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. With each stanza, Dunbar affirms that righteousness—which is constantly challenged by supporters of slavery and others seeking to deny the basic humanity of African Americans—touting Douglass’s victories with each exchange. In stanza four, the “sunlight of his truth” (Line 21) acts to reveal the evils of bondage in a way that is undeniable, just as the line “to sin and crime he gave their proper hue” (Line 23) speaks to Douglass’s ability to reveal the true colors of laws and policies that were likely morally acceptable to his contemporaries at the time. Likewise, in stanza five, the power of Douglass’s reasoning and oratory is expressed through the lines, “he dared the lightening in the lightning’s track, / and answered thunder with his thunder back” (Lines 29-30). The significance of Douglass’s contribution is paramount here: For the first time in history, an educated former slave is in a position to debate his own freedom and status in the world and on the public stage—and he does so with an arsenal far superior to that of his oppressor.

In fact, for the speaker, Douglass’s arguments rise above those of his opponent in large part because he is not arguing for himself or his own interest, but instead he is following God’s calling. Douglass speaks “not for himself” (Line 34) but knows “the import of his Master’s call” (Line 35); in other words, he is doing God’s work and his message is rooted in the justice of the word of God. Like many medieval heroes in literature, the knight’s quest is ordained by God, elevating its divine purpose above the “petty spites” (Line 28) of humanity, and Dunbar uses this familiar imagery to establish a similar tone. As such, he depicts Douglass as having devoted his life to this calling, ultimately dying a hero “in Freedom’s lists and for the aid of Right” (Line 45).