Stanzas on Freedom by James Russell Lowell
Summary: Stanzas on Freedom is a poem about slavery and they way people should feel about it in Lowell's opinion.
Section One:
- Men that say they come from fathers that fathers that were brave and free must ask a question to themselves
- The question is: are you free if there are slaves, and if you do not feel the suffering slaves have, you are the foundation of slavery
Section Two:
- Women that will have children must ask the question:
- If you do not get upset about your fellow females in chains are you good enough to have children that are brave and free
Section Three:
- The narrator says true freedom is not freedom for only ourselves but for everyone of mankind
Section Four:
- People are slaves if they are scared to speak for others that are too weak to do it themselves
- People are slaves if they will not speak up because they are scared of having hatred , or abuse sent at them
- People are slaves if they are too scared to be in the minority
Other Notes:
- The beginning of the poem, the first two stanza's are questions to people - the last two stanza's answer the questions
- The individual and mankind should be considered one rather than separate
- A slave is someone that will not stand up for what is right in their heart if they are scared because of the "majority"
© 2009 copyright www.notes4free.com Stanzas on Freedom | Russell Lowell