James Weldon Johnson Essay Examples

James Weldon Johnson is a renowned poet who has authored various works that have assumed recognizable positions in the American literature. The poet was born in Jacksonville, Florida. It is argued that his parents trace their roots in Nassau, Bahamas. His parents promoted his interest in reading and writing. The scholar grew in a middle-class setting and protected from poverty for a considerable time. Prior to his graduation, he participated in a celebration regarded as the “Colored People’s Day. This was after visiting the Columbian Exposition in Chicago (Johnson 138). Johnson is still identified as a prominent poet who has critically authored diverse iconic poems that remain highly relevant even in the modern world.
A noticeable literary device used in the poem To America is the utilization of rhyming words. For example, the poet writes, “Our eyes fixed forward on a star?” “Or gazing empty at despair?” (Johnson 148). The same style is also identifiable in poem the Sleep, where the term “when” is constantly repeated in the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th lines. For example, he states, “When bleeding hearts no comforter can find,” “When burdened souls droop under the weight of woe.” Furthermore, there is the use of irony where the poet paints the “Sleep” making it appear admirable. He states, “O Sleep, thou kindest minister to man” (Morrissette 46).
There is a close connection between the poet’s life and the content that he featured on the poems. The poet explores the theme of slavery, the aspect that featured his background. As he was growing up, the poet witnessed the pronounced practice of the slavery in his society. In this connection, he writes about this aspect to challenge the society realize the unethical dimension of this practice. Similarly, in the Sleep, the poet writes about the strange issue of the death. The poet understands the worry and the confused state that humanity experienced in relation to the idea of death. This motivates him to write about this issue that he approaches in ironic manner to ease to ensure that he delivers the intended message without arousing much tension.

Work Cited

Morrissette Noelle. James Weldon Johnson's Modern Soundscapes. Iowa: University of Iowa Press, 2013. Internet resource.
Johnson, James W. The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. United States: Filiquarian Pub, 2007. Print.