Throughout American literature, as settlers faced opposition and challenging circumstances starting in the 1400s, many writers referenced divine providence as the main determinant of their success. This belief has continued into the writings of former slaves from the 1700s and 1800s. The influence of God’s protective care and spiritual power can be examined in Phillis Wheatley’s poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” and Frederick Douglass’s memoir, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Although these literary works take different approaches toward explaining the role of providence in their lives, both reference the influence of God throughout their turmoil, while shedding light on the hypocrisy of American …show more content…
Christianity during this time. Like many slaves during the 1700s, Wheatley faced traumatic circumstances that brought her to America.
After being kidnapped at age seven and taken to America on a ship, where one in four enslaved Africans died on the journey, to be sold into slavery, many would expect this experience to foster a sense of despair within Wheatley (Carretta). On the contrary, this journey, which inspired the title of her poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” Wheatley sheds light on the benefits of her situation.
While it is remarkable for Wheatley to come out of her devastating childhood with a strong relationship in God and a thankful heart, it is important to recognize Wheatley’s unique slavery experience. Wheatley’s owners gave her the opportunity to learn to read, write, and pursue poetry, all aspects of learning typically prohibited to slaves (Carretta). Perhaps this knowledge helped Wheatley find the good in God’s influence over her life because of the opportunities granted to her in America. If she had faced harsher treatment, her praise of divine providence might not shine as bright throughout her
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works. Douglass faced traumatic experiences during his time as a slave due to his removal from his mother and violent beatings from his master. He recalled, “He repeated his order. I still made him no answer, nor did I move to strip myself. Upon this he rushed at me with the fierceness of a tiger, tore off my clothes, and lashed me till he had worn out his switches, cutting me so savagely as to leave the marks visible for a long time after” (Douglass 1198). As he recounted these instances in his memoir, Douglass also focused on his opportunities to learn to read and write. Similar to Wheatley, Douglass’s escape from slavery and enlightenment due to education partially contributed to his appreciation of God’s providence. A contradiction arises in Wheatley’s work as she expresses thankfulness for her relationship with God, but disagreement toward racial inequality and slavery. In Wheatley’s poem, she references her kidnapping, but presents in in a positive light by referring to it as God’s “mercy” (Wheatley 789). Additionally, she strategically uses the word “brought” in the first line, “’Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land,” (Wheatley 789) instead of stating the facts of her kidnapping. Without her enslavement, Wheatley would never have the opportunity to leave her “pagan land” (Wheatley 789) and learn about Christianity. She believes that divine providence led her to America; however, she does not explain if she thinks this same providence caused her to live her life as a slave. Wheatley goes beyond expressing her gratitude by using her salvation as an example of equality. She writes, “Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, / May be refined, and join the angelic train” (Wheatley 789). Wheatley argues that if a black woman can be saved by the grace of God in the same manner of a white man, how are they not equals? To further Wheatley’s understanding of providence, she associates this relationship with God to her coming to America. In the same manner that she travelled the Middle Passage, Wheatley travelled into the arms of God. While the title of the poem references her movement from Africa to America, Wheatley describes her soul’s movement from paganism to Christianity. This metaphor continues as she refers to Christian’s journey to heaven as the “angelic train” (Wheatley 789). When explaining providence’s role in Douglass’s life, he is aware of the possible criticism that may arise due to his claim, which explains his acknowledgement of being “deemed superstitious” (Douglass 1184). As he reflects on his journey to freedom, Douglass focuses on the specific instances of God’s hand that led him to this favorable outcome. He states: Going to live at Baltimore laid the foundation, and opened the gateway, to all my subsequent prosperity. I have ever regarded it as the first plain manifestation of that kind providence which has ever since attended me, and marked my life with so many favors. I regarded the selection of myself as being somewhat remarkable. There were a number of slave children that might have been sent from the plantation to Baltimore. There were those younger, those older, and those of the same age. I was chosen from among them all, and was the first, last, and only choice. I may be deemed superstitious, and even egotistical, in regarding this event as a special interposition of divine Providence in my favor. But I should be false to the earliest sentiments of my soul, if I suppressed the opinion. (Douglass 1184) Similar to other American authors before Douglass’s time that referenced divine providence when overcoming difficult situations, Douglass argues that God was on his side. This reflects previous Puritan writings that justified their actions because they were considered favorites of heaven. Like Wheatley’s poem, Douglass’s narrative focuses on the relationship between salvation and movement.
