AP Success - AP US History: Phillis Wheatley on Tyranny & Slavery
Wheatley, Phillis. "Poem on tyranny and slavery," 1772.". . . No more, America, in mournful strainOf wrongs, and grievance unredress’d complain,No longer shall thou dread the iron chain,Which wanton Tyranny with lawless hand5Had made, and with it meant t’enslave the land.Should you, my lord, while you peruse my song,Wonder from whence my love of Freedom sprung,Whence flow these wishes for the common good,By feeling hearts alone best understood,10I, young in life, by seeming cruel fateWas snatch’d from Afric’s fancy’d happy seat:What pangs excruciating must molest,What sorrows labour in my parent’s breast?Steel’d was that soul and by no misery mov’d15That from a father seiz’d his babe belov’d:Such, such my case. And can I then but prayOthers may never feel tyrannic sway?"
Question 1
What is the primary theme of Phillis Wheatley's poem?
The condemnation of tyranny and slavery
The celebration of African culture
The description of America's natural landscapes
The economic benefits of the slave trade
Question 2
Phillis Wheatley's reference to 'Afric’s fancy’d happy seat' is an example of:
Personification of Africa as a place of power and authority
A literal description of her happy life in Africa before enslavement
Irony, contrasting the idealized view of Africa with the reality of slavery
A metaphor for the American colonies' struggle for independence
Question 3
The line 'No longer shall thou dread the iron chain' suggests that Wheatley believed:
Slavery was a necessary evil to maintain the economy
Iron chains were a symbol of America's industrial progress
The colonies would continue to suffer under British rule indefinitely
The end of oppressive rule and slavery in America was imminent or desirable
Question 4
Wheatley's poem can be seen as a reflection of which broader historical context?
The colonies' desire to expand the transatlantic slave trade
The growing sentiment against British rule and the institution of slavery in the colonies
The widespread acceptance of slavery in the Northern colonies
The celebration of British mercantilist policies in the colonies
Question 5
What does Wheatley's poem suggest about her own experiences and perspective?
She has adapted well to her life in America and is indifferent to the plight of other slaves
She has personally suffered from the cruelties of slavery and wishes for others to be free from tyranny
She believes that the American colonies will soon return to African rule
She is calling for an immediate and violent uprising against slave owners
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