Father Comes Home From the Wars

“LEADER. Boss-Master, the Colonel, sleeping inside

On a warm cot inside a warm tent.

And Hero, the slave, sleeping outside on the cold hard ground

While the cannons pound and the bullets fly

And the war-wounded holler

Cause their legs and arms are lost, and their hopes are dashed.”

The Leader of the Chorus provides exposition that serves two purposes. First, it fills the audience in on the choice Hero is facing—this is what his life will be like if he chooses to go with the Colonel to war. Second, it provides background on the types of work enslaved Black men in the Civil War were forced to do for their enslavers. The contrast between the Colonel’s comfort and the hard life that Hero will have highlights the inhumane manner in which enslaved people were treated.

“THIRD. What will you decide, Hero?

OLD MAN. Listen to you all

Feeding on hero’s choice

Like so many buzzards feed.

Cept the carcass ain’t one. He’s still living.

So let’s step away.”

The Old Man reprimands the Chorus for taking bets on Hero’s decision. He uses a simile that compares them to buzzards, a scavenging bird that feeds off dead animals, to imply that the Chorus are treating Hero like he’s already dead by aiming to profit from him just as the buzzard fattens itself up by eating dead things. By pointing out that Hero is still alive, Old Man also stresses that his choice isn’t set in stone—he can still change his mind.