"President Lincoln’s Declaration of Emancipation, January 1, 1863"
by Frances E. W. Harper
1 It shall flash through coming ages,
2 It shall light the distant years;
3 And eyes now dim with sorrow
4 Shall be brighter through their tears.
5 It shall flush the mountain ranges,
6 And the valleys shall grow bright;
7 It shall bathe the hills in radiance,
8 And crown their brows with light.
9 It shall flood with golden splendor
10 All the huts of Caroline;
11 And the sun-kissed brow of labor
12 With lustre new shall shine.
13 It shall gild the gloomy prison,
14 Darkened by the nation's crime,
15 Where the dumb and patient millions
16 Wait the better-coming time.
17 By the light that gilds their prison
18 They shall see its mouldering key;
19 And the bolts and bars shall vibrate
20 With the triumphs of the free.
21 Though the morning seemed to linger
22 O'er the hill-tops far away,
23 Now the shadows bear the promise
24 Of the quickly coming day.
25 Soon the mists and murky shadows
26 Shall be fringed with crimson light,
27 And the glorious dawn of freedom
28 Break refulgent on the sight.
1:In the first stanza, which lines rhyme?
A; lines 1 and 3
B; lines 2 and 4
C: lines 3 and 4***
D: lines 6 and 8
2: Which is an example of something described literally in the poem?
a: people listening to President Lincoln’s speech
b: light eliminating shadows****
c: someone breaking free from prison
d: words lasting throughout time
3: How is the poem an analogy?
a: It reveals the way the Emancipation Proclamation improved Americans’ lives for years, just like the way the sun casts light on the dark Earth.****
b: It shows how learning how something works can make it more clear, just like the way sunlight makes things clear.
c: It depicts the way the President wanted everyone to admire the American landscape.
d: It is about the way the Emancipation Proclamation made people feel stuck, as if they were in prison.
Could someone please check my answers?
1. No — Please read the first stanza out loud. You should hear the rhyme easily.
2. Yes
3. Yes
Yes, 1 is B.
Thank you Writeacher
so 1 is b?
You're welcome.
1: Indeed, lines 1 and 3 rhyme in this stanza. To determine this, you can look for similarities in the ending sounds of the lines. In this case, "ages" and "tears" both end with the "eez" sound, making them rhyme.
2: Yes, the description of light eliminating shadows is an example of something described literally in the poem. The lines state that the proclamation will "light the distant years" and "bathe the hills in radiance," indicating a literal illumination.
3: Your understanding is correct. The poem serves as an analogy by comparing the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation to the way sunlight enlightens a dark Earth. It symbolizes the positive change and improvement the proclamation brought to the lives of Americans.