Analyze Harper, ‘Bury Me In A Free Land’

2 Pages 517 Words

France Harper was never a slave herself. However, been born in Baltimore, Maryland, a well-known “slave state” then, she was hugely influenced by the leftover impact from slavery, the continuously discrimination regarding the racism, sexism and political issues and luckily, by her well-educated uncle, William Watkins. So that she was able to express her interest in radical politics and religions freely and devote to lofty ideas.

“Bury Me in a Free Land” was published in 1864 the same year when Harper’s husband, Fenton Harper died. I can’t be sure if this poem was directly written for him, but it was indeed a sentiment from all the black people at that time. I believe the title “Free Land” doesn’t necessarily refer to a geographical location, but a place where is slavery-free, racism-free and sexism-equally treated, and definitely not a place like Baltimore where black men and woman could never spiritually get away from what had taken place in the past.

The freedom Harper was longing for through this poem was represented both as a physical condition and spiritual achievement. These sentences such as “…the tread of a coffle-gang to the shambles led…” “ …The lash drinking her blood at each fearful gash…” “…the bay of a bloodhound seizing his human prey; …the captive plead in vain, as they bound, afresh, his galling chain…” as well as “…the young girl girls from their mother’s arms, bartered and sold for their youthful charms…” strongly suggested the hard evidence from physical abuses which were against humane system. And to me, it also implied to those unbearable, and horrified pains that black people had been suffered centuries ago till then. In addition to that, from this sentence said “ I would sleep… where bloated Might can rob no man of his dearest right…” I feel like she wasn’t only referring to the “slavery” itself in the past, but also a present situation in...