J. Kameron Carter explains in his narrative “Race, religion, and the contradictions of identity: a theological engagement with Douglass’s 1845 narrative, “Douglass’s central, explicit aim in the Narrative is to tell the story of his life as a movement from bondage to freedom, from property to prophet, from chattel to abolitionist spokesman and public intellectual” (Carter 37) and how divine providence led to this transformation. By traveling to Baltimore, Douglass believes this movement was the first of many acts of providence in his life that led to his desire for freedom and
change. Both authors took advantage of their opportunities and platforms to expand upon their experiences of divine providence and inspire a change of heart within their readers. While discussing God’s influence over their lives, both identified the hypocrisy of slavery being associated with Christianity. As Wheatley used delicate language to describe her “redemption never sought nor knew” (Wheatley 789) to explain how God transformed her situation, Douglass incorporated powerful and factual arguments to demonstrate the hypocrisy of his position. Douglass takes time in his Narrative to explain that his criticisms of Christianity are not against the religion, but against the malpractice of the religion by slave owning Americans. He explains, “What I have said respected and against religion, I mean strictly to apply to the slaveholding religion of this land, and with no possible reference to Christianity proper; for, between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference” (Douglass 1224). To further explain the contrasting ideals of Christianity and slavery, Douglass describes, “The man who wields the blood-clotted cowskin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus. The man who robs me of my earnings at the end of each week meets me as a class-leader on Sunday morning, to show me the way of life, and the path of salvation” (Douglass 1225). Although both of these works act to display the important role of providence in the lives of slaves, Douglass and Wheatley seize the opportunity to call for change in the hearts of Christian slave holders. While Wheatley produces a conflicting work of contradiction due to her gratitude toward enslavement but disagreement regarding slavery, Douglass utilizes his opportunity to openly critic American religion. Douglass and Wheatley’s literary works are inspired by their unique slave experiences, exposure to education, and desire to change the hearts of hypocritical Christians in America. Both authors take the opportunity to identify God’s providence and influence over the outcomes of their situations, while shedding light on the immoral actions of their fellow American Christians. Works Cited Carter, J. Kameron. “RACE, RELIGION, AND THE CONTRADICTIONS OF IDENTITY: A THEOLOGICAL ENGAGEMENT WITH DOUGLASS's 1845 NARRATIVE.” Modern Theology, vol. 21, no. 1, 2005, pp. 37–65. Carretta, Vincent. "Phillis Wheatley: Researching a Life." Historical Journal of Massachusetts, vol. 43, no. 2, 2015, p. 64+. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A514177497/AONE?u=tel_a_utl&sid=AONE&xid=628ac270. Accessed 4 May 2018.
Although two different authors wrote these works of literature, A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson and From Africa to America, both stories possessed similar and different elements of writing. These tales were worthy of comparing because they had various things to review, contrast, and realize, such as the worship they had or didn’t have for God, their experiences, and their styles. Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano were remarkable writers whose works will always be a part of America’s history for the various styles and purposes they had to share with their readers.
