Question

N. Why is the

Answer 1

This question refers to the poem "At the Closed Gate of Justice" by James David Corrothers.

This is the last stanza of the poem:

To be a Negro on a day like this

Alas! Lord God, what evil have we done?

Still shines the gate, all gold and amethyst,

But I pass by, the glorious goal unwon,

“Merely a Negro”-on a day like this!

In this stanza, the author writes about a "glorious goal unwon." The goal that he refers to is that of achieving justice. Throughout the poem, the author talks about the type of life that black people have in the United States, and about the many compromises they have to make. He tells us that black people desire justice, but that they have not been able to achieve it.

In this stanza, he identifies justice as a "gate" (which refers to the title of the poem, a "closed gate of justice"). He tells us that black people look at the gate, and it looks glorious, but they cannot pass through, as this goal is unwon. The author suggests that justice for black people has not been achieved, which was true during his time and particularly in the South, where "Jim Crow" laws were common.