what is the general ideas and feeling of the poem ''stanzas on freedom''?

Answer 1

James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)

“Stanzas on Freedom"

Men! whose boast it is that ye
Come of fathers brave and free,
If there breathe on earth a slave,
Are ye truly free and brave?
If ye do not feel the chain,
When it works a brother’s pain,
Are ye not base slaves indeed,
Slaves unworthy to be freed?

Women! who shall one day bear,
Sons to breathe New England air,
If ye hear, without a blush,
Deeds to make the roused blood rush
Like red lava through your veins,
For your sisters now in chains—

Answer! are ye fit to be
Mothers of the brave and free?

Is true Freedom but to break
Fetters for our own dear sake,
And, with leathem hearts, forget
That we owe mankind a debt?
No! true Freedom is to share
All the chains our brothers wear,
And, with heart and hand, to be
Earnest to make others free!

They are slaves who fear to speak
For the fallen and the weak;
They are slaves who will not choose
Hatred, scoffing, and abuse,
Rather than in silence shrink
From the truth they needs must think;
They are slaves who dare not be
In the right with two or three.
**
Interpretation:

1. the men mentioned in the first stanza boast of father brave and free. These men might not be truly free if a slave still exists on earth.

2. Women should blush for the fate of their "sisters now in chains."

3. The people the speaker is calling slaves are those who "dare not be in the right with two or three," or anyone who allows the enslavement of others to continue.

4. True freedom is assuming responsibility for the enslavement of others and fighting "with heart and hand" to free those less fortunate.

5. Slaves are those in chains and also those who, although "free,' permit slavery to exist. Only those who defeat slavery are free.

6. The simile in Lines 12-13 is "blood like red lava," which indicates righteous anger and a willingness to die for one's beliefs--hot and burning blood. The metaphor in line 19 is "And, with leathern hearts, forget...," means a heart that is tough and unfeeling, a condition Lowell is trying to prevent.

7. There is still a lack of human rights in parts of the world, such as China, and there still exists discrimination based on sex, race and religion.

**
Throughout history, American authors try to capture the essence of their country and people, as well as express the ideals that are the cornerstones of their great nation. The concept of America, and the people who call it home, changes over time, but the ideals remain the same. Three literary pieces that clearly illustrate these ideals include Thomas Paine’s “The American Crisis”, Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle”, and James Russell Lowell’s “Stanzas on Freedom”. Though each piece varies dramatically, each communicates a similar message to early Americans, reveals what makes an American who he is, and explains the deep felt cry they have heard since the beginning of their country’s history: the costs, rewards, and importance of freedom for all. In Thomas Paine’s “The American Crisis”, he tries to dissatisfy American colonists with British domination, the unfair taxes they enforce, and occupation of their land. “Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right [not only to] tax, but to bind us in all cases whatsoever, and if being bound in that manner is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth.”

Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush and Dr. Spencer Crew at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Public Dedication:
. . . . Visitors will be reminded that freedom's heroes have their roots not in
celebrity but in compassion. Harriet Tubman didn't have a publicist. Cameras
were not documenting the life of Frederick Douglass. William Lloyd Garrison didn't establish "The Liberator" for fame or fortune. Harriet Beecher Stowe wasn't driven by a book deal. Those who made up the Underground Railroad were
connected by one simple ideal -- they cherished freedom. And because they knew the promise of liberty, they made bringing freedom to others their life's legacy.
Many slaves who escaped to freedom turned around and risked their lives again to lead others out of the darkness. They believed, as James Russell Lowell wrote in his Stanzas on Freedom, "True Freedom is to share all the chains our brothers wear, and with heart and hand, to be earnest to make others free." (Applause.)


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