Wheatley was born in West Africa around 1750, and was captured when she was 7. John Wheatley purchased Phillis for his wife, Susanna; together they taught Phillis how to read and write, and as early as 12, Phillis was writing poetry and her first poem had been published. Wheatley’s poems implicitly advocated for racial equality, while condemning slavery. Her work received some negative feedback from political figureheads, such as Thomas Jefferson. White America classified a human as having the ability to read, write, and reason; therefore, leaving no room for the uneducated Africans, seeing Africans as nonhuman. Jefferson claimed Wheatley’s work was not literature because the moment he admitted Wheatley’s work was indeed literature, he would have had to admit she was a human being. The way Phillis Wheatley handled the adversity she faced is admirable. Wheatley definitely impacted American history, and “owes her place in history to advocates of inequality” (Young 1999
Throughout the poem, “To the University of Cambridge, in New England”, Phyllis Wheatley suggest that she accepted the colonial idea of slavery, by first describing her captivity, even though this poem has a subversive double meaning that has sent an anti-slavery message. Wheatley’s choice of words indicates that her directed audience was educated at a sophisticated level because of the language chosen. Her audience was assumingly also familiar with the bible because of the religious references used. The bible was used as a reference because of its accessibility. Wheatley uses religious references to subversively warn her readers about slavery and its repercussions and to challenge her reader’s morals.
The novel Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, published in 1845, provides Americans with a firsthand look into slavery prior to the Civil War. Douglass, born a slave early into the nineteenth century, encounters and survives the task of living as a slave. Within the ninth chapter of his life, an argument arises that claims Southern Christianity differs immensely from its Northern counterpart. A majority of Christians in non-slaveholding states at the time believed that Christian slaveholders were kinder after they converted, Douglass worked to invalidate this claim. In chapter nine, the ingenious use of dispassionate tone and allusion throughout the passages support the claim that a simple conversion to Christianity only gives justification to cruel southern slaveholders.
Douglass’ explains his view of religion as “When I think that these precious souls are to-day shut up in the prison-house of slavery, my feelings overcome me, and I am almost ready to ask, “Does a righteous God govern the universe? And for what does he hold the thunders in his right hand, if not to smite the oppressor, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the spoiler? (p.48).” He wonders how a righteous God can rule the universe, and yet still allow cruel things like slavery to exist. One of the ways Douglass shows himself to be a Christian, is by quoting the Bible, “Dark and terrible as is this picture, I hold it to be s...
The poetry of Phillis Wheatley is crafted in such a manner that she is able to create a specific aim for each poem, and achieve that aim by manipulating her position as the speaker. As a slave, she was cautious to cross any lines with her proclamations, but was able to get her point across by humbling her own position. In religious or elegiac matters, however, she seemed to consider herself to be an authority. Two of her poems, the panegyric “To MAECENAS” and the elegy “On the Death of a young Lady of Five Years of Age,” display Wheatley’s general consistency in form, but also her intelligence, versatility, and ability to adapt her position in order to achieve her goals.
Phyllis Wheatley's poem On Being Brought to America is an intimate and personal experience on being brought to America from her homeland of West Africa. The theory in which this paper focuses on is the pros and cons of Phillis Wheatley actually being brought to America, her pagan land, and in addition, the hardships that she faced being a female author in her time and age. From a feminist
In the autobiography, Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass narrates his own life as a slave. He explains and talks about his tough experiences as a slave. Born on a plantation in Maryland he witnesses the abuse of his fellow slaves. As a slave, he saw many “christian slaveholders” who used Christianity as a justification of their actions. Douglass feels like these slaveholders are the worst. Douglass’s disdain for the hypocrisy of Christian slaveholders is shown through his use of tone, personification, and diction.
... Although the legitimacy of her writing style to convey these ideals is fundamentally argued, Wheatley’s identification of her social station or with her “blackness” so to speak is adapted into what I believe to be a free form sort of speech about the social, and economic positioning of African American slaves in America. Wheatley is magnificent in not only expressing her own ideals, but also in incorporating the ideas that are evident in other literary works into her own. She is able to effectively utilize her knowledge of the English language and philosophical and religious beliefs in her poems. A few of the ongoing themes of Wheatley’s poetry include freedom, religion, morality, faith, celebration, war, and death.
