Enslaved and lynched, denied a human place
The contrast between hard and soft (blacks and whites) continues. The reader realizes the importance of the continuous hissing as it is repeated in the word “Enslaved”, the title of the poem.
In the great life line of the Christian West;
The poet introduces religion in this line. In keeping with the contrast he has established, the poet uses one word to demonstrate it in this line. “Christian” contains both the hard and the soft sound, representing the contrast between prayer that black slaves constantly employed, and the slithering snake, symbolic of the devil, which is commonly associated with white oppressors.
And in the Black Land disinherited,
In this line, McKay employs the hissing sound in the word “disinherited”. Interestingly enough, the hissing sound is employed in the part of the word that negates it. The implications of an inherited land would be that slavery did not exist.
Robbed in the ancient country of its birth,
Here, the poet introduces the liquid sound “r” in the words “robbed”, “country”, and “birth”. Along with the fricative, “s”, it symbolizes the continuity and longevity of the period of slavery. The ever-present hissing sound heard in the word “its” is a reminder if the serpentine beast that stole blacks from their home.
My heart grows sick with hate, becomes as lead,
This line directly addresses the poet’s contempt for all that blacks, as a race, endured throughout slavery. The poet’s contempt for the white oppressors prevails as the hissing “s” continues in the words “grows”, “as”, “sick”, and “becomes”. It is in stark contrast to the hard sound “k” in the latter two words. This contrast continues to represent the difference between the white oppressor and the enslaved black.
For this my race has no home on earth.
The slithering tour guide moves along on the journey, making blacks homeless. In this line, McKay refers to the non-placement of blacks in a white man’s world. It is also possible that he is alluding to his Jamaican heritage, indicating that black non-Americans don’t have a home in Africa, or America.
Then from the dark depths of my soul I cry
In this line, the hissing “s” in the word “depths” symbolizes the level of pain that the enslaved people felt. The poet also introduces another repeated sound in the words “I” and “cry”. This repetition is symbolic of the repeated abuse and torture that the slaves endured.
To the avenging angel to consume
The poet, in this line, reverts to religion, referring to the blacks’ persistent prayer for freedom from their oppressors. There is also the reappearance of the contrasting sounds in the word “consume”. This contrast can be representative of the binary opposition of the heavenly angel (freedom) and the fallen angel, the snake (slavery).
The white man’s world of wonders utterly:
Again, the hissing sound occurs due to possession in the words “man’s” and “wonders”. This is appropriate because it dishonours the glory of the white man’s treasures, power and ownership of blacks.
Let it be swallowed up in earth’s vast womb
It is apparent that the journey is coming to an end. This is indicated by the word “swallowed”, which shows the hissing “s” being immediately followed by the glide “w”. This disallows the continuation of the hissing sound. Incidentally, the repetition of the “oom” sound in the words “consume” and “womb” makes the reader think of the word doom, toward which the snake is heading.
Or upward roll as a sacrificial smoke
The consonance utilized in the phrase “sacrificial smoke” creates the perfect image of a hissing snake as well as informs the reader that both words are equally important in forecasting the inevitable demise of the snake.
To liberate my people from its yoke!
Though not in a heavily pronounced form, the hissing sound is still present in the word “its”. This is an attempt by the poet to inform the reader of the key issue at hand; slavery, which gave birth to racism, is not in the past. The poet, in this line, suggests that slavery, though not in original form, still exists, and blacks, as a people, are not free.