Phillis Wheatley displays this resistance towards the American identity through her famous poems that spread across the nation. Wheatley was the first African American female poet, and her poems reached recognition from both the United States and England. Her poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America” provides clear examples of her resistance to the American identity, for it carries many tones of sarcasm. In the poem, she is praising the colonizers for bringing Africans from the “Pegan land” and noting that with Christianity, they can become refined. This message carries tones of sarcasm because Wheatley was highly educated, and although she may be providing a sense of gratitude, she is making fun of the colonizers. This expressed the reality that some women slaves were educated and able to voice their opinions as well as educating the public that some slave women were smarter and capable of education. Overall, when women are given the opportunity to express themselves through any medium, there is a underground reality that is exposed offering an alternate perspective to almost all of
Phillis Wheatley displays this resistance towards the American identity through her famous poems that spread across the nation. Wheatley was the first African American female poet, and her poems reached recognition from both the United States and England. Her poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America” provides clear examples of her resistance to the American identity, for it carries many tones of sarcasm. In the poem, she is praising the colonizers for bringing Africans from the “Pegan land” and noting that with Christianity, they can become refined. This message carries tones of sarcasm because Wheatley was highly educated, and although she may be providing a sense of gratitude, she is making fun of the colonizers. This expressed the reality that some women slaves were educated and able to voice their opinions as well as educating the public that some slave women were smarter and capable of education. Overall, when women are given the opportunity to express themselves through any medium, there is a underground reality that is exposed offering an alternate perspective to almost all of