Amos Bronson Alcott (1799–1888), Ralph Waldo
Emerson (1803–1883), Thomas Garrett (1789–
1871), Frederick Douglass (1818–1895), Henry
David Thoreau (1817–1862), and John Brown
(1800–1859). The poster states that Tubman is
armed and dangerous, and is wanted dead or alive.
The wanted poster is followed by two lines
addressed by a slave to the biblical prophet Eze-
kiel, asking if he sees God coming to free him.
Four lines follow that evoke the fear in the
slaves and the spooky night atmosphere in which
they made their flight for freedom. There are
ghosts in the air; the wordhantis used in the
South to refer to a ghost or other supernatural
being. The slaves must always fear what lurks in
the sounds of the night; perhaps the rustle of the
leaves in the trees is in fact the whispered voice of
a slave catcher.
The poem then makes reference to the train on
which the runaway slaves ride. This is a reference
to the metaphor of the Underground Railroad. A
five-line, italicized verse paragraph describes the
train, the difficult terrain over which it has to
pass, and the religious significance it holds for the
escapees.
The invitation to ride on the train is repeated,
followed by the final lines of the poem, emphasiz-
ing the resoluteness and determination of the
slaves to win their freedom.
THEMESThe Dangerous Quest for Freedom
The dominant theme is the quest for freedom,
pursued against difficult odds. The slaves are
utterly determined to escape their condition of
bondage. They seek inspiration all around them,
from what they know of the North as the shining
city that awaits them to their spiritual songs,
which tell of many people attaining freedom and
encouraging others to seek it. The poem oscillates
between the slaves’ protests against their slavery
and affirmations of the proslavery position (in the
advertisement by the owner who wants his slaves
back and the wanted poster calling for the capture
of Harriet Tubman).
In this deadly struggle between irreconcilable
forces, the slaves are determined to succeed by
any means and show great creativity in pursuing
their quest, in spite of daunting obstacles. They
have to travel at night when they cannot see their
way. They are pursued by slave catchers who will
return them to their owners, who will in all like-
lihood punish them severely. It is cold and dark,
andtheymustwadeorswimacrossriversand
swamps. The slave catchers themselves know how
determined the fugitive slaves are. The chase is
constant, and the slaves cannot rest for a
moment. The feeling of movement runs through-
out the poem. In the darkness of the night, the
slaves never know when they might be confronted
by their pursuers. Danger lies everywhere in the
form of patrols and slave catchers, all eager to win
the rewards offered by slave owners for the return
of their ‘‘property.’’ Although the slaves areTOPICS FOR
FURTHER
STUDYResearch the Underground Railroad and its
routes. Make a map showing the principal
escape routes (or mark them on an existing
map). What route might Harriet Tubman
have taken? Using your map, give a class pre-
sentation on the Underground Railroad.
Prepare a time line for the life of Harriet
Tubman and use it to prepare a short presen-
tation on her life to your class. Refer fre-
quently to the time line during your talk.
What personal qualities did Tubman possess
that made her so successful?
Read Hayden’s poem ‘‘Middle Passage,’’ and
write an essay in which you compare it to
‘‘Runagate Runagate.’’ Does the poet employ
similar techniques in both poems? What are
the similarities or differences in theme and
subject matter of the two poems?
Research the civil rights movement of the
1950s and 1960s. Write a poem based on a
dramatic incident in the movement, such as
the first march from Selma to Montgomery,
Alabama, in 1965, when marchers were beaten
by police. As Hayden does in ‘‘Runagate Run-
agate,’’ try to recreate the atmosphere of the
time and capture different voices and points
of view.Runagate Runagate