Freedom to the Slave by H.L.V. Derozio:


About the poet: Henry Louis Vivian Derozio (18 April 1809 – 26 December 1831) was an Indian teacher and assistant headmaster of Hindu College, situated in Kolkata, a radical thinker who played crucial role in the Renaissance of Bengal and one of the first Indian educators to introduce Western learning and science among the young men of Bengal. He was witnessing the tyranny of slavery, prevailing in the colonial India, part of which he adroitly reflected in the poem.
About the poem:
In this poem, the poet-persona expresses his notion of the true value of freedom to a slave. Only when human beings are free from the shackles of slavery, they can perceive the aesthetic aspects of life and human existence. To a slave, freedom is the feeling of being treated with the dignity that a man truly deserves. The poet persona imagines how the slave will feel, when he will be informed that he is no longer a slave. Receiving the news of his newly acquired freedom, his heart beats proudly. The noblest feelings will be emanating from his mind that will inspire his soul to grow. He is not supposed to kneel before anyone now. The sheer thought of that will make him feel the dignity of a man and place him in an elevated state. The heavenly breeze will blow around him as he will hold his head high to see the sky .He will be so elated to see the wild birds flying and the gushing stream meandering beneath him. Upon this thought he will exclaim-“ I am free as they”. The word freedom is so impactful that it is capable of illuminating the altar of his soul with an eternal flame. A patriot attains freedom with his valorous sword and bleeding breasts. The slave will bless the generous hands that shattered the chain of slavery tied by the tyrant and felt for the humiliated man and offered the slave freedom.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 10, 2021 at 11:06 PM

    I've read it and it helped me to understand completely, thank you.

    ReplyDelete

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