Dashawn Britt                                                                                                                                     

Course ENG 301

Professor Rumore

May 7^th, 2020

The Eighteenth Century was a prolific time period that helped change the course of literature. This time period provided a voice to the voiceless and hope to the hopeless. Two themes that grabbed my attention in this time period was the emphasis placed on nature and the way literature helped slaves survive through slavery. Even though the Eighteenth Century was filled with a lot of more revolutionary moments these two were monumental. They were monumental for different reasons but they both helped to change the world as we know it.

William Wordworth used his poetry to express his views on the world as a whole. He had a passion for nature, and he believed there was a mutual consciousness and spiritual communion between the two. If he was alive today, he wouldn’t be happy with the way technology has taken over our lives and how little we spend actually enjoying the world around us. The World is too much with us is a poem he wrote because he accused the modern age of losing its connection to nature. It’s true because often humans get distracted and indulge in their vices which can be harmful. While we are entertained with materialistic objects, the world around us is basically being wasted because we are not treating it with care. One of the most stand out lines in the poem “Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers; – Little we see in Nature that is ours.” After we work and get compensated, we spend immediately, and this becomes a ritual. We don’t find peace and tranquility in nature we find peace in the material items to make us happy, obilvious to the fact that those objects can be taken away. Nature on the other hand is here forever. If we prioritize better and focus on things that are important rather than something that provides us with temporary joy the world would be a better place in its entirety. I find this take away rather important because we should definitely try to find solace and fulfillment in the Nature around us. Nature was here before us and it will be here after us. Everything that took place in historical times repeat itself, but it mutates such as their vices verses ours, and ours might be worst. Taking time and becoming in tune with nature is essential and we should get onboard before it’s too late. 

 Hearing about the way slaves taught themselves how to survive during the dreadful treatment they endured. We hear how they used religion to cope with the torture. It’s astonishing to know that no amount of pain was able to destroy their spirits and stop them from documenting their lives as they were living through situations that could have destroyed the average human. I commended the bravery. One person everyone should know about is Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa. He wasn’t your typical African slave, in fact he helped influence British parliament to abolish the trade through the Slave Trade Act. Olaudah represented for his African countrymen and he created a petition to the Queen, hoping she can be merciful and help millions of the hopeless Africans suffering. This was brave of Olaudah because he identified himself as an African who was suffering along with his people, but he also ended the letter to the Queen by himself as “mostdutiful and devoted servant to command.” He didn’t demand freedom for his people he was asking and provided valid reasons on why they should be freed. Olaudah Equiano didn’t live to see his progressive ways come to fruition but if he did, he would have been pleased with the outcome. The abolition of slavery was achieved in 1807. Hearing about some of the common names of African freed slaves often makes us overlook the people who laid down the groundwork for the abolition of slavery in other places on the earth. Thanks to Equiano for being one of the pioneers. 

Learning about Phyllis Wheatly is significant during the Enlightenment period. Not only was she the first African American women to publish a book of poems, she was also the second women in general to publish a book of poems. She marked the beginning of a genre for African Americans. Most of her literature mentions religion, morals and some of the things she endured as a slave. Phyllis Wheatly used the world around her and allowed us a glimpse into her life so we can understand thoroughly what was taking place. One poem in particular, is “ON BEING BROUGHT FROM AFRICA TO AMERICA, was groundbreaking in my opinion. The title alone showed her ignorance because she was kidnapped and was a bit naïve at the moment, but could we blame her for not knowing? She was a slave and wasn’t privy to much of anything. She describes her experience as being brought from her pagan land to America as a good thing. Not understanding what was yet to come she detailed it as her “benighted soul” and finding God and salvation through her journey. Though many Africans were slaves, even more of them were uneducated or capable of writing. They either were not allowed, or they didn’t have anyone that taught them how to write. When literature was published by African Americans it gave Africans hope and it highlighted the struggles they have endured. This definitely was a prominent time during this period because it showed Wheatly was a person who wasn’t bitter, nor angry yet she used her experience as a slave to help her become educated and a profound writer. She was courageous and her writing was an example of her courage.

In conclusion the Eighteenth century or as some people may call it The Enlightenment Period was a time period of many achievements and many life changing events. Some of those events included literature being life changing for Africans, Nature and humans having a correlation, and Africans fighting for freedom hoping to eventually be freed along with their people.  Pioneers such as William Wordworth, Olaudah Equiano, and Phyllis Wheatley were a few of the people to start the groundwork for the freedom of expression and being free like we are now. This period helped shape the country we live in today for the better. If I had to teach a class, I would highlight these significant people and explain to them how much each of these people and their contributions were essential in changing the landscape of the world.  

Dashawn Britt

1.“Their color is a diabolic die.”

   Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain,

  May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train.

