Lift Every Voice and Sing
by James Weldon Johnson
Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who hast by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand.
True to our God,
True to our native land.
Lift Every Voice and Sing Summary
Popularity of "Lift Every Voice and Sing": This famous piece of literature was written by James Weldon Johnson, a great American author and diplomat. 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' was first published in 1900. It talks about the satisfaction African Americans feel in honor of freedom. It also explains the difficulties they faced in the past. Although it was first written as a poem, it was later referred to as a national anthem of African Americans. Also performed on Abraham Lincoln's birthday.
"Raise Every Voice and Sing" as a representation of joy - the poet illustrates African Americans' feelings about freedom. At first, the speaker provides a realistic picture of their elation and pleasure and illustrates how they enjoyed the golden moments, singing and acknowledging their accomplishments. Later, he delves into the sad history of African Americans and discusses the hardships and violence they faced while in bondage. Although they endured a lot, however, they did not lose hope. Now they are on the verge of a new, hopeful and brilliant future. Therefore they thank God who led them on the difficult paths. What enchants the reader, however, is the fearless struggle of African Americans and the unwavering belief in it helped them face difficulties and fight for freedom this poem. The poem celebrating the victory and freedom of the African American people gives an account of their painful journey and discusses the ways in which they struggled to get better. Despite all the hardships they thank God and want to remain loyal to him until the end.
Analysis of literary devices in “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Literary devices are tools that represent the ideas, feelings and emotions of the writer. James Weldon also used some literary devices in this poem to discuss the phenomenon of slavery and freedom. Analysis of some literary devices devices used in this poem are given below.
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of / ou / in "Let it resound loudly like the rolling sea" and the sound of / i / in "Ring with the harmonies. of Liberty ". : The consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of / s / in “High as the listening skies” and the sound of / d / in “Stony the road we trod” .
Alliteration: Alliteration it is the repetition of consonant sounds on the same line in rapid succession, like the sound of / wh / in "Where the white flash of our bright star is projected."
Pictures: Pictures are used to make readers perceive things that involve their five senses. For example, "Raise each voice and sing"; "Come to the place our fathers yearned for" and "We have come, following our path through the blood of the sacrificed."
Symbolism: Symbolism means using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings different from literal meanings. Singing is the symbol of joy and freedom, while stony roads are the symbol of their sufferings.
Simile: A simile is a rhetorical figure used to compare an object and a person with something else to clarify the meaning to the readers. , in "High as the listening heavens, Let it resound loudly like the undulating sea" the poet compares the song with the high heavens and the undulating sea.
Anaphora: Refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. For example, “Sing a song” in the first verse of the poem to emphasize the reason for your singing.
Enjambment: It is defined as a thought or clause that does not end in a line break; rather, it moves to the next line. For example,
"You who with your power have led us to the light."
Analysis of poetic devices in "Raise each voice and sing"
The poetic and literary devices are the same, but some are
Estanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some verses. There are three stanzas in this poem, each with a length Varied.
Scheme of the rhyme: The stanza is a poetic form of some verses. The poem follows the ABAB rhyme scheme whose pattern continues to the end.
Final Rhyme: The final rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. For example, "sing / sound", "start / win", "power / light" and hand / stand.
Quotes to be used
The lines below can be used in religious sermons so that people understand that every test comes from God. You can also use the lines to encourage people not to lose hope in difficult times.
“God of
God of our silent tears,
You who have led us here on the road;
You who with your power have led us to the light
You who keep us forever on the path, we pray.
Popular Literary Devices
- Ad Hominem
- Adage
- Allegory
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- Allusion
- Ambiguity
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- Anagram
- Analogy
- Anapest
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- Anecdote
- Antagonist
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- Antimetabole
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- Hubris
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- Line Break
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- Pathetic Fallacy
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- Verisimilitude