Robert Hayden’s poem, “Frederick Douglass,” describes and praises Frederick Douglass’ profound impact on the lives of others in regards to freedom. However, the speaker doesn’t present the idea of freedom as one-sided; he properly defines freedom through juxtaposition by acknowledging both the good and the bad aspects associated with it. The speaker also presents the idea the that people can inspire others’ greatness through allusions and idea shifts. This poem is not a typical poem. It is a sonnet, composed of just fourteen lines. This is significant because the structure is simplistic visually, but has a large message. The speaker starts of by saying, “When it is finally ours, this freedom, this liberty, this beautiful and terrible thing,”
