The 18th century presented many challenges to African Americans, even those freed from the horrors of slavery. Many African Americans struggled to find a public voice that the general (white) population would be willing to listen to. Phillis Wheatley was given a rare opportunity for an African American. Although she was kidnapped from Africa to be sold at a young age, she received a good education and became a popular poet, even among the white population. However, Wheatley couldn't be too radical, otherwise she would lose her audience; However, upon close reading of many of her works, and in particular The Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth Wheatley, she includes many subtle references to the evils of racial inequality and she alludes to many progressive ideas, such as abolitionism and racial equality. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Wheatley's direct purpose in writing To the Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth is to praise the earl. The poem seems to be exclusively about the Count's and America's newfound freedom and greatness; However, Wheatley's subtlety To the Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth conveys a progressive racial vision. In the poem, Wheatley uses carefully chosen language that highlights the inequalities in newly liberated America. Wheatley's choice of words implies that only white Americans benefited from the American Revolution; African Americans, meanwhile, remained as oppressed as before the Revolution. In To the Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth, Wheatley writes: “Fair Freedom rose” (2). Wheatley uses the multiple meanings of "fair" (fair and light-skinned), and in doing so she emphasizes that America's new freedom is exclusively reserved for light-skinned white Americans. African Americans were mostly excluded from American freedom and Wheatley emphasizes this without saying it too radically. Moreover, Wheatley writes, “we behold with pleasure the silken reins in thy hand” (7-8). Wheatley chose to use the word “silk,” a naturally white substance, to refer to white Americans. “Reins” refers to the actual power held by the government, but also to the homophonic term “reigns”, which refers to the superiority and power of a monarch. To Wheatley, white Americans held a monopoly on government and used their power selfishly, like a corrupt monarch. African Americans benefited very little from the American Revolution and Wheatley alludes to this in his writings. Wheatley continues to discuss the idea of ​​light and dark in other lines. She writes: “So from the splendors of morning light/The mournful owl seeks the caves of night” (13-14). Again, the idea of ​​light, in reference to light-skinned people, is associated with good things like "splendours", while the idea of ​​darkness, in reference to African Americans, is associated with bad things, like sadness. White people benefit from kindness and opportunity while African Americans suffer and face oppression. Wheatley's use of metaphors emphasizes the differences in views and societal ideals regarding different races. Wheatley also compares English tyranny to that of slave owners. She writes: “You will no longer fear the iron chain/That gratuitous tyranny, by hands without faith or law, made, and with which it wanted to enslave the country” (17-19). Iron Chain Provides Intense Imagingwhich directly links the British Empire to slave owners. This “tyranny” is particularly bad; Wheatley's decision to capitalize "Tyranny" highlights the importance she places on the word. Tyranny is not something small. It is an incredibly powerful and evil phenomenon, but it is also a problem that African Americans face despite the effects of the American Revolution. Writing to the Earl of Dartmouth, Wheatley signifies that whites will no longer face oppression. The “lawless hand” still exists because African Americans are still slaves to the iron chain of tyranny. By evoking images of slavery, such as the Iron Chain, Wheatley shows that tyranny, even though white Americans no longer faced it, still persisted in the newly freed lands. Later in the poem, Wheatley also discusses the horrors of the slave trade. Wheatley's description of the slave trade is the only negatively-connoted part of the otherwise positive poem. Her poem provides her with a platform to criticize the slave trade, but she must be careful not to offend her predominantly white audience. She uses her words to criticize the practice of slavery under the guise of explaining why she loves freedom and America. His choice of words is connotatively negative and highlights the evils of the slave trade amidst his praise of the count. Wheatley's description of the slave trade highlights the evils of this practice. Wheatley uses powerful imagery to paint a vivid picture of the day she was taken from her homeland to be sold in the colonies. Wheatley describes this day by writing: "I, young in life, by a seemingly cruel fate/ Have been torn from Afric's imagined happy seat:/ What excruciating pains I must experience,/ What sorrows work in the bosom of my parents!/ This soul was made of steel, and no misery moved, / That a father took hold of his beloved child” (24-29). Words like “cruel,” “attacked,” “steel,” and “seized” paint a horrific picture of the slave trade. Wheatley's use of words with negative connotations constructs a graphic representation of a deplorable event. Wheatley highlights the terrible plight of African Americans who want nothing more than basic freedoms through his ability to introduce this negative image into his otherwise positive poem by saying that the nightmarish story of his childhood is the reason for which she appreciates so much freedom. Wheatley continues to write about the evils of the slave trade later in the stanza. Wheatley concludes the stanza by writing: “Such, such is my case. And then may I pray/Others may never feel a tyrannical hold? (30-31). These lines refer to the “iron chains” and “tyranny” mentioned in lines 17 and 18. There seems to be no hope for the slaves and all one can do is pray. Wheatley continues to talk about the continuing struggle of African Americans who gained nothing when America was liberated. Wheatley concludes the poem by returning to his praise of the earl. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a personalized essay. His poem seems to be in full praise of the earl, with an occasional aside that explains why Wheatley feels a certain way. However, within this eulogy, Wheatley placed carefully chosen language to construct a negative mental image of the slave trade. A casual reader would probably not realize Wheatley's subtle message, but upon close reading of the text one can see how Wheatley's choice of words and use of imagery,.