![]() "Facing the rising sun of our new day begun" is an example of a metaphor.We believe in doing things together (hey, aren't we understanding this poem together?).įacing the rising sun of our new day begun, What's more, these words indicate that this poem is being spoken (or sung) by multiple speakers. Words like "we" and "our" and "us" focus attention on a group of people and their shared experiences. That's important because we'll find that the poem puts a lot of emphasis on collective experience. The word "us" at the end of the line is also repeated.For more on the poem's sound, check out "Sound Check." As well, the repeated S sounds at the beginning of these words is an example of alliteration.In the poetry biz, that's called anaphora. "Sing a song full" are words repeated in both lines. We can see a lot of repetition in these lines.The speakers say that it's good not to lose faith in the future, because the present shows us that there is in fact hope, no matter how dark our history has been.It's taught African-Americans to have faith, to keep believing no matter how dark and depressing things may get. But the speakers suggest that this past isn't all bad.In these lines we get, for the first time, a reference to the very tough history that African-Americans have experienced.Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, The song rises "igh as the list'ning skies" and it resounds "loud as the rolling sea." In these lines the speakers use a simile in order to give us a sense of just how powerful this song is.By saying that their song is a song of "rejoicing," the speakers suggest that there is joy and happiness to be found in their experience and in the progress that they've made-in spite of all the difficulties that they've lived through.This poem is a reflection not only of all the hardships that African-Americans have faced in their history, but also of the long way that they've come since slavery. Lincoln was the president who ended slavery in America. As we've mentioned before (check out "In a Nutshell"), this poem was written to commemorate Abraham Lincoln's birthday.The speakers present the song that they're singing as "rejoicing." This is a happy song.Maybe if we sing as loud as we can for lunch someone will bring it to us?) (Hmm, we wonder if that works for everything. If we ask for freedom loudly enough, if we sing for it, we'll eventually get it. The reference to the rising voices in these lines also suggests the power of speech and song.It's way stronger than the music blasting through the super-duper high-tech speakers in our bedroom. This is some powerful music we're dealing with here. We get a sense of the power of this singing through the imagery of earth and heaven "ring" with the sounds of voices.These speakers are on the side of liberty they dig it. So, by saying that liberty is harmonious, the speakers suggest that it's a good thing. ![]() Harmony is pleasing-our ears go "ahh…" when we hear it. ![]()
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