Textual Representation

Effect of the Haitian Revolution’s Heroes on Writers

William Wordsworth was an apt supporter of revolutions, the fondness to which he found while on a trip to France when he witnessed the tyrannical monarchy of the country (Wordsworth and Matthews). That is why Wordsworth took such an interest in the Haitian Revolution, because it was a direct influence of the ideals of the French Revolution. He wanted more than anything for the rebels to persevere and win in Haiti, just as he wished for the rebels in France. That was why it was so heartbreaking to Wordsworth when Toussaint was captured, because he had invested his heart into the Haitian Revolution vicariously through Toussaint. As a writer, the only way Wordsworth knew how to express this sorrow was through writing. Wordsworth wanted to write to Toussaint, to let him know that he was on his side and respected his sacrifice, but he knew he would never be able to reach Toussaint. That is why he published the sonnet To Toussaint L'Ouverture in January of 1803, so that at least others may know how much Wordsworth respected and admired L'Ouverture. Sadly, L'Ouverture died three months later, and it is highly unlikely he was ever able to read the poem. Both through the poem itself and the history it represented, Wordsworth was able to inspire many future generations to learn and write about Toussaint L’Overture and the Haitian Revolution.

Wordsworth purposefully made the sonnet resemble a letter to make it seem like a personal message to Toussaint. To accomplish this, Wordsworth first starts the sonnet with the name of his intended audience, “Toussaint”, evoking the layout of a letter. The title itself (To Toussaint L’Overture) also resembles the introduction that is common in greetings, whether it be orally or written in a letter. The typical rhyme scheme associated with sonnets is shown in the two different halves, being split by a semi colon. The halves are split unevenly first into an octet the sestet rhyme scheme, making this sonnet more specifically an Italian or Petrarchan sonnet. The reason for the poem being split is because it contains a volta, or turning point, that is a common technique associated with sonnets. Wordsworth’s volta emphasizes his attempt at denial for Toussaint’s dire situation. In the beginning of the sonnet Wordsworth told Toussaint to “Yet die not!” showing how he believed that Toussaint would, could, and must survive the French imprisonment. Wordsworth’s first line after the volta, however, “Though fallen thyself, never to rise again” shows how he lost the faith he had in the beginning of the sonnet.

This poem, as well as the topic it represented, also inspired many others. In 1910, Henrietta Cordelia Ray wrote Toussaint L’Ouverture (Shamlu). Just like Wordsworth, Ray used a sonnet layout for her poem, with the same rhyme scheme that split the poem first into an octet and then a sestet. Another similarity between their poems is that both only addressed Toussaint as the reader of the poem, despite the poems being released for others to see. Ray also proudly exclaimed her love for Toussaint, just as Wordsworth had done, with the line “thou was surely born to be/ A hero” (Ray). She also wrote, “We send a backward glance to gaze on thee,” reads as a response to Wordsworth’s line “There’s not a breathing of the common wind/ That will forget thee!”

Ray’s sonnet also differed from Wordsworth's through its message. While Wordsworth lamented over the loss of Touissant, Ray’s sonnet encapsulates the effort to move ahead as well as acknowledging her disparity at losing Toussaint. The other major difference was when the poems were written. Wordsworth released To Toussaint L’Overture before Toussaint even died, however, Cordelia Ray published Toussaint L’Overture in 1910. Wordsworth wrote from a place of admiration, one of a fellow revolutionary. Ray, however, wrote from the future – a dim future with the need of a hero. At that time, black Americans were no longer slaves, but still not yet free in America. Segregation ran rampant, and organizations like the KKK made it difficult for any African-American to survive. Ray wrote this poem as a black woman who wished Toussaint could come and save her and all other African-Americans from America, just as he had once saved the Haitians from the French.

Toussaint L’Overture is known as a hero to many, both in his time and in today’s world. This is seen in the popularity of Toussaint’s memoir, which is referenced in Wordsworth’s poem by the line, “the most unhappy of men!” Nowadays, Toussaint’s cries for black liberation are repeated in the Black Lives Matter movement for freedom in society. This poem by William Wordsworth cannot even begin to describe the horror, freedom, and extremities on all sides during the Haitian Revolution, but is a good start in showing the world the hero that is Toussaint L’Ouverture.