July is a poem written by slaves in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty (in present-day counties and counties in Shaanxi Province). It may be because the poem is long and old, and there are some mistakes, but the basic order is still clear. The poem consists of eight chapters and eleven sentences in each chapter, which basically describes the labor and life of male and female slaves year after year in the order of seasons. This poem is described in chronological order, much like a lunar poem, similar to the four seasons or December songs in folk songs later. However, because the content described in it reflects the miserable situation of slaves who have worked hard all the year round and have no food and clothing, it should be regarded as a poem against exploitation and oppression.
The tone of reading should be sad and angry, and some sentences, such as the one at the end, should be ironic.
The long poem July shows us a picture of class oppression in ancient slave society. Male and female slaves worked endlessly all year round, and as a result, they were deprived of everything by the nobles. Reading this elegy, it seems that an oppressed old slave appeared in front of us, telling people face to face about his living situation and his bloody history. He told his family and neighbors about the hard and miserable life year after year, so considerate and sad. Although he didn't dare to show strong resentment, he was mixed with sighs and sorrows from time to time, exposing the evil and cruelty of slave owners with living facts. Although these slaves were temporarily intimidated by the arrogance of the slave owners and their spirits were numb, one day they would roar like a volcano and vent their accumulated resentment.