Many literary writers have at one time or another written about the slavery and the slave period. All these works are recorded and stored as evidence of the dark period during which the human dignity was severed to the extreme. The essay below compares and contrasts some of the accounts as written by some renowned poets.
Phyllis Wheatley is well renowned for her slavery poems, given that she had an experience of slavery and therefore gave a first hand experience. Her poem “On being Brought from Africa to America’ (1) gives an explanation of the transformation that took place when the slaves were brought to the new land. Her approach is very different form the other writers since she gives the positive light of slavery while all the rest have a negative sense. Her poem also economizes on words.
Most of the writers describe slavery in the negative sense. For instance, Harper (1) talks about being buried in a free land. His poem is full of bitterness and hatred towards slavery and the slave masters. He believes that he could be better off buried in a free land where he would not have to hear the sufferings and the cruelty extended towards the slaves. His account of slavery is that of a very difficult life, where an individual has no control over his life, but is controlled by others who have more power. The same account is given by Catholicplanet (3). In describing the life of a slave, this account also indicates how the lives of the slaves are at the hands of the masters. They do not have their freedom and their life is run the way the masters feel is better. The same loathing for slavery as the one found in Harper’s poem is also seen here. All the writers have a much skewed perception of slavery; they feel that it is the worst thing that could have happened to the lives of the slaves.
Gina (4) and Kepper (3) also have their ideas about slavery, which they indicate that the lives of the slaves were taken as nothing by the masters. Both poets indicate that the masters cared not whether the slaves lived or died, and as such, they treated the slaves with much cruelty since they had the idea that the lives of the slaves were worthless.
In comparison, all the poets perceive slavery in the negative light. They are for the opinion that it should never have taken place, and that it was the greatest violation of the rights of the slaves. They do not understand why the masters should have treated the slaves in such a cruel manner. In contrast, Wheatley (1-4) differs with the rest of the poets. Her account is in favor of the slavery since it claims that even though she was a slave and went through all the cruelty, yet it helped her to appreciate the other people. It opened up her ‘pagan’ heart to know the will of God for man, and boosted her acceptance for other people. This is quite surprising, given that even poets who had no experience with slavery are always against it. However, since she was a slave, her account has to be taken with credibility. Of all the poets, it is only one who has a positive thing to say about slavery. It can therefore be said that slavery was a negative affair and should never have happened at all.
Works Cited
Catholic Planet. A Slave’s Life. Catholicplanet.com. 2012. Web, 2nd July 2012, http://www.catholicplanet.com/poems/tanoury7.htm
Gina. Slave Labor – A Poem. Letssingit.com, 2012. Web, 2nd July 2012, http://forum.letssingit.com/topic/155116/slave-labour-a-poem/3324975
Harper, Watkins F.E. Bury Me in a Free Land. Siue.edu, 2012. Web, 2nd July 2012, http://www.siue.edu/MLTE/Thematic%20Units/Take%20a%20Ride%20on%20Freedom%20Train/bury_me_in_a_free_land.htm
Kepper, Gate. Slave Poem. Letssingit.com, 2012. Web, 2nd July 2012, http://forum.letssingit.com/topic/155116/slave-labour-a-poem/3324975
Wheatley, Phyllis. On Being Brought from Africa to America. Vcu.edu, 2012. Web, 2nd July 2012, http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Wheatley/phil.htm
