1Ignorance is darkness and Knowledge is light Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, this iconic statement by Martin Luther King has been illustrated throughout the course of time, and remains a relevant denunciation. One of the most revalent injustices in our society is racism! this toic, often taboo, has been debated for centuries. It has been written and so"en about and acted uon and thus has shaed our world for better and for worse.#acism is intertwined with slavery, li"e many life issues, it has influenced literature greatly. $ith any negative movement there are those who stand in the way of its adversity and those who romote it. %he oet $alt $hitman and writer &rederic" 'ouglass demonstrate and debate this subject the best way they "new how, through the art of literature and oetry. $alt $hitman(s Leaves of Grass and &rederic" 'ouglass(s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave are two great literary e)amles of how the issue of race was aroached in the same era from oosite sides of the same coin. *oth were written in the mid +,th century just before the near end of slavery in +-./. 0t first read some of the viewoints aear to clash dramatically, but as you read deeer fascinating similarities emerge. 1234OOL *OOK5Leaves Of Grass is an illustrious iece of mi)ed literature that identifies the common man, slavery, olitics and the human body in the form of transcendentalism and free verse. It was ublished in +-// and $hitman(s own e)ense, it is considered a 6language e)eriment( and consisted of ninety7five ages and +8 individual oems. %here are an abundant amount of themes covered throughout the range of oems, but an interesting recurring theme os in several of the oems. %he theme of racism and slavery, which was a major issue at the time and the cause for the civil war.%he oems, the song of myself and sleepers in his boo" Leaves of Grass hit on this theme oenly. In his oems he e)resses his viewoints clearly, for e)amle in The Song of yselfhe writes, %he 9uadroon girl is sold at the auction7stand, the drun"ard:ods by the bar7room stove this illustrates the realities after the civil war and rostitution of multi7racial rostitutes. It shows that even though they were free, they were still a slave to themselves and the world that they now live in. $hitman in his oetry calls 0frican 0mericans by many different names that we would consider racisttoday. %he leaves of grass aints many ictures of $hitman(s stance and ideals on slavery and the racism associated with it. I am the oet of the body0nd I am the oet of the soul 0nd I am I go with the slaves of the earth e9ually with he masters 0nd I will stand between the masters and the slaves,;ntering into both so that both will understand me ali"e 19uoted in $hitman, 4olloway .,5.%he above segment from $hitman(s first attemts at leaves of grass, shows that $hitman himself was a contradiction on the toic, he seemed to stand in7between and2on both sides of the issue. 4e initially was not for the oblation of slavery as he thought that it would initially do more harm than any good. In his later writings he comletely oosed slavery, but even he could not live u to these ideals as he struggled with the widesread idea that even free 0frican70mericans should not be able to vote. 2o even though his writings and viewoints were 9uite radical for the time, there were limits to his morality. In his writings he still considers himself different from 0frican 0mericans, even suerior but ironically a huge advocator for their freedom 1Kummings, /ing literary s"ills to ut you into his shoes at that oint in time so you can live the horrors that he faced. 4e does this so that the reader can relate to his e)eriences and hoefully will cause them at the time to 9uestion slavery and whether or not it is justified. 4is writing targets the more educated northern audience in an aid to hel further the abolitionist movement by gaining the suort of the educated and owerful. In his narrative he involves the reader in certain horrors of being a slave. %he nights of him wa"ing u to the sound of his aunt getting whied, growing u with no mother or father, he himself getting beaten with no way to defend himself are all mind altering images, that even reading today in the 8+st century are still shoc"ing. %he tragedy and nobility of the ublication of these images in this time were ground brea"ing and unheard of. %hese images brought to light the dee dar" and taboo toics of slavery that eole either did not "now about or chose ignore. 