  ON BEING BROUGHT FROM AFRICA TO AMERICA. Phyllis Wheatley 

 

Phyllis Wheatley used similes and metaphors to describe how the skin color being black is related to “diabolic die” which means devilish or pertaining to the devil as dictionary.com defined the term. In that time people thought white people were pure and anything white is basically how things should be. Being refined and join the angelic train meant after the sugar cane is refined and all of the impurities are removed then they will be pure. That’s how they looked at blacks like sugar cane because it was refined. 

 

“Diabolic.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/diabolic?s=t.

 

Oroonoko; or, The Royal Slave

2.His face was not of that brown rusty black which most of that nation are, but of perfect ebony, or polished jet. His eyes were the most awful that could be seen, and very piercing; the white of ’em being like snow, as were his teeth. His nose was rising and Roman, instead of African and flat. His mouth the finest shaped that could be seen; far from those great turned lips which are so natural to the rest of the negroes.”

The author used imagery to describe what a “Perfectly sculpted negro” may look like. Instead of having rusty black skin, he was a perfect ebony complexion. I saw a short video about how blacks are viewed and how they use stereotypical attributes to classify us to look a certain way. They thought all Africans looked the same but as soon as they saw Oroonoko they compared him to Romans or Europeans because they couldn’t believe he appeared the way he did.

“‘I’d Never Seen Black People Look Like That.’” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/independentlens/videos/iaed-never-seen-black-people-look-like-that/.

3.“The scene of the last part of his adventures lies in a colony in America, called Surinam, in the West Indies.”

This biographical information was unknown to me, before reading this text, I have never heard of Suriname. Suriname is in South America. I learned that over 90% of Suriname is covered by tropical rain forest. It is known for its Dutch sugar plantations. This makes sense now because throughout the story the slaves are working in the plantation so I get a sense to why they would work in the field in this region to pick the from the sugar cane.

“Suriname Facts for Kids: Geography: People: Food: Animals.” Travel, www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/suriname-facts.html.

REFLECTIONS on the REVOLUTION IN FRANCE.

EDMUND BURKE 

4.“All circumstances taken together; the French Revolution is the most astonishing that has hitherto happened in the world.”

This Historical context was interesting to me because this was a bold statement. It intrigued me so I had to look up a few facts about the French revolution to see if I support this claim. I have a few facts that I found to be profound such as The French Revolution gave the world its first public zoo, in taking the Tennis Court Oath they swore not to disperse until they had drafted constitution for France, with or without the participation of the clergy and nobility. The citizens of France demolished and rebuilt their nation’s institutions and the changes they wrought, often bloodily, persist as a reminder of the power of the people. These are a few things that made the French Revolution one of the most astonishing things to happen in the world.

McQueen, Paul. “10 Facts About the French Revolution You Need to Know.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 13 Feb. 2017, theculturetrip.com/europe/france/articles/10-facts-about-the-french-revolution-you-need-to-know/.

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of

Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, by Olaudah Equiano

5. That he who cannot stem his anger’s tide

Doth a wild horse without a bridle ride.”

The author did a great job using a metaphor to compare a person’s anger to a wild horse without a bridle. When a person can’t control his anger, it is difficult to control a person because they are no longer being logical, they are acting off of emotions. Like a horse without the bridle which controls the horse’s direction. When a person can’t keep his anger at ease that person loses all sense of direction and sense. 

 

Dashawn Britt 

Reading communities

At first, I wasn’t sure how to attack this assignment for two reasons. The main reason, I was not sure how I related to anything in the eighteenth century. I recently looked at the eighteenth century in depth through this course, so I am not well versed in this period of time. The other reason is because at first, I didn’t find the eighteenth century interesting. But I must admit, I am wrong. The eighteenth century is interesting, and I found two ways I can relate to this century.

Living in NYC allowed me to look at this assignment in two ways. The first way I would like to connect this course to the communities I identify with is the way white people view African Americans or people of color. Often, I hear white people and even people of a light skin tone say things like “Your handsome for a black guy” or “She’s a cute black girl.” These comments can make anyone feel uncomfortable because its like dark people aren’t a delight to look at unless they look a certain way. They may also say things that insinuate that the texture of one’s hair or facial features which may be similar to those of European descent. In Oroonoko a text written by Aphra Behn there were times Oroonoko was compared to someone that was white. Though Oroonoko was an African Prince from Surinam they often described his looks to be immaculate, so immaculate that they were surprised he was African. “His nose was rising and Roman, instead of African and flat. His mouth the finest shaped that could be seen; far from those great turned lips which are so natural to the rest of the negroes.”  I went to plenty of schools where I heard comments about skin completion or bodily features compared to other races just to explain how beautiful or ugly someone was. If you look on social media, we see examples of this every day. Today we still have the race comparisons whether people say someone is acting black or speaking white, these events occurred even in the eighteenth century. I guess its true history does repeats itself. 

