For example, Sarah Grimke, a middle-class white woman abolitionist, wrote, “A similar condition of moral pollution and utter disregard of a pure and virtuous reputation…That such a state of society should exist in a Christian nation…” In Grimke’s work, one can note her outrage at the clashing ideals of Christian Slave holders, and noted on the moral effects of the two conflicting beliefs. Northern abolitionists aimed to gain more sympathy by reminding their readers of Christian beliefs and how they clash with the practice of slavery. William Lloyd Garrison even made a remark in his newspaper article asking for a pardon from God for the sin and inequality happening in the country. Many Americans were of Christian faith and by aligning slavery as a sin and a dishonor to God, abolitionist were able to gain more support and outrage for the Northern Abolitionist
You take Yong Goodman Brown, a man living in an area and time where it is deeply rooted in their Christian beliefs. Then you have Phillis Wheatley who is an African slave who is writing to privileged white men in Cambridge. Both are planted firmly in their Christian faith and the difference is one of them is a slave, and the other one is a free man with a wife and family. Yet, after reading Young Goodman Brown, it seems that only one of them
Early life I’m going to tell you about the early life of phillis Wheatley and how she became the one she is Today. In the summer of 1761 a ship named the phillis arrived in boson. A small and fragile girl No more than eight years old stood shivering at the dock. Sickness and fear consumed her Trembling body which she attempted to cover with an old piece of carpet.
Throughout his narrative, Douglass’s descriptions of the white slaveholders expose the Christian hypocrisy found in the American slave system. Douglass first does so by exposing how the lesson taught by Christians to help those in need is contradicted by the experiences Douglass has especially with hunger. Douglass reflects on these experiences when he states that for the “first time during a space of more than seven years” feeling the effects of the “painful gnawing’s of hunger…” (54). This event shows the Christians’ lessons of selflessness and kindness is hypocritical as they treat their fellow humans as subhuman. The Christians at the time rely on scripture to make a case for slavery in America.
Aren’t they the children of god as others? Aren’t they sharing the same blood of human being? So, why should they be a slave, why not a respectful human? In fact, Douglass employs the rhetorical appeals of logos and pathos mostly and sometimes ethos also effectively. Even if Douglass incorporated mostly persuasive logical claims through the use of true facts of reality matched with emotional situation, his audience may find him aggressive because of his heated and distressful word choice.
For instance, he believes that the Southern “version” of Christianity is not identical, and even opposite, to that of true Christianity. Douglass states that he loves the “pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ” and hates the “corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial, and hypocritical Christianity of this land”; in fact, he goes as far as to say that “to be the friend of the one, is of necessity to be the enemy of the other” (Douglass 101). By saying this, Douglass is undoubtedly declaring that the people of the land claim to be Christians but their ways are corrupt and unjust which is against all that Christ teaches; therefore, he is calling
In 1773, there were slaves all over colonial America working in plantations, and cleaning their masters houses. It wasn’t common for a slave to be writing poetry with their owners consent. Phyllis Wheatley’s success as the first African American published poet was what inspired generations to tell her story. It was her intellectual mind and point of view that made her different from others, both black and white. Phyllis’s story broke the barrier for all African American writers, and proved that no matter the gender or race, all human beings are capable of having an intelligent state of mind. Her arrival in America in 1761, at the age of eight is what started the story of a legend.
I. Introductory Paragraph and Thesis Statement Phillis Wheatley has changed the world of the literature and poetry for the better with her groundbreaking advancements for women and African Americans alike, despite the many challenges she faced. By being a voice for those who can not speak for themselves, Phillis Wheatley has given life to a new era of literature for all to create and enjoy. Without Wheatley’s ingenious writing based off of her grueling and sorrowful life, many poets and writers of today’s culture may not exist. Despite all of the odds stacked against her, Phillis Wheatley prevailed and made a difference in the world that would shape the world of writing and poetry for the better. II.
During the time when Douglass wrote this book, there were several myths which were used to justify slavery. The slaveholder during his time justified this inhuman practice using different arguments. The first argument they used was the religion. From the narrative, Douglass says that slaveholders called themselves Christians which was the dominant religion by then.
Religion and its relationship to slavery is a contradictive subject, whether it was forced upon slaves or was a form of hope and freedom is still commonly debated about to this day. However, these individuals were devoted Christians in the abolitionist movement who all
Douglass tells us this by saying that he believes anyone who is a slave owner cannot be a Christian. In his view, he believes being a slave owner violates the very principles of being a Christian. Auld quote he believes that the Christianity practiced by the Slave owners and the Christianity practiced by non-slave owners are two
Douglass has shown how religious slaveholders are the worst especially when entertainment comes into play. The first being from one of his slaveholders Master Thomas, he whipped a young woman while reading a quote from the scripture to explain his reason for whipping her. The next example was with his other Master Mr.Covey, he would go to church and preach the word but come back beating slaves and going against the almighty God. The last example that is shown is again shown with Mr.Covey, he was guilty of compelling his woman slave to commit the sin of adultery. All of the examples illustrate that religious slaveholders are worst than non-religious slaveholders.
I believe that Phillis Wheatley’s intent in writing “On being Brought from Africa to America” was conscious. I believe that she was fully aware about what she’s writing. I say that because on line 4 “Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.” she writes from her personal experience by using “I” in her poetry. She talks about her own experience on brought to America as a slave.
Douglass is relentless when attacking the church, he states, “The American Church is Guilty” (Douglass 1039). This has a slightly taste of irony, because here Douglass, a colored man, is calling out the most “sacred” body of people. It almost as if he was the master and they were the slave now. Next, the main theme expressed by
There countless bible verses that addresses slavery, so the southerners took this as an endorsement of slavery. “The emphasis from proslavery defenders was always upon a literal reading of the Bible which represented the mind and will of God himself. Slaveholding was not only justified but also moral because it was recognized as such in Holy Scripture.” (Morrison n.d.) During this time many people on the lower side of the socioeconomic were illiterate