# How does Poetry develop the theme of Death as Liberation?

> Poetry by Sarah Louisa Forten Purvis

## Answer

Poetry by Sarah Louisa Forten Purvis develops Death as Liberation across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

Death is portrayed as a merciful release from the torments of slavery, offering the enslaved a final, permanent freedom and rest that life could never provide.

The poem explicitly frames death as a kind friend and the ultimate freedom for the captive slave, ending suffering and oppression.

The poem hints at 'future joy and gain' beyond earthly life, suggesting that spiritual communion offers a foretaste of ultimate freedom from bondage.

The final lines suggest that never meeting might be better than the pain of parting and being forgotten, hinting at a desire for release.

## Evidence

- [the-grave-of-the-slave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_20_se/chapters/the-grave-of-the-slave.md): The poem explicitly frames death as a kind friend and the ultimate freedom for the captive slave, ending suffering and oppression.
- [prayer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_20_se/chapters/prayer.md): The poem hints at 'future joy and gain' beyond earthly life, suggesting that spiritual communion offers a foretaste of ultimate freedom from bondage.
- [the-farewell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_20_se/chapters/the-farewell.md): The final lines suggest that never meeting might be better than the pain of parting and being forgotten, hinting at a desire for release.
- [a-mother-s-grief](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_20_se/chapters/a-mother-s-grief.md): The mother's son is described as being 'called to the skies,' suggesting death as a release from earthly suffering and a return to God.
- [life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_20_se/chapters/life.md): The poem contemplates the fleeting nature of life and the inevitable fading of cherished things, suggesting a release from earthly cares.

## Links

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