Question

Reread the second section of the song. Using textual evidence to support your answer, what can you infer about the journey forward from the "dark past"?

Answer 1

Answer:

The dark past which was the period of slavery was marked with faith and hope that someday the blacks will be redeemed from their bondage. The second section begins thus, "Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us". This shows that during the dark past, what kept the slaves going was the faith that they had in their future redemption.

Explanation:

The song, Lift Every Voice by J. Rosamond Johnson and James Weldon Johnson, was a song of liberty by African Americans on their freedom from slavery. Known as the "Black National Anthem" in the United States, the song was composed to mark the anniversary of the birthday of former U.S President, Abraham Lincoln in 1905.

Lincoln fought for and officially realized the freedom of Blacks from slavery in the United States. The song reflects on their struggles in the past as slaves and the hope they had that they would someday, realize freedom.