Abstract
Apprenticed as a boy to a ship owned by the company that also owned the infamous Zong, Rushton spent his teen-aged years as a sailor on board ships engaged in the slave trade, and likely spent a significant amount of time in the West Indies. Early biographies have documented his growing distaste for his occupation, one that he was forced to abandon after losing his sight as a result of being the only crew member willing to help the slaves who were afflicted with the contagious and blinding disease of trachoma. Dellarosa's central purpose is to demonstrate that from his earliest efforts to his mature poetry Rushton's main goal is to give voice to the voiceless, whether that is the voice of well-known historical figures like Toussaint L'Ouverture or the anonymous sailor who falls victim to impressment in 'Will Clewline'.