“Frederick Douglass” by Robert Hayden [pg. 85]

This poem is filled with a number of pauses. The pauses are mainly used to accentuate a phrase or word. For example, the poem ends with “the beautiful, needful thing”. The pause gives the listener time to digest the words. It also prevents the whole poem from being swallowed too quickly since it is two sentences long. It chops the rhythm into small pieces. The writer, who I see as the speaker, respects and praises Frederick Douglass for what he did. In this poem, he only mention’s Douglass’ name once. It is seated right in the middle of the poem. Looking at it, it seems to be the core of the poem. All of the other words just surround it. This may be done to frame Douglass in the poem. The tone of respect comes when Hayden constantly refers to Douglass as “this man”. By calling Douglass a man, he wipes away the idea of being a slave. Although the word “man” is impersonal when used instead of someone’s name, it actually exalts the subject in this poem. When I read the poem, I picture the speaker holds a formal tone as if this is a public address. This poem is two sentences long. It seems as if it is a continual string of ideas and phrases that are spoken. In the first sentence, the phrases start with the same string of words. The first line is a repetition of “this…” followed by another “this…,” in a parallel structure. This is to build momentum for what is next to come. By beginning the phrases to say something, it allows the next phrases to be said louder. It resembles (if memory serves me right) Lincoln’s Gettysberg Address. In a way, they both mirror each other in parallel structure and address.