Poem: The Slave's Dream

The Slave’s Dream is written by H. W. Longfellow. Here the dream of slave shown by Longfellow. This poem starts with man lying near a field of ‘ungathered rice’. In his hands he holds a sickle, for the use of harvesting crop. He saw one dream about his native homelands.  In his dream, he back in his homeland, and transformed into a ‘Kingly’ presence, expanse of land, freedom movement and avails himself of the opportunities. He met her lovely wife, children and kisses his face. Then the description of horse, beautiful flamingos, beautiful ocean side, and various animals likes lion, the hyena and river horse seen by him. Desert and forest symbolizes cry of freedom. At the end, he lying in direct sunlight, he neither feels the scorching sun nor the stinging lashes. Now body of slave is lifeless, soul-free from the bonds of slavery. For him live a life is like enslavement and death is like freedom.

What is the situation of slave and how he suffers in society? 

This question arises by H.W.Longfellow. But in our society there is always a hierarchy that rich people always at the top and others are at the marginalized level. Rules and regulations also made by them and minority have always followed these. In this poem psychological level of slave and mental status of him presented by poet. Superiority complex and inferiority complex also we can see here. Here ‘Life’ is like ‘Enslavement’ and ‘Death’ is like one type ‘freedom’.