Narrator, “The Ocean: A Hymn of the Sea”
The narrator of this poem uses his poetry to profess his love for and admiration of the sea. He uses it as an ode to the sea’s power and might, all of which was hand-crafted by God. Given the narrator’s knowledge of terminology, it is possible—even likely—that the narrator may once have been a sailor. It is clear that he is intimately acquainted with the ways of the sea and that he wants to show God is appreciation for this particular creation.
God, “The Ocean: A Hymn of the Sea”
Though God is not necessarily a character that is explicitly featured in this poem, the entire poem is an ode to his work and to his power and might. As such, God plays an integral role in this poem and should be considered a character of sorts. Per the narrator’s vision and admiration, God is depicted as an all-knowing and all-powerful being, who used His might to craft the most powerful thing on Earth: the sea. It is suggested by the narrator that the sea contains and embodies God’s power and is one of the closest ways we can reach him through our earthly bodies and spirits.
Narrator, “The Death of the Flowers”
The narrator of this poem is a representation of—or, at the very least, an extension of—author William Cullen Bryant, himself. The narrator uses this poem as a sort of eulogy to his deceased and beloved sister. In a way, the narrator is permitted to grieve the loss of his sister through this poem. It is clear that he loved her dearly and that the two were very close; her loss will be and has been felt deeply by the narrator.
Narrator’s Sister, “The Death of the Flowers”
It is clear from this poem that the narrator deeply loved and admired his sister. It is insinuated that this sister died far too young; she still had life left to live. As such, the narrator compares her death to the death of freshly-plucked flowers. Much like a flower wilts, so too did the sister pass away with much of her life left to live.
Narrator, “The Death of Slavery”
In this powerful and moving poem, the narrator serves as the voice of reason and humanity. He—likely a representation of Bryant’s own consciousness and beliefs—denounces the institution of slavery and heaps praise upon those who allowed slavery’s “cruel reign” to come to an end. In this way, the narrator is a compassionate and passionate individual, one who has been deeply saddened and incensed by America’s lengthy involvement in the continuation of the slave industry. The narrator uses this poem to recount America’s legacy with this dark and cruel practice, and then concludes with a warning to all others: the future of freedom has reached America and its powerful and necessary reign will leave no one untouched.
Slaves, “The Death of Slavery”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this poem is a passionate and devastating ode to all those who were wrongly held, tortured, murdered, and captured by the institution of slavery in America. Though Bryant does not name individual slaves, the slaves that he talks about in this poem are representative of all those who were kidnapped and captured—forced into the American slavery system. The slaves are encouraged by the narrator to use their newfound and rightful freedom to bring about a new era of activism and change. Therefore, the slaves in this poem represent both the incredible hardships/sorrows that American slaves faced, but also the immense power they were able to wield in order to bring about change for all mankind.
God, “The Death of Slavery”
Per Bryant’s writings, God is depicted as both benevolent and ashamed. Bryant suggests that God’s wrath will rain upon all those who supported, enacted, and/or continued the practice of slavery. God is sympathetic to the slaves’ terrible plight and played an integral role in their eventual and long-deserved freedom. In this poem, God is both disgusted by and proud of the humanity he has created. He finds immense joy in the fact that, through the work of hundreds of thousands of dedicated and compassionate individuals, slavery was abolished. And yet, he is deeply ashamed to have been the creator of all those who allowed slavery to continue. In this way, God’s character is very conflicted in his feelings towards humanity.
