In the poem “Declaration”, the author essentially displays the Constitution, and the fact that despite what is written in there, there are still plenty of people that feel like they don’t have their freedom, despite them residing in the “land of the free”. The constant use of the “He” pronoun may probably mean the king of Britain, which would mean the poem is talking about the way the King treats them – still considering them residents of their homeland, and controlling them as if they still can’t escape from the King’s rule. When looking at the poem again with this context, we can see many points that connect them together. The first couple lines “He has sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people” could refer to the King’s guards taking up residence in citizens’ homes as if it’s their own. In the last few lines, “Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury” could signify the buildup that eventually leads to what we know as the American Revolution.
3 thoughts on “Declaration Analysis”
Comments are closed.
Hey Dillio!
I feel as though society never really learns from their previous mistakes. Like you mentioned this is the “land of the free” yet the people who reside here face racial injustice. Your interpretation of the line referring to King Geroge III is accurate. I really enjoyed reading your interpretation of the poem as it seems many of our other classmates, including myself, have similar ideas.
RESPONSE 2 OUT OF 3: I disagree with you when you write that “Declaration” displays the Constitution because Smith actually forms “Declaration” with the Declaration of Independence. I agree with you when you write that this poem represents many Americans’ perception that they do not possess certain liberties despite living in the U.S., the land of the free. What do you think is the purpose of Smith omitting so much from the Declaration of Independence and only leaving what is written in “Declaration”?
A second closer look in a writing always makes things clearer”When looking at the poem again with this context, we can see many points that connect them together.” As you read through you understand the bigger picture of the poem like who is “he”, who are the people that are suffering. The poem is about the American colonies and their British rulers but we can relate It to today’s world as the people who suffer from those with more power.