when she had a big heart overflowing with human kindness? She gave the old servant her freedom.
I am honestly crying. I wish there were women like her during this time period.
232 Matching Annotations
- Oct 2019
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docsouth.unc.edu docsouth.unc.edu
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It came from a maiden lady, seventy years old, the sister of my grandmother's deceased mistress. She had lived forty years under the same roof with my grandmother; she knew how faithfully she had served her owners, and how cruelly she had been defrauded of her rights; and she resolved to protect her. The auctioneer waited for a higher bid; but her wishes were respected; no one bid above her.
This line made my heart skip a beat, and it made me realize how there were people that wanted to help the slaves live the lives they deserved to live.
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My grandmother's mistress had always promised her that, at her death, she should be free;
It is so sad to know that most slaves saw death and the end as their gateway to freedom. It is also sadder to see that hope was beginning to diminish for some slaves causing them to believe that death was the only option.
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I have a vivid recollection of the linsey-woolsey dress given me every winter by Mrs. Flint. How I hated it! It was one of the badges of slavery.
This shows the sadness and unfairness of how slaves were perceived. They were not perceived as humans but objects and materials to buy, use, and sell. This is so heartbreaking to read.
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"We shall have to stay here all our days; we shall never be free."
The loss of everything/everyone in their lives has caused Willie to lose hope about his future and even his sister's future.
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My home now seemed more dreary than ever.
Her family was her home, and without them, she became lost and confused on where her home was.
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with a heart as free from care as that of any free-born white child.
She definitely was seen differently from the other slaves. This could have been because of her mother , or it could be from her light skin. However, it goes to show that she was aware of this because of her mindset of being treated as a free-born white child.
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They all spoke kindly of my dead mother, who had been a slave merely in name, but in nature was noble and womanly.
Such a powerful line that shows the true identity of the slaves not just by their names but their hearts.
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When I was six years old, my mother died; and then, for the first time, I learned, by the talk around me, that I was a slave.
This is such a heartbreaking line because it is evident that her mother tried so hard to shield her from the world's cruelty and block out the noise, but as soon as her mother passes, the noise becomes louder and reveals how she is seen by the slave owners.
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South Carolina, who, at his death, left her mother and his three children free, with money to go to St. Augustine, where they had relatives. It was during the Revolutionary War; and they were captured on their passage, carried back, and sold to different purchasers
These sentences show the grey line between free and not free. Like in 12 Years a Slave, one state could consider one who was a slave free whereas other states still saw any black person as a slave regardless of their freedom or not.
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I WAS born a slave; but I never knew it till six years of happy childhood had passed away
Compared to our other readings on slaves, this one describes the life of a young girl who was born into slavery as a mixed child. This is different because we have yet to see the major effects of slavery on the lighter skinned slaves and the different techniques of treatment involved within their lives. It is also sad to believe that this young girl had to grow up at the age of six because of her childhood being ripped away from her.
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His strongest wish was to purchase his children; but, though he several times offered his hard earnings for that purpose, he never succeeded. In complexion my parents were a light shade of brownish yellow, and were termed mulattoes. They lived together in a comfortable home; and, though we were all slaves, I was so fondly shielded that I never dreamed I was a piece Page 12 of merchandise, trusted to them for safe keeping, and liable to be demanded of them at any moment.
In this line, the author shows the greediness of the slave owners. Whether one is full black or 1/8, the slaves still saw them as an object to buy. It is also evident, however, that mulattoes were valued more for their light complexion and reasoning of still being a slave. To the slave makers, it was seen as rarity and value.
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- Sep 2019
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www.poetryfoundation.org www.poetryfoundation.org
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And let her songs be loudly heard, And dart from world to world.
I LOVE THIS. Horton shows the passion and want to heard. I like how he did not just say he wanted to be heard but to be hear world to world. He expresses this in such a broad and beautiful way.
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Impatient to depart.
Horton here expresses the determination he feels to be heard by the people. I love the sense of urgency in this line, as well.
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To show what Heaven can do.
I am not sure if Horton was religious, but I read this line in a religious view. I saw it as he wants to proclaim the love of God and how faith can be a guidance to a brighter future.
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I feel resolved to try,
I love the honesty here. Horton is showing that he wants to be heard and feels as though he needs to be heard by others and try to make them listen.
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I know that I am old And never can recover what is past, But for the future may some light unfold And soar from ages blast.
Horton expresses the true notion of moving forward. He expresses how he acknowledges his past and how it cannot be reversed, but instead he looks forward towards his future and realizes that it is something he can change and make better.
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I feel myself in need Of the inspiring strains of ancient lore, My heart to lift, my empty mind to feed, And all the world explore.
First of all, I love this poem. I think it might become one of my favorites. I love this motivation that Horton brings to the page, and I also loved his self awareness of wanting to fulfill his need of wanting to live happily.
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Who sunk without a medium of relief;
Such a beautifully expressed line, and it shows the pain that is brought within these people's lives. They lived days without ever feeling safe or even relieved. Horton did a great job of expressing this emotion through this line.
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Expecting every day their final fall,In quest of profit never to be won,Then sadly fallen and forever down!
Just like his beginning, Horton ended this poem with a powerful quote. He didn't sugarcoat anything, and he expressed exactly how he felt. I love how he was not afraid to hold back and showed that sometimes people live day by day hoping to wake up for the next, and sadly, some people don't win that battle.
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Weep for the downfall of your president,Who far too late his folly must repent;Who like the dragon did all heaven assail,And dragged his friends to limbo with his tail!
Again, it is so sad how relevant this whole stanza is today even decades after this was written. The fact that the president is supposed to be the one to protect the country, yet they bring so much pain and fatality to it is absolutely disgusting to me. I feel as though Horton felt this way as well. How can one say that it is land of the free when people are literally being bought and sold as slaves?
