1. Phillis Wheatley, "On Being Brought From Africa to America."
a) To whom is this poem addressed? Thoughtfully explain your answer.
b) Phillis was stolen from her family in West Africa at the tender age of 7. How is it possible that she could interpret that action as "mercy"? Or are there other possible explanations for her word choice?
c) In line one, Wheatley makes reference to her native land as "Pagan" rather than " heathen." What is significant about her word choice? In other words, what difference does her word choice make in terms of the poems meaning and her intended message to her readers?
2. What are the pro-slavery arguments?
3. Identify one author from your readings this semester whose work refutes one of the proslavery arguments. Supply one or more examples from his or her literary work and provide your own explanation of how the author accomplishes this feat.
4. What is the theme of David Walker's Appeal?
5. Based on your reading of Walker's Appeal, explain Walker's beliefs regarding how American slavery compared to slave systems of antiquity.
6. Some critics have suggested that David Walker argues for we now refer to as "affirmative action" in his Appeal. Identify points in his work where one might find examples of this notion.
7. Briefly explain the damaging impact of double consciousness and/or the veil as demonstrated in W.E.B. Dubois's "Of the Coming of John."
8. Briefly explain why the period following Reconstruction has frequently been referred to as the nadir of the Black experience. Consider the introductory material, Dubois's work, your viewings, and my notes.