Racism and class struggles are common challenges that black face in the society. The history of the African-Americans in the United States has been built on the slave trade and the lack of rights for the black race trying to survive in a white dominated society. Although many civil rights groups in the past have fought for equality among the blacks and the whites, the blacks, such as the current President of the country, continue to fight against the racial discrimination in the society. Espada’s “Litany at the Tomb of Frederick Douglas” and Blake’s “The Little Black Boy” show the ways in which blacks dare to dream of a better life and the changes have that have occurred because of the perseverance and persistence of the blacks in the society. The purpose of this paper is to show that both Blake’s and Espana’s poems address the issue of race and class struggles of the blacks in America and show that the despite the achievements of the black man there will always be inequality in race and class in the society.
Blake’s poem is similar in nature to Espana’s poem as both poets look at the struggles of the black man in the white society. For Blake, the blacks to dream of equality while Espana shows that these dreams have become a reality. The roles of the black males in the poems differ significantly. The boy in “The Little Black Boy” sees the whites as his superior as he suggests that the white children were angels, and his soul was black. For the boy, there was some acceptance of his social class as he believed that equality comes through God’s eyes. In contrast, Espana shows that blacks dare to dream of equality and they take steps to change their social class status. Douglass rises above his station as a slave through education. Barrack Obama also elevates himself from being at the bottom of the class structure in the society despite the constant racial battle that he faces. Both men in Espana’s poem are from a different era from Blake’s little boy but each poet shows that there is hope for blacks to rise above the “natural” order of the class system under the white man’s oppression.
In both poems, the poets show that education will have an impact on the lives of black people. The education that the boy receives is different from the education that Espada speaks about in his poem. For Espada, Douglass and Obama educated themselves in order to remove the racial barriers in the society and achieve greatness. Blake, on the other hand, shows that the boy’s education from his mother came through her Christian beliefs that lead to his acceptance of his racial inferiority. Arguably, this equality in Blake’s early poem foreshadows the changes in the position that blacks hold in the society. Espada suggests that despite the racial and class barriers in the society, the blacks can achieve success. Obama rose against the oppression of the society and achieved the “impossible”, “unthinkable”, and “unimaginable.”
The setting in both poems is different as Blake’s poem comes at a time when blacks could not rise above their class because of the oppression in the society. Therefore it is understandable that the little boy reveled in his mother’s lessons on heaven and having a better life in heaven because he will never meet the expectations of the white man. His innocence is different from that of Douglass or Obama who have fought to rise above their “designated” class.
In concluding, Obama and Douglass are symbolic of the growth of the black people as a nation over time as they attempt to break the barriers of racism and class in the society. Obama’s position at the President of the United States lifts his social status, but he is also the victim of the whites and their racist attitudes and beliefs. In contrast, Blake shows the lack of power and identity of the blacks and the acceptance of being the inferior group because of race and class.
References
Blake, William, The Little Black Boy, from Songs of Innocence
Espada, Martin, Litany at the Tomb of Frederick Douglas, from The Trouble Ball
