# The Grave of the Slave explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Sarah Louisa Forten Purvis.

## What happens

The poem reflects on the death of a slave, finding solace in the grave as a release from suffering and oppression. It contrasts the slave's lonely burial with the peace and freedom death brings, suggesting that death is a kind friend and the ultimate liberation from earthly bondage.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death as Liberation

The poem explicitly frames death as a kind friend and the ultimate freedom for the captive slave, ending suffering and oppression.

### Slavery and Oppression

The slave's life is characterized by woes, sorrows, and the master's cruel demand, highlighting the oppression from which death provides escape.

## Character check-ins

### Poor Afric

The deceased slave, now at rest in the grave, freed from pain and the master's command.

### Mother

Implied absence—no child to bemoan the slave's death, highlighting isolation.

### Father

Implied absence—no friend or family to lament the slave's passing.

### Christ

Death is portrayed as heaven-sent, suggesting divine agency in the slave's liberation.

## Key lines

> The cold storms of winter shall chill him no more, His woes and his sorrows, his pains are all o’er;

The slave will no longer suffer from cold, hardship, or pain.

_Death brings an end to physical and emotional suffering._

> Poor slave! shall we sorrow that death was thy friend, The last, and the kindest, that heaven could send?

Should we grieve that death was the slave's only true friend, a merciful gift from heaven?

_Death is personified as a benevolent force, offering the only kindness the slave ever received._

> The grave to the weary is welcomed and blest; And death, to the captive, is freedom and rest.

For the exhausted, the grave is a welcome blessing; for the enslaved, death means freedom and peace.

_The poem concludes by equating death with liberation and rest for the oppressed._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_20_se/chapters/the-grave-of-the-slave
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_20_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_20_se/chapters