Dismal Picture of Human-Trade in Hannah More’s “Slavery: A Poem”

Abstract

Romantic women writers whose works have now faded into oblivion had no less contribution than that of the canonical male authors. Hannah More (1745- 1833) was one of those prominent poetic voices of the Romantic Revival. My paper will endeavour to analyse her poem on abolitionist stance, “Slavery: A Poem” (1788). I aim to read the poem in terms of its portrayal of the deplorable condition of the African slaves perpetuated by slave traders and More’s ways to extend sympathy to Africans and to inspire the same response in her readers. Umpteen numbers of Africans were trafficked and chained hand and foot to each other on ships. Shortage of space to sleep and insufficient water led them to anguish. Often such excruciating journey ended with death. Sometimes, these unbearable conditions produced transmittable diseases and required disposal of corpses on a daily basis. To address this inhumane practice, British women antislavery poets such as Hannah More composed sentimental verse to pressurize the government by swaying public opinion against slavery. The right of liberty is a natural law and cannot be limited to a group of people. In “Slavery: A Poem,” More delineates the litany of injustices perpetuated by slave traders. She rails at them for their evil deeds and stresses the detrimental effects of being guided by extreme greed. Thus, More’s literary contribution to the abolitionist movement emerges as a nation building text. By carrying out a close  examination of the poem, I will try to discuss how liberty of the underprivileged souls is overtaken by the so called “polished” race by exercising sheer force while “basking in Freedom’s beams” (Keen 322).