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Evaluation of “Middle Passage”
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Evaluation of “Middle Passage”
Robert Hayden’s “Middle Passage” is a famous poem well known for its content regarding triangular slave trade in the early fifteenth century and the developmental change of Africa-Americans as well as the nation. It is an exciting poetry work that one can read again and again as it tells about the reality of what slave passed through and transitory stage of development of the Africa-Americans and the nation. In this essay, evaluation of the will be carried out regarding its literary analysis in consideration of the themes and figurative language used as well as its significant impact on the society. As in most poetry work, Hayden has made proper use of figurative language to bring up the poem, but the act of developing it as a tool to bring liberation makes it unique among many other works.
Hayden has used efficiently figurative language to bring out his mind regarding slavery and the liberation of black people. Among the figurate devices used include symbolism and imagery. It is through imagery that the reader gets to understand the significant voices used in the poem. The voices in the first section are for a court statement and that of the sailor dairy. The sailor postulates nervousness and fear as well how people in captivity committed suicide to avoid slavery. “Misfortune follows in our wake like sharks.” The voice of the court composition contradicts the public view about enslavement (Gale, page 27). The historical names and voices are used symbolically to bring out the meaning of the poem. “Jesus, Estrella, Esperanza, Mercy.”
Themes tell the purpose of the poem which is to record to change process and the absurdity of perpetuity among all humans. It shows the ruthless nature of the exploiters as well as illustrating the middle section of the evolvement of human consciousness, “Shuttles in the rocking loom of history.” Furthermore, the desire for freedom is a significant theme in the poem. It appears symbolically in the image of Cinquez and invisible voice. It is through this theme that the poet shows the struggle for life that slaves underwent in the transition towards the newly developed world where many ended up dying.
Hayden’s work is significant to the society especially in comparing the development and liberty gained by the nation now and there before during the slavery era. The gain of liberation and enslavement of the slaves are among the essential changes that signify America’s growth according to the author. Humanity was a result of the middle stage as the people moved toward social, psychological and physical salvation (Lambert, page 11).
As illustrated above, “Middle Passage” has been appropriately developed and the author has adequately applied literary devices to bring out the plot of the poem. The efficient use of figurative language and development of themes attract reader’s attention towards the poem. Hayden’s work is not only significant to the present generation but also future one as it educative and dramatically enhances liberation of the nation. Low production and economic degradation is a result of fear, anxiety, and uncertainty in consideration of the enslavement case in the poem.
References
Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Robert Hayden’s” Runagate Runagate”. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016.
Lambert, Raphaël. “The Slave Trade as Memory and History: James A. Emanuel’s” The Middle Passage Blues” and Robert Hayden’s” Middle Passage”.” African American Review 47.2 (2014): 327-338.
Discretion in Criminal Justice
Discretion in Criminal Justice
Discretion refers to the ability or the freedom to make a decision on what should be done in a particular situation. Officials in the criminal justice system are granted enough discretion that allows them to make justifications for their actions. Most of these rules were formed by the legislature but were aimed at making the criminal justice run in s smooth manner. However, the criminal justice system, which comprises of the judiciary and the law enforcement, has been given too much discretion to make choices on what happens to a person upon arrests, and this has been witnessed in the history of the United States especially in matters regarding racism. It is evident that in the United States, the police are using excessive force to apprehend even innocent individuals based on their race. For example, there have been many cases of police discrimination for the black population, and this has resulted in mass incarceration. However, despite the fact that these people might be innocent, they end up being jailed for many years.
Apart from the police, there is another major actor in the criminal justice system that is involved with deciding the fate of the offenders, and this is the prosecution department. The prosecution department can be termed as the criminal justice actor that has the most direction. The reason behind this is that they have the power to decide on whether the offender should be prosecuted for a misdemeanor of major crime and also have the ability to issue a warning to the offender and prefer not to present them to the judge. It should be noted that judges do make their sentencing decisions based on what has been presented to them, and this means that they rely on the evidence provided by the prosecutors. Failure to conduct compact evidence in regard to innocence leads to an innocent person rotting in jail.
Culture and mental health
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Everyone is at risk of developing mental illnesses regardless of their status or culture. Culture is a contributing factor to the definition of pathology and mental illnesses in various ways such as how mental illnesses are viewed, perceived and treated. Cultural factors are a contributing factor to development of mental illnesses since they involve a complex interaction among social, biological and cultural factors. Culture influences mental illness by how patients present the symptoms they have to clinicians (Xerfan, 2014). There exist differences in the presentation of symptoms across different cultures. Culture also varies in terms of the meaning imparted to mental illnesses and how they make sense of an individual’s experience of the illness. There are also some cultural differences in terms of what patients expect from mental health treatment which can impact treatment.
There are cultures whereby, individuals are expected to suppress their emotions as a strategy to be accepted in the society (Xerfan, 2014). Such individuals end up not seeking treatment in case of mental health illnesses and end up suppressing their emotions in order for them to live amongst others. There is need for mental health patients to be empowered on the treatment process in order for them to feel comfortable with the treatment they receive. There also exist some form of stereotyping and bias among individuals from some cultural backgrounds (Xerfan, 2014). There are many cases where patients are misdiagnosed simply because of their ethnicity or race due to the stereotypes that exist. Medical practitioners end up reflecting this discriminatory practices and formed attitudes to the society. This ends up preventing people from seeking medical care because they are afraid of being subjected to the stereotypes. Therapists require adequate training on how to deal with patients from different cultures. This helps in correct diagnosis and treatment of mental health illnesses among patients from diverse cultures.
Reference
Xerfan, J. (2014). Elements of culture and mental health: Critical questions for clinicians. International Journal of Culture and Mental Health, 1-2.