September 03, 2025
Introduction
This post is written to discuss about the analysis of freedom by Ambrose Bierce. I will talk about the poet, the context of the poem, few of the themes embedded in the poem, the poetic devices employed, etc.
The Poet
Ambrose Bierce, the author of "The Devil's Dictionary" was an American poet born 1842 in Ohio. He was also a soldier and many of his poems had war and leadership reflection. He became lost or disappeared since 1914 till date at the age of 71.
According to the first stanza of the poem:
"Freedom, as every schoolboy knows,
Once shrieked as Kosciusko fell;
On every wind, indeed, that blows
I hear her yell."
The content of the poem goes thus: The painful death of freedom was loudly heard and known by everyone; not excluding the juvenile schoolboys. She screamed whenever rulers gathered to bind and stoke his funeral bell. And freedom also yelled louder when rulers made unwholesome decisions unpon his pestilential blast. It has finally come to reality that any ruler (either democratic or dictatorial) will always give himself Heaven but show freedom Hell.
"Once shrieked as Kosciusko fell" is a historical allusion to the brave death of a certain soldier Tadeusz Kosciusko who fought in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth's struggles against Russia and Prussia, and on the U.S.
"Among themselves apportion Heaven/ And give her Hell" in line 15-16 are instance of antithesis in the poem where to opposing ideas (good and bad) are placed side-by-side.
Metonym exist in the poem via words like "monarch", "parliament",
"sovereign" are employed by the poem sp to refer to the act of leadership.
What is Freedom
The state of speaking, acting or living without restrictions from both internal or external forces is referred to as freedom. This is the number one property every conducive state or environment must bestow dwellers.According to the first stanza of the poem:
"Freedom, as every schoolboy knows,
Once shrieked as Kosciusko fell;
On every wind, indeed, that blows
I hear her yell."
Content of the Poem
The poem title "Freedom" by Ambrose Bierce is about human rights and how rulers trample on it. A four stanza rhyming verse of four lines per stanza; it fits under the category of leadership and politics.The content of the poem goes thus: The painful death of freedom was loudly heard and known by everyone; not excluding the juvenile schoolboys. She screamed whenever rulers gathered to bind and stoke his funeral bell. And freedom also yelled louder when rulers made unwholesome decisions unpon his pestilential blast. It has finally come to reality that any ruler (either democratic or dictatorial) will always give himself Heaven but show freedom Hell.
Poetic Devices
Freedom is personified in the poem with phrases such as "her yell", "her knell", "she screams", "her clamor swell", "her Hell", etc."Once shrieked as Kosciusko fell" is a historical allusion to the brave death of a certain soldier Tadeusz Kosciusko who fought in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth's struggles against Russia and Prussia, and on the U.S.
"Among themselves apportion Heaven/ And give her Hell" in line 15-16 are instance of antithesis in the poem where to opposing ideas (good and bad) are placed side-by-side.
Metonym exist in the poem via words like "monarch", "parliament",
"sovereign" are employed by the poem sp to refer to the act of leadership.
In a nutshell, the poem exposed the importance freedom and the negative impact of war on any given people, country or place.
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