Analyses of Extracts Flashcards
What does Phillis Wheatley express in the beginning of her poem On Being Brought from Africa to America?
Gratitude for being introduced to Christianity, describing it as an act of “mercy” that enlightened her “benighted soul.”
What criticism does Wheatley subtly include in her poem?
She critiques racist attitudes that view Blackness as a “diabolic dye.”
How does Wheatley address prejudice in her poem?
By asserting that salvation is universal and that even “Negroes, black as Cain” can be redeemed.
What is the central message of Frederick Douglass’s speech The Meaning of July Fourth to the Negro?
Douglass exposes the hypocrisy of celebrating liberty and independence while slavery persists.
How does Douglass describe the Fourth of July from the perspective of African Americans?
He calls it a “sham” and a “hollow mockery” because it ignores the reality of slavery.
What moral contradiction does Douglass highlight in his speech?
The contradiction between America’s celebration of freedom and its continued practice of slavery.
What biblical story does Paul Laurence Dunbar reference in An Ante-Bellum Sermon?
The story of Moses leading the Hebrews out of bondage in Egypt.
How does Dunbar’s An Ante-Bellum Sermon serve as a coded message?
It subtly alludes to the anticipated freedom of enslaved African Americans.
What is the poem An Ante-Bellum Sermon by Dunbar ultimately a commentary on?
The injustice of slavery and a call for eventual liberation.
What does the poem We Wear the Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar explore?
The theme of emotional concealment and the psychological burden of oppression.
What does the “mask” represent in Dunbar’s We Wear the Mask?
A metaphor for hiding true emotions and pain behind a facade of contentment.
How does Dunbar’s poem critique society in We Wear the Mask?
By suggesting that society forces marginalized people to suppress their pain and present a false image of happiness.
What does Booker T. Washington emphasize in The Atlanta Exposition Address?
The value of practical labor and economic self-reliance for the progress of African Americans.
What is Washington’s view on work, as expressed in his address?
He believes there is as much dignity in tilling a field as there is in writing a poem.
What philosophy does Washington advocate for in The Atlanta Exposition Address?
Self-improvement and accommodation, focusing on economic progress rather than directly challenging social and political inequalities.