This excellent biography fluently tells the life story of Douglass; one of the 19th centuries's most famous writers and speakers on abolitionist and human rights causes. It traces his life from his birth as a slave in Maryland, through his self-education, escape to freedom, and subsequent lionization as a renowned orator in England and the United States. Fascinating, too, are accounts of the era's politics, such as the racist views held by some abolitionist leaders and the ways in which many policies made in post-Civil War times have worked to the detriment of today's civil rights movement. The chapter on Frederick Douglass and John Brown is, in itself, interesting enough to commend this powerful biography. The seldom-seen photographs, the careful chapter notes, documentation, and acknowledgements will encourage anybody to keep on learning about Frederick Douglass.
In Frederick Douglass’ Narrative, Christianity is a prominent feature of both slave and slave-owners’ lives. However, Douglass highlights the discrepancies between the religions of these two groups, finding the Christianity of slave holders to be false, malicious and hypocritical. Though he makes clear he is not irreligious himself, Douglass condemns the insincere ideology of slave owning America.
Douglass wrote three biographies about his life as a politician, slave, and abolitionist. However, the historical value of these works does not remain as important as the quality of the works themselves. Frederick Douglass’ writing deserves recognition in the canon of great American authors, because his work meets the chosen criteria for inclusion in a collection of important literature. Douglass influenced many famous abolitionists with his literary works, and this impact, coupled with his desire to write an expose about oppression in America, makes him a winning candidate. Although his published works, mostly autobiographies, received much acclaim from abolitionists, this paper explores the quality of Douglass’s work from a literary standpoint. This paper also details the events shaping Douglass’s impressive life and writing career. By examining the prestigious “life and times” of this black author, the reader will recognize the widespread influence of Douglass’s writing on other antislavery writers, politics, and hence, the public. In a look at his first and greatest work, Narrative of the Life, the following paper will demonstrate why Frederick Douglass deserves a place in the hall of great American writers. To fully appreciate the impact of Douglass’s autobiographies, we must examine violent period in which he lived. Douglass, born in 1818, grew up as a slave on Colonel Lloyd’s plantation in eastern Maryland. At the time, abolitionist movements started gaining speed as popular parties in the North. In the North, pro-slavery white mobs attacked black communities in retaliation for their efforts. By the time Douglass escaped from slavery, in 1838, tensions ran high among abolitionists and slaveowners. Slaves published accounts of their harrowing escapes, and their lives in slavery, mainly with the help of ghostwriters. Although abolitionists called for the total elimination of slavery in the South, racial segregation still occurred all over the United States. Blacks, freemen especially, found the task of finding a decent job overwhelming.
The clash between racial reality and idea is what is artistically shown in “on being brought from Africa to America”. Wheatley is a subtle rebel. At the beginning of her poem she shows thanks for being enslaved because it brought happiness to her life in finding Christianity, but as time goes by we start to see the true tone of Wheatley, which clearly show in the last two lines of the poem, now Wheatley begins to take a big position of power as if she already has the attention of the reader. Wheatley continues by saying that Africans may not be perfect but the Christians who enslave human beings aren’t
Douglass spends most of the first five chapters giving the reader his background from birth. He explains the beginning of his sad life, hardships he has seen and endured on the plantation. Then when he was about 7 or 8 Douglass set sail to Baltimore This is the first time Douglass uses a reference to God. He says” that the transfer to Baltimore is a gift of providence” (Douglass). If he had not been
As both the narrator and author of “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself” Frederick Douglass writes about his transition from a slave to a well educated and empowered colored young man. As a skilled and spirited man, he served as both an orator and writer for the abolitionist movement, which was a movement to the abolishment of slavery. At the time of his narrative’s publication, Douglass’s sole goal of his writings was to essentially prove to those in disbelief that an articulate and intelligent man, such as himself, could have,in fact, been enslaved at one point in time. While, Douglass’ narrative was and arguably still is very influential, there are some controversial aspects of of this piece, of which Deborah McDowell mentions in her criticism.