On and on in the dead of night This stanza reflects the wearisome task of completing the journey against all The weary slave seeks odds. Even though the conditions were harsh, the price of freedom is worth Freedom through flight. it. Tattered, bare, bleed, dead of night, and weary all suggest the difficulty of His clothes are tattered, the trip and that it cannot be just a matter of dust. His feet are bare; They bleed from frostbite. Does no one care? He follows the Star The allusion in this stanza is biblical. This stanza speaks to the notion that following the star of hope on the trail of With a hope that shines Following the star in the dark of the Underground Railroad will ultimately result in a lifestyle that includes As dark, through the night, night alludes to the route taken by freedom from bondage and the ever present fear of death. The trail he finds. the wise men to pay homage to the “The Underground Railroad”- Christ child, who was to be a savior He’s heard its name to the people. This railroad to freedom Is not in vain “As God as my witness, This stanza ties well into the last part of the quote. The fugitives know they I’ll follow the Star are being challenged by the sheer length of the journey to Canada and must O’er the Underground Railroad persevere in paying the price for freedom. Though I know it’s far To Canada’s shores. But I’ll then be free With manumission papers Issued to me. Many hands have guided The last stanza connects to the quote in a spiritual sense. When Harriet say These weary feet “We” she is talking about herself as the conductor being led by God, as well From station to station as the group she is leading. Harriet was a strong believer that being able to go May I repeat – free was only possible with the help of God and those who assisted, many of The conductors that guided me whom were directly connected to an organized religion Have been led by God By a faith That is free.”
On and on in the dead of night The weary slave seeks Freedom through flight. His clothes are tattered, His feet are bare; They bleed from frostbite. Does no one care? This stanza reflects the wearisome task of completing the journey against all odds. Even though the conditions were harsh, the price of freedom is worth it. Tattered, bare, bleed, dead of night, and weary all suggest the difficulty of the trip and that it cannot be just a matter of dust. He follows the Star With a hope that shines As dark, through the night, The trail he finds. “The Underground Railroad”- He’s heard its name This railroad to freedom Is not in vain The allusion in this stanza is biblical. Following the star in the dark of night alludes to the route taken by the wise men to pay homage to the Christ child, who was to be a savior to the people. This stanza speaks to the notion that following the star of hope on the trail of the Underground Railroad will ultimately result in a lifestyle that includes freedom from bondage and the ever present fear of death. “As God as my witness, I’ll follow the Star O’er the Underground Railroad Though I know it’s far To Canada’s shores. But I’ll then be free With manumission papers Issued to me. This stanza ties well into the last part of the quote. The fugitives know they are being challenged by the sheer length of the journey to Canada and must persevere in paying the price for freedom. Many hands have guided These weary feet From station to station May I repeat – The conductors that guided me Have been led by God By a faith That is free.” The last stanza connects to the quote in a spiritual sense. When Harriet say “We” she is talking about herself as the conductor being led by God, as well as the group she is leading. Harriet was a strong believer that being able to go free was only possible with the help of God and those who assisted, many of whom were directly connected to an organized religion
8.%20Harriet%20Tubman.%20lesson%20-%20Anthology.docx