To further analyze a more spoiled African American of the time, Phillis Wheatley did address the issues of her race as much as Sojourner Truth did. Wheatley mainly wrote “to Whites, for Whites and generally in the Euro-American tradition at that time” (Jamison 408). Her content focused on Christianity, morality, virtue, and other non-African-American-related topics. Her poetry has an underlying attitude of a white, not an African American. She shares the same views and attitude as a Caucasian, therefore she is part of African American literature because she was born into it, but she did not share the particular views and struggles of the African American population. She was heavily praised, because it was not expected from an African such as herself, although her upbringing should be considered. Some white men admired her work, because it was more than …show more content…
While Wheatley was literate, her upbringing comfortable, her connections advantageous, the reason of her sole joy in being brought to America because of finding Christ, her “good nigger” persona, her freedom simply given to her, and her masters encouragement of her learning, Sojourner Truth’s life was the opposite. Truth was brave, strong, outspoken and, all in all, had to work much harder to become a memorable figure and a true influencer for her race. She dedicated a large portion of her life to the fulfillment and equality of women and African Americans, while Phillis Wheatley spent her life being a pleasant acquaintance who loved her faith and emphasized it. Although there is nothing wrong in this, Phillis Wheatley could have made herself more familiar with the problems of her own race and helped them, but she did not, and this lack of improvement for her people at the time is shown through the evidence of the absence of her name in the African American equality
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
Sojourner establishes a sense of identity as a victim of discrimination by describing the injustices as a black women in order to provoke an emotional response from her audience. Truth exclaims that no
...t social injustices (Weidt 53). Because of her quest for freedom, she gave way to writers such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Countee Cullen. Countee Cullen wrote "Heritage," which mixes themes of freedom, Africa, and religion. It can be said, then, that he gave way to writers such as Gwendolyn Brooks wrote "Negro Hero," which is about the status of the African American during the 1940s. Clearly, these poets followed the first steps taken by Phillis Wheatley towards speaking out against social issues, and today's poetry is a result of the continuation to speak out against them
Phillis Wheatley, who is now known as one of America’s most scholarly writers, has made a major impact on American Literature today. Her role in Literature had influenced many African Americans during this time period because it was very uncommon for them to become educated. Her poems made some people realize that they shouldn’t have slaves. Many people say that Phillis Wheately should go down in history as a hero while others say that she should not. Phillis is a historical hero because of the extraordinary courage that she showed by writing her poems while facing the adversities that she encountered. People disagree with this statement because they say that she did not make a difference in history.
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. It is extremely essential to mention that Wheatley was the first African American woman to have her work published. Her works were in their own right prototypes for all literature that touched on race during her era. By analyzing Phillis Wheatley’s intellectual capacity we can begin to see that even after having been sold into slavery, she was only as limited as her imagination or faith would have her to be.
Samuels, Wilfred D. “Sojourner Truth.” Encyclopedia of African-American Literature. New York: Facts on File, 2007. 509-510. Print.
Throughout Sojourner Truths speech she makes several claims about stereotypes, motherhood, hard work, and her relationships with white men and women. By stating she's got robbed of the opportunity to become a mother shows how unfair life in the early 1800's was for women but more importantly African-American females. Throughout history there have been many stories of slaves giving birth and not being allowed to raise their kids or worse their kids being sold to another family. Truth states, "I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus
Truth was born into slavery and raised in New York by her mother, Betsey and father, James. As mentioned earlier, her name was changed once she became free in 1826, to signify her wanting to travel and become a preacher. With her testimonies of “demeaning nature of slavery and the redeeming power of faith,” her words touched numerous listeners and jumpstarted her mission from God . Sojourner’s name was a symbol of justice to show the world the “truth” behind what was really going on in the nation. However, she was illiterate; but it proved not to be a stumbling block for her courageous acts to come. She became a “national figure in the struggle for the liberation of both blacks and women,” by attending countless tours spreading the word of inequality and injustice. One of her first and most successful attempts at black equality was the approval of African Americans to enter into the Union Army to fight. Her act of...
Wheatley, Phillis, and Margaretta Odell. Memoir and poems of Phillis Wheatley, a Native African and a Slave. Boston: Geo. W. Light, 1834. eBook.
Butler, Mary G. “Sojourner Truth A Life and Legacy of Faith.” Sojourner Truth Institute of
Growing up during slavery times were hard on African American’s. Being treated the way they were they were treated was an injustice and something no one should ever go through. By analyzing Sojourner Truth’s early life of being born a slave, becoming a mother, having at least three of her children sold away from her, heading to freedom, fighting for abolition and women’s rights, advocacy during the civil war, her death and her legacy which lives on today. It is clear that Sojourner truth shaped her time.
In the 19th century, Sojourner Truth was one of the most influential African American women in history. Truth bought a house and settled in Northampton, Massachusetts. Afterwards, she traveled the east and Midwest spreading her beliefs on human rights. As an influential and fervent supporter for the evicted; she had a strong mind and confident spirit to fight for human
Angelina Grimke and Sojourner Truth were both prominent American civil rights activists of the 19th century who focused on the abolition of slavery and women’s rights issues, respectively. While both of these women challenged the societal beliefs of the United States at the time regarding these civil rights issues, the rhetorical strategies used by each of these women to not only illustrate their respective arguments but also to raise social awareness of these issues was approached in very different fashions. Angelina Grimke promoted the use of white middle-class women’s positions in the household to try to influence the decision makers, or men, around them. On the other hand, Sojourner Truth, a former slave turned women’s rights activist,
Slave Rebellions were becoming common and one of the most famous was Nat Turner’s Rebellion. Led by slave preacher Nat Turner, who “became convinced that he had been chosen by God to lead his people to freedom”, a group of almost 80 slaves murdered over 60 white men, women, and children (Slave Rebellions). Maria Stewart was the first black women reported to have delivered a public speech (Coddon). She wrote a manuscript to a black audience that encouraged them not to “kill, burn, or destroy”, but rather “improve your talents… show forth your powers of mind (Coddon).” She wanted black people to know that both God and our founding documents affirmed them as equal with other men (Coddon). Being a black woman herself, she addressed other black women stating “ O, ye daughters of Africa, awake! Awake! Arise! No longer sleep nor slumber, but distinguish yourselves. Show forth the world that ye are endowed with noble and exalted faculties (Coddon).” Stewart believed that the world wasn 't going to change for the blacks, that the blacks had to change for the world, but by changes she meant show the world their worthiness and fight for their equality. Another woman fighting for equality was Sojourner Truth. Truth, formerly known as Isabella and former slave, was singer and public speaker against slavery (Coddon). SHe was the only black delegate at the Worcester, Massachusetts women’s rights convention in 1850 (Coddon).
In “On Being Brought From Africa To America” Phillis Wheatley speaks directly from her experience of coming to America, and how she became very religious on her arrival, so she uses her religious beliefs to explain how lucky she was to be in America and how she made a lot of achievements. Phillis Wheatley was a young black female poet, who started discovering her love for writing when she came to America, although it was illegal to educate black people she found a way to teach herself to read and write, even though a lot of people of her race were told that they weren’t good enough to deserve to be Christians and also to enjoy the advantage of being a citizen in America, Wheatley overcame these immense obstacles and she was so grateful for the chance to be a part of the Christian word and also to hear the word of Christianity, she was also very happy that she was brought to America where she has the opportunity to read and write. “Phillis” wasn’t her real name but her master named her that because the slave ship she boarded to come to America was named Phillis.