Another way I am able to connect with the eighteenth century is through the whole slavery topic. We were given “freedom”, but we are not free. Normally a name proceeds someone but in the real world our race proceeds us at times. When the stop and frisk law was implemented in NYC, it was terrible for people of color. I was the victim of stop and frisk a few times. It was because I either fit the description or if I’m not hiding anything, I shouldn’t have an issue with the officers searching me. The problem was, I did have an issue. My rights were being violated because I was a male of color and I came from a rough area in the Bronx.  People are still racist, and there are people in the world that may still identify with old school prejudice ideologies. Oroonoko was tricked into slavery and had to fight for his freedom. At times it’s as if we have to apply ourselves extra hard compared to our counter parts because the odds are stacked against African Americans in America. Oroonoko fought for what was right and he did everything in his power to be free and free those that didn’t deserve to be enslaved. I looked at his antics as heroic. Oroonoko is fictional but he was a pioneer. One of the pioneers I look up to is Malcolm X. I try to live righteous and live the way Malcolm X lived after he changed his life around. In society if you live like Malcolm X, they see you as violent and aggressive, people don’t see you as a person trying to do what’s right and fighting for the equality of your people. 

To conclude my Reading community’s assignment, I would like to say these comparisons aren’t direct, but they are aligned in a way. Things that happened in the eighteenth-century show similarities to the way we get treated in current times. Honestly a lot has changed but there is still a lot that needs to change because progression is key, and society isn’t always progressive.

The first archival object I would like to speak about is an image of Sojourner Truth. Sojourner advocated for woman’s rights and she was an abolitionist. She was born 1797 which was two years before Act for The Gradual Elimination of Slavery, under the act she was to be “slave for life.” I found this to be impressive because there were few ladies fighting for rights of slaves or women in general. She was able to write a biography ” Narrative of Sojourner Truth A Northern Slave.” In her writing she spoke of her life as a slave and she even speak of her slave owners. Phyllis Wheatley paved the way for woman to start movements and she is the first African American Women to publish a book of poetry. Though Phyllis Wheatly is older than Sojourner they shared the same sentiments and believed in the same things such as freedom, ending slavery and religion. In one of Phyllis Wheatley poems she stated “Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train.” The quote was strong and displayed the faith the black women had during slavery times. Even though they were held captive they were still hopeful and was able to achieve a dream they wanted. Which was to become free and tell their stories. 

Also, in the image you can see the strength in Sojourner Truth. Enough though she had a cane, she stands up straight and she doesn’t look defeated. She looks well, focused and looks like she’s on a mission. The reason this image was chosen by me is because I wanted to know of another female in this time leading a revolution and creating a path for women.

The second archival object I would like to speak about is about an image that speak volumes. We get to see first-hand how it look for slaves to be handled. The image was worth a thousand words. We can see a trade being initiated. There’s three white men, and four African men. Only one of the African men was a slave. The other African men was the slave traders, while the white men were examining the slave before they purchased him. There was a need to examine the slave because they needed to see the strength of a slave, age and see if he will be valuable to the plantation. Seeing Africans sell to the European slave owners made me think about Oroonoko. The image showed the white appearing to be comfortable. The reason I say that is because the placement of the guns was on the floor, it’s like they confident that nothing would happen to them. Meanwhile there’s a white man sitting down smoking what appears to be a cigar, he looks like he’s the one with money, initiating the trade.

Oroonoko was an African prince that was eventually sold into slavery. “To this captain he sold abundance of his slaves; and for the favour and esteem he had for him, made him many presents, and oblig’d him to stay at court as long as possibly he cou’d. “(178). This quote is ironic to me because Oroonoko indeed was well respected and such a strong man, but he sold slaves for valuables and then he was tricked into his own slavery. He was made a promise that he would be set free, but things didn’t go as planned. Oroonoko even believe his captures. 

Once he was tricked into slavery by the ship owner, Oroonoko made a vowel to “ He would engage his honour to behave himself in all friendly order and manner, and obey the command of the captain, as he was lord of the king’s vessel, and general of those men under his command. “(180). Oroonoko tried to create a proposal after being captured, he wanted to state the things he will do so it can possibility lead to his freedom. This led me to imagine how many slaves were tricked into slavery due to Europeans being extra generous, providing more than enough wine and being extra courtly. During these times it was foolish for Africans to trust Europeans because of all the abuse and violent behavior they were put through. 

This archival project was enlightening because the databases used, and research guides gave me an outlook on the 18^thcentury I didn’t see before. A large array of photos and documents depicted everything I needed to better understand some of the things that was taking place during this time period.   

“Sojourner Truth – Identifying Her Family and Owners.” New York Slavery Records Index, nyslavery.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2017/07/04/sojourner-truth-identifying-her_family-and-slave-owners/.

Aphra Behn, Oroonoko. In: Philip Henderson (ed.), Shorter Novels: Seventeenth Century. Dent, Londen 1967,

Wheatley, Phillis. “On Being Brought from Africa to America by…” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45465/on-being-brought-from-africa-to-america.