Comparison Between The Works Of Phillis Wheatley And Fredrick Douglass
Hello, welcome to yet another episode of professors write papers. Today I provide an essay for African-American class that compares the work of Phillis Wheatley and Fredrick Douglas. I hope your enjoy.
Comparison between the Works of Phillis Wheatley and Fredrick Douglass by an Essay Professor
A good book report writing introduction would begin by recognizing that Phillis Wheatley and Fredrick Douglass were notable African-American activists, liberationists, and abolitionists. Through their literature and advocacy, they inspired slaves to establish a sense of identity and eventually sponsored the antislavery movement that freed Africans out of bondage. Their works in literature speak of their different perceptions of religion, freedom, and emancipation. Wheatley’s works are largely poetic, while Douglass capitalized on conferences, speeches, and orations to address social inequality, racial injustices, and slavery in America. Essay professors for book report writing would present a thesis statement as the one that follows: Wheatley’s “On Being Brought from Africa to America” and Douglass’s “Fourth of July” speech best describe the efforts of these two revolutionists in creating an African American identity, enlightenment of Africans in America, and the irony of freedom as outlined in the Declaration of Independence.
The paper will flow following the backdrop of the thesis statement.
Phillis Wheatley’s poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America” is a one-stanza piece that centers on the Christianization of Africans that came to America as slaves. Wheatley speaks from a first-person perspective about her journey from Africa and the enlightenment that she received on encountering Christianity. Through the exposure to this religion, Wheatley mentions that she learned about God and Saviour, meaning that Christianity brought hope about eventual salvation for African slaves. She cites that although the African race was often undermined due to its color, it could join the “angelic train” through Christianity (Wheatley, line 8).
The “Fourth of July” speech discusses the irony of freedom in the now liberated America. Delivered in 1852, 76 years after the United States attained its independence from Britain, Douglass mentions that African Americans had nothing to enjoy from this independence. He cites that the “sunlight that brought life and healing to you, has brought stripes and death to me. This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine” (PhilDarius). In sum, the “Fourth of July” speech was a mockery to the white supremacists who celebrated the achievement of liberty but continued to subject Africans to bondage.
If you work with the best essay helper for literature, he or she would recognize and argue that the two works are similar in the audience. The two African American activists are speaking to the white people who often viewed Africans as second-class citizens. Therefore, the purpose of these works is to assert that Africans deserved equal treatment, either as prescribed by law of the land or by divine orders. On the flip side, the works are different in content. Wheatley’s poem addresses the attainment of spiritual salvation while Douglass’s speech condemns the hypocrisy of the American nation in celebrating the attainment of Independence. Additionally, the poem talks about the arrival of the Africans to America and the socio-cultural changes that happened soon after their settlement in this land. The Fourth of July speech decries the perpetual mistreatment of Americans through the institution of slavery, and the inaction of people who purported to be custodians of freedom, liberty, and prosperity.
The End
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