Frederick Douglass

From the beginning of “Frederick Douglass,” Dunbar sets a heroic tone that continues throughout the poem, rooted in the hero’s fight for what is right at a time of systemic inequality and oppression. Dunbar’s depiction of Douglass is akin to a medieval knight, valiantly fighting an evil that seemed overwhelming at times, but emerging a victor in the end. In the first stanza, Douglass is described as Ethopia’s “noblest born” (Line 6), placing him above all others. He is also described as a “champion” (Line 9) during the most “direful years” (Line 9), raising up his people and speaking words of encouragement. Douglass is equipped for this fight against evil with a “strong bow” (Line 15) of his power, and attacks his enemy, “Oppression” (Line 17), who dwells in a bloody “den” (Line 16) like a formidable beast. Dunbar continues this metaphor throughout the poem, to Douglass’s death on the battlefield, where “he died in action with is armor on” (Line 48), but the “kindling spirit of his battle-cry” (Line 52) continues to echo “throughout the land” (Line 51).

This imagery draws from well known cultural tropes to place Douglass among immortal heroes, solidifying the righteousness of his fight against slavery and inequality.