The Slave's Dream Response

In order to improve any type of literary work, certain writing techniques are used. Pathos is used to appeal to the
audience’s emotions. Since diction is considered as word choice, it causes the author to consider what type of context would
be the correct one to use for their audience. With the use of pathos, diction, and imagery, Longfellow was able to provide the
audience with visuals of what the slave felt and dreamt of. If Longfellow did not implement these writing techniques within his
poem, then he would not have conveyed these things to the audience as effectively as he did.

Longfellow uses pathos to try to convince to the audience how the slave is filled with sorrow but soon finds happiness.
“They clasped his neck, they kissed his cheek, they held him by the hand!” (Longfellow, 15-16) When Longfellow states the
slave’s reminiscing of these actions of affection, he show the audience how much the slave misses his family. “A tear burst
from the sleeper’s lids and fell into the sand.” (Longfellow, 17-18) Since a tear had not only appeared but “burst” from the
slave’s eyes, it was clearly insinuated that the slave was desperately longing for his family to be reunited with him once more.
“That he started in his sleep and smiled.” (Longfellow, 41) Since Longfellow said that he smiled, he was making it clearly
evident to the audience that the slave had finally attained happiness. Even though pathos helped to convince the audience of
the author’s main ideas, it only appealed to the audience’s emotional side.

Diction was used in “The Slave’s Dream” to help in successfully describing to the audience the author’s reasoning for
creating their main ideas. “He saw his Native Land. Wide through the landscape of his dreams.” (Longfellow, 6-7) In order to
not confuse the audience, the author kept his descriptions of the dreams closely related to each other. When Longfellow was
describing how the slave was dreaming of his “Native Land”, he stated that the slave viewed them through a “landscape of
dreams”. “And then at furious speed he rode.” (Longfellow, 19) Longfellow showed to the audience how the slave was angry
by using the term “furious” to describe the speed at which he was riding. “Through the triumph of his dream.” (Longfellow, 36)
By using the word “triumph”, he shows the audience how the slave had succeeded in accomplishing his dream. Diction may
have done a wonderful job at making the poem more understandable for the audience, but it could not provide what imagery
did.

Imagery supplied “The Slave’s Dream” audience with realistic and interesting views which are not present in all literary
works. “Beside the ungathered rice he lay.” (Longfellow, 1) This quote provides the audience with enough description to allow
the reader to visualize what is occurring in the poem as if they were actually with the character at the time. “His breast was
bare, his matted hair.” (Longfellow, 3) When Longfellow gives a detailed outer description of the slave’s appearance, he allows
the audience to be able to imagine how the character may appear to the audience if they were real. “And the Blast of the
Desert cried aloud.” (Longfellow, 39) This quote may cause the audience to take a moment and ponder what this statement
could possibly mean. It makes the reader wonder how the “Blast of the Desert” would sound like when it cried. Imagery
provided Longfellow with the powerful tool of forming many different images in the audience’s head. It also caused them to
actually think of what a quote could have meant or of how it was at all significant to the quality of the author’s poem. Imagery
aided in conveying the author’s main ideas to the audience.

If Longfellow did not implement these writing techniques within his poem, then he would not have conveyed these things
to the audience as effectively as he did. Every literary work consists of at least one writing technique. Without these
techniques, the writing would be plain, boring, and not even worth reading. In successfully using pathos, diction, and imagery
within his poem, Longfellow was able to get his main ideas across to the audience and give his paper an appearance of high
quality.