James Weldon Johnson Sonnet Essay

The theme of “Sonnet” by James Weldon Johnson is that without having the courage to push through fear, there will be no progress. The “Sonnet” was written in the late 1800s, where slavery and racism was at its peak. The author, James Weldon Johnson, was a civil rights activist. In the text, Johnson writes “And do not in thine own gross darkness grope” Painting this idea that the “gross darkness grope” he talks about is sadness, or fear, as we associate darkness generally with negative feelings. What this quote means though is that you should never be discouraged from doing what is right, gather the courage to push through the hard things, and reach your goal. Another example of this is in the line right below this one. Johnson states “Rise