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Weep for the seas of blood the battle cost,And souls that ever hope forever lost!
I feel as though this is a great metaphor that Horton decided to write. This line shows all of the battles that the black community faced to fight for their freedom which sadly brought death and untouched hope. Another way I read this was that every person who fought for the right of freedom did not die, but they lost a part of themselves in the mist of the movements.
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Weep for the country in its present state,And of the gloom which still the future waits;
I love this opening because of the power that it starts the poem off with, and I feel as though Horton made a very bold choice to start off his poem by addressing the big picture. The line speaks for itself, and while Horton was enslaved, he saw the ugly side of the country and the segregation brought with it. It makes me sad to think of how relevant this line still is today, and it touched me deeply because those lines should not feel so close to home.
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But, O my soul, sink not into despair,
This line signifies hope and trust.
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Teach me a better strain, a nobler lay,
This line shows passion and dedication towards living a better and more knowledgeable lifestyle.
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Attend me, Virtue, thro’ my youthful years! O leave me not to the false joys of time! But guide my steps to endless life and bliss.
I love this collection of lines because of the realism incorporated throughout them. Wheatley starts off by addressing Virtue to grow through her youth in order to spark wisdom. Then, she continues on to say that she wants to receive real life with the hardships and bliss rather than experience a life of false hope and false happiness. Altogether, I believe this shows how virtue and wisdom both come at their own times, and life still goes on no matter the case.
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Virtue is near thee, and with gentle hand
I feel as though Wheatley purposefully describes Virtue as a person in order to give the audience a more visual and emotional understanding. This way, virtue is not just a word with a definition, but something (or someone) to meet and understand overtime.
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Wisdom is higher than a fool can reach.
This line signifies how wisdom is not just given at birth. One must go through trials and errors in order to gain wisdom through their success and mistakes. I love this line because of the realism that Wheatley portrays. Not everyone can achieve wisdom without the effort.
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Then cease, my song, till fair Aurora rise. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Print this page Email this page More About this Poem More Poems by Phillis Wheatley On Being Brought from Africa to America By Phillis Wheatley On Virtue By Phillis Wheatley To a Gentleman and Lady on the Death of the Lady's Brother and Sister, and a Child of the Name Avis, Aged One Year By Phillis Wheatley To the Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth By Phillis Wheatley To S. M. A Young African Painter, On Seeing His Works By Phillis Wheatley See All Poems by this Author Poems Poems for Children Poems for Teens Poem Guides Audio Poems Poets Prose Harriet Blog Collections Listen Learn Children Teens Adults Educators Glossary of Poetic Terms Visit Events Exhibitions Library Poetry Magazine Current Issue Poetry Magazine Archive Subscriptions About the Magazine How to Submit Advertise with Us About Us Give Foundation Awards Media Partnerships Poetry Out Loud People Jobs .st0{fill:none;stroke:#ED1C24;stroke-width:3.64;stroke-miterlimit:10;} .st1{fill:#ED1C24;} .st2{fill:#FFFFFF;} Twitter Find us on Twitter Facebook Find us on Facebook Instagram Find us on Instagram Facebook Find us on Facebook Poetry Foundation Children Twitter Find us on Twitter Poetry Magazine Contact Us Newsletters Press Privacy Policy Policies Terms of Use Poetry Mobile App 61 West Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60654 Hours: Monday-Friday 11am - 4pm © 2019 Poetry Foundation See a problem on this page? More About This Poem A Hymn to the Evening By Phillis Wheatley About this Poet Although she was an African slave, Phillis Wheatley was one of the best-known poets in pre-19th century America. Educated and enslaved in the household of prominent Boston commercialist John Wheatley, lionized in New England and England, with presses in both places publishing her poems, and... Read Full Biography (function(){var b=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0],c=window.location.href,a=document.createElement("script");a.type="text/javascript";a.async=!0;a.src="//s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/philantro/pdf/philantro.js";window.options={EIN:"362490808",Referrer:c};b.parentNode.insertBefore(a,b)})();(function(){var a=document.createElement("script");a.type="text/javascript";a.async=!0;a.src="//siteimproveanalytics.com/js/siteanalyze_6135381.js";var b=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];b.parentNode.insertBefore(a,b)})(); window.GLOBAL = { VERSION: '1.2.4', ENDPOINTS: { FILTERS: { POEM: 'https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ajax/poems', POET: 'https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ajax/poets' }, SEARCH: 'https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ajax/search/autocomplete' }, API_KEY: { FB: '112997417630' } }; (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-4659065-1', 'auto'); ga('set', 'anonymizeIp', true); ga('send', 'pageview');
I agree with Brandi's comment in the relation to sleep beauty, and I believe signifies the importance of having a new fresh day to start over. This line is a symbol for hope.
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So shall the labours of the day begin More pure, more guarded from the snares of sin.
This line shows that the same routine happens again this new day, yet faith has brought comfort to the people easing them away from struggle and insecurity.
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The living temples of our God below! Fill'd with the praise of him who gives the light, And draws the sable curtains of the night, Let placid slumbers sooth each weary mind, At morn to wake more heav'nly, more refin'd;
I believe that this group of lines were written in order to detail the trust for God. It relies on the quote, "Leave it in God's hands." God brings light into the world which could also symbolize goodness in this case. Through the struggle, Wheatley is trying to emphasize the importance of a nightly prayer and that good could be renewed over night. The ending line announces that the wake of a new mindset or change brings repairing and contentment.
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Soon as the sun forsook the eastern main The pealing thunder shook the heav'nly plain;
Normally in literature, rain and storms are often a sign for change. Here, I believe that Wheatley used this sentence to open her hymn in order to address her audience that this one particular night was one full of change and beauty.
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