the slave ship is a work by the romantic Bahian writer Castro Alves (1847-1871) that was published in 1869.
It is an abolitionist poetry, in which the author addresses the theme of slavery in Brazil.
Characteristics of the work
the slave ship a dramatic epic poem divided into six parts. In this work, Castro Alves recounts the conditions of slave ships, which brought African slaves to Brazil.
A feeling of freedom, boastful nationalism, social denunciation and the search for a national identity are some of the main characteristics of Castro Alves' abolitionist poetry.
In addition to describing aspects of the slave ship, Castro Alves also presents the surrounding nature (the sea, the sky, the moonlight).
In a vibrant narrative and with an expressive language, the author gradually denounced the precarious conditions of the slaves. In this way, he makes several criticisms of this inhumane system.
To compose this dramatic work he uses several figures of speech: metaphors, comparisons, personification, anaphoras, among others.
Read too:
- slave trade
- slave ships
- End of African Slave Trade
Castro Alves
Castro Alves, known as "slave poet”, He was one of the greatest representatives of the Third Romantic Generation in Brazil (1870 to 1880).
This period was called “Condor Generation” (associated with a condor bird, emblem of the Andes) or “Hugoana Generation” (referring to the French poet Victor Hugo).
The poets of this phase were dedicated to presenting a social poetry and libertarian, quite different from the characteristics of other romantic generations.
Although he is one of the greatest representatives of abolitionist and social poetry, Castro Alves presents works of a lyrical-loving character. For this reason, it is also known as “poet of love”.
Besides the slave ship highlight his works: Floating Foams (1870), The Waterfall of Paulo Afonso (1876) and the slaves (1883).
As a child, Castro Alves came to live on a farm. This allowed him to know the conditions of many slaves in the slave quarters and to take a stand against the horrors of slavery.
Read too:
- Brazilian Romantic Poetry
- Romanticism in Brazil
- Romantic Generations in Brazil
- The Language of Romanticism
Excerpts from the Work
To better understand the language used by Castro Alves in the composition of his work, here are some excerpts from the poem:
I
'We are at sea... doudo in space
Moonlight plays — golden butterfly;
And the vacancies after him run... get tired
Like restless infant mob.
II
What does it matter from nauta the cradle,
Where is your son, what is your home?
love the cadence of the verse
That teaches you the old sea!
Sing! that death is divine!
Slide the brig on the tack
Like a fast dolphin.
Attached to the mizzen mast
longing flag waves
The vacancies that leave after.
III
Descend from immense space, O eagle of the ocean!
Go down more... even more... can't look human
Like your dive into the flying brig!
But what do I see there... What a picture of bitterness!
It's funeral singing... What grim figures! ...
What an infamous and vile scene... My God! My God! How horrible!
IV
It was a wild dream... the deck
That of the Luzerns the glow reddens.
In blood to bathe.
Clink of irons... snap of a whip...
Legions of men black as the night,
Horrific to dance...
V
Lord God of the bastards!
You tell me, Lord God!
If it's crazy... if it is true
So much horror before the heavens?!
O sea, why don't you erase
Like the sponge of your vacancies
From your cloak this blur...
Stars! nights! storms!
Roll from the immensity!
I swept the seas, typhoon!
SAW
There is a people that the flag lends
To cover so much infamy and cowardice...
And let her become that party
In the impure cloak of a cold bacchanal...
My God! my God! but what is this flag,
What impudent in the crow's nest?
Silence. Muse... cry and cry so much
May the pavilion wash in your tears! ...
Check the entire work by downloading the PDF here: the slave ship.
