I have not lived during the horrible time of slavery but reading the poem “Sympathy” gives me a clearer view on exactly what it was like. This poem title speaks for itself, it simply seems as though the speaker knew exactly what the bird was going through and felt sorry for the bird. In this poem, it appears that the bird is taking place of slaves, whether men or woman. Slaves were not aloud to leave the plantation without permission and I’m assuming that if they did they would receive a harsh punishment. Caucasians had all of the power over African American. African Americans were treated as if they were animals, some kind of pets to be exact. They were always told when to do that and had no choice but the obey the rules at all times. The