Summary Of Litany At The Tomb Of Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass is a historical figure recongnized by many, many people throughout the United States of America. In the poem Litany at the Tomb of Frederick Douglass, the author; Martín Espada exemplifies the impact this man had and how it has been revived in a modern sense. The poem illustrates the hardship a man of color would face in that current period of time, a man would arise who would break the shackles placed upon him and do what was forbidden for him and his people. This poem is supposedly only about Frederick Douglass, however it involves another man of color who has also made an impact. A subtle detail is placed in this piece of poetry, The "O" in Douglass stands for Obama, the rest of the stanza ends, allowing a new one to begin about Douglass's

Both are great men who have made history on this date, Frederick marks the death of an exceptional man who has left his mark on this world; one that will be remembered forever. Do not morn for too long for the death of a great will also in time bring forth another great man. Therefore with death comes birth and President Barack Obama wins the election making this date even more important. In the end Espada may have wanted this poem to be primarily focused on Frederick Douglas nevertheless he decided to share some of the glory with President Barack Obama. Nonetheless the million dollar question still stands, "what is truly commemorated on this impactful day"? The answer is not as abstract as one would think, in fact it is quite simple. Both men and the date deserve the commemoration, the poem is indeed aimed directly at Frederick Douglass however the author would have not made a mention to how President Obama had an achievement on the date. Indirectly Espada was giving credit where it was due, commemorating the date not for death but for life as a new generation will be priveliged to see a great man in