Reference no: EM133791507
Answer the following questions
In his essay on slavery in colonial America, Jon Butler writes that "death, agony, and bittersweet resilience characterized the experience of Africans in the mainland colonies (p. 63)." He provides stats to document the death and horrific anecdotes to depict the agony: what about the resilience?
1. List one or two ways that slaves managed or resisted the oppressive weight of slavery (from Butler).
The "Bewitching" tales represent another expression of "bittersweet resilience." Read the first two stories and look for similarities (what do they have in common?).
2. How are these stories examples of resilience? In the bigger picture of slavery in the Americas, how are they bittersweet?
Perhaps the noblest response to enslavement comes from Wheatley's poem on 'Tyranny and Slavery':"And can I then but pray / Others may never feel tyrannic sway?"
3. In a poem that refers to her experience as a girl stolen from her parents into slavery, what did she mean by this? How did she seek to transform her suffering, through this poem, into an argument that might benefit others?
Which of these responses resonates the most with you? Pick one of the six 'Slave Narratives' (4 Bewitching Tales + 2 Wheatley poems) and explain how/why this source appeals to you. What do you admire about the source/narrator? Is there some aspect of the story/poem that you find particularly striking?