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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE SLAVE, by JAMES OPPENHEIM Poet's Biography First Line: They set the slave free, striking off his chains Last Line: Free men set themselves free. Subject(s): Freedom; Religion; Slavery; Liberty; Theology; Serfs | |||
They set the slave free, striking off his chains ... Then he was as much a slave as ever. He was still chained to servility. He was still manacled to indolence and sloth, He was still bound by fear and superstition, By ignorance, suspicion, and savagery ... His slavery was not in chains, But in himself ... They can only set men free ... And there is no need of that: Free men set themselves free. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...JOY IN THE WOODS by CLAUDE MCKAY ELIZABETH KECKLEY: 30 YEARS A SLAVE AND 4 YEARS IN THE WHITE HOUSE by E. ETHELBERT MILLER EMANCIPATION by ELIZABETH ALEXANDER JOHN BROWN'S BODY by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET |
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