Freedom to the Slave by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio

Freedom to the Slave

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio

Central Theme/ Main Argument

Discuss the central theme of Derozio’s poem, Freedom to the Slave

Answer: Derozio’s poem, “Freedom to the Slave” is an event of the liberation of those slaves who were under the bondage of a powerful nation and fought hard day by day for their freedom. The main problem here is freedom and it is for those who are not free. The poem is actually a panacea for freedom.

Here, Derozio seems to have been greatly influenced by 19th-century English Romantic poets, whose devotion and admiration for independence was unequivocal and the high ideals of freedom, equality and brotherhood of the French Revolution (1789).

Like those poets and lovers of freedom, Derozio strongly expresses that without freedom a human being has no entity of his own. This is specially emphasized in the feeling and the speech of the slave as presented by the poet. So, Derozio’s slave, when told that a slave he ceased to be (he felt proud and high) thinks himself a true man. He looked around him to behold the blowing wind, the flowing wind and the flying birds and cheerfully cried:

“I am free as they”.

Derozio implies here, through his slave, just turned free that slavery is not just a physical state of enslavement of a person, but it is the total subjugation of thoughts, beliefs and feelings. Indeed, freedom brings about a mental change, the emergence of the mind to enjoy the idea that anyone is free, no longer a slave.

Indeed, Derozio openly proclaimed what freedom meant to a slave. Just when man is liberated from servitude he can, then, at that point, partake in the excellence and opportunity around him. After all neither by birth nor by nature, none is enslaved, rather everyone is allowed to be free and joyous. It is only the mischief of human cunningness and tyranny that make slaves of others to make most for themselves by the exploration of others, weak and humble.

In this context, it should be remembered that Derozio's poem "Freedom to Slave" was written at a time when India was a victim of slavery and exploitation under British rule. In this connection, in his apostrophe to freedom the poet gives vent to his eulogy of the patriots, ready to give their blood to release their fatherland from the shackles of oppressive slavery. His concluding lines in this respect are filled with his glorification of those who stand and fight for freedom.

Blest be the generous hand that breaks

The chain a tyrant gave,

And, feeling for degraded man,

Gives freedom to the slave

Thus, the poet in this poem details his feelings on knowing that he was no more a slave. He felt proud and joyous on learning his attainment of freedom from the slavery that had been imposed. He felt himself to be a true man on getting released from slavery. He smiled exactingly to realize himself as free as the air blowing fresh, the stream flowing at ease and the birds flying at their will.

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