'ouglass also ushes the oint of %he white man?s hainess cannot be urchased by the blac" man?s misery. In which he means that the white man by enslaving the blac" man does not ma"e them hay, as it corruts all. %his is shown heavily in the character of Mrs. 0uld and how she starts of as a nice woman, but once owning a slave and e)eriencing ower she changes and her integrity and urity is corruted. It is clear that 'ouglass has a bias toward slavery and that is more than understandable, what is truly ama>ing is that he does not have a bias towards white eole and that is the mar" of a truly ama>ing man, esecially after everything he has gone through. %he narrative is full of 9uotes that stri"e the reader with awe, such as @Aou have seen how a man was made a slave! you shall see how a slave was made a man 1+B=5.@ In London in Leicester 29uare there is a statue ut u during Imerialist e)ansion,which says simly ignorance is dar"ness illustrating in three simle words that the *ritish Imerialists coloni>ing and enslaving would lead to a more civili>ed future. *y using the word dar"ness the hrase drives home the nails of racism at the same time as it urorts to set man free. In the same way, $hitman(s oem has an ironic undertone 1the desire to set blac" eole free, but still have restrictions such as voting5.3%he forms of writing stand in star" contrast to each other in the way they value eoles of a different race. 'ouglass(s oem illustrates the inferiority and frustration felt by the blac" races towards their white masters, but says this inferiority can changewith education and getting eole to reali>e. $hitman on the other hand writes from the standoint of a white man, with degrees of idealism that his race is still suerior, but should not treat others as slaves.Leaves of Grass and the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave both illuminate injustice from oosite sidesC $hitman uses the racism imosed uon the blac" slave to illustrate the injustice caused by the colour of one(s s"in, whereas 'ouglass suggests that we are all subject to injustice, all catives, both slave and master and that justice is an reachable ideal through "nowledge and learning.$hitman starts from the stance that the white man is still suerior because of his ability to rule and manage and that the blac" man should not be able to vote, yet his views and oetry advocate highly for the blac" 0merican and his freedom.%he Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave differs comletely from $hitman(s oems in Leaves of Drass. $hitman uses constant metahors and imagery to ma"e his stance and show his oint of view, whereas 'ouglass uses facts and real life e)eriences to shoc" and emotionally engage the reader. $hitman oems show the evolution from transcendentalism to realism, whereas 'ouglass(s narrative is realism. %he oems and the narrative contradict in many ways, but they also do comare in ideals and some imagery. %hey both discuss racism and slavery of the time and they both advocate highly for the abolishment of slavery. *oth writers aint the icture of the time with there words and give a ersective that only they can have. It is e)ected for 'ouglass to have his oint of view of slavery, whereas it was not e)ected of $hitman, a $hite man, to have his views at the time. *oth writers were very much on the same trac" that leads to the freedom of slaves, but they were on very different trains. Martin Luther King(s famous 9uote arose out of the twentieth century(s fight against racism, $hitman(s oems and Douglass!s writings are recursors in this same everlasting fight. %he words of the oet and writer from both a white and blac" ersective heled awa"en discussion and create debate. %he desire to bring to light the injustices caused by racism and slavery did bring about the 0bolition of 2lavery in+-./ and the 3ivil #ights Movement of the +,.B(s but the message in these oems and narrative still holds relevance today and that should give us cause to 9uestion the forward rogress of our own civili>ation.4Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave. Frederick DouglassSlaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work. Frederick Douglass#eferences'ouglass, &rederic". Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,.3ambridge, M0C *el"na, +,.B. ;boo".$hitman, $alt. Leaves of grass, ublished +-,+, .,. ;boo" .Kummings, 'onald '. A "ompanion to #alt #hitman. 3hichester etc.C $iley7*lac"well, 8BB,. /+7/E. ;boo".$hitman, $alt, and ;mory 4olloway. The $ncollected %oetry and %rose of #alt #hitman& uch of #hich 'as (een )ut *ecently Discovered. Darden 3ity, :AC 'oubleday, Fage G, +,8+. .,. ;boo"Luther "ing, Martin Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, at *rainyHuote.@ Famous +uotes at (rainy+uote. $eb. 8< :ov. 8B+8.