All for the Cause

The focus of Wheatley’s poems is to introduce a general theme such as freedom or religion and parallel those themes with her own personal experiences. As an enslaved African woman and as an abolitionist for slavery she must present her ideas in way that reaches a wide audience. Contrasting Wheatley’s poem To the…Earl of Dartmouth with her poem To the University of Cambridge… portrays how she employs particular literary devices in addressing two specific audiences. She conveys two different emotions in her experience as a slave to engage each audience through the utilization of tone, diction, and alliteration. Wheatley’s ability to appeal to both African-American students and white abolitionists not only is effective in the respect for the abolishment of slavery, but it also allows her to stand as a symbol against the negative assumptions about African Americans in general.
In Wheatley’s poem addressed to the Earl of Dartmouth her target audience is evident through her diction in which she aims to convey a sense of sympathy towards the African-American people. In describing her experience when she was kidnapped as a child she employs words that condemn the white settlers for their cruelty. “I, young in life…was snatched…steeled was that soul” (25-28). The words “snatched” and “steeled” illustrate her alarm in the light of the situation and her helplessness. She describes the pain of being taken away from her home land and conveys her innocence as a child when she states: “What pangs excruciating must molest, what sorrows labor in my parent’s breast!” (27-28). Her choice of words reflect upon the emotion that she aims to stir within the hearts of the white abolitionists. Utilizing alliteration is an important literary technique that enhances emotion. The word “must” parallels the force that the white settlers frequently used against slaves and it plays of the word “molest” which implies a sense of provocation. What truly allows her to reach out to the abolitionists and other leaders is to describe the “sorrows (of) labor” in her parent’s breast. Anyone who has a child could identify with the misery that a parent would endure if something happened to their child. Therefore, Wheatley’s choice of diction and her use of alliteration communicate a sense of sympathy that she stirs within the hearts of the abolitionists for the cause against slavery.
Wheatley’s sympathetic tone contrasts to her positivism and inspiration that she evokes in her poem to the University of Cambridge. In describing her kidnapping she describes the experience as more of a blessing than a curse when she states: “T was not long since I left my native shore, the land of errors and Egyptian gloom: Father of mercy! ‘t was thy gracious hand brought me into safety from those dark abodes” (3-6). So in contrast to her experience of being separated from her family, she looks at this unfortunate event in optimism. Africa truly was no better during the 18th and 19th centuries when it was first being colonized because slavery became a natural practice there as well. Her optimism is evident in the message she communicates to the students as she advises them to “improve your privileges while they stay” (20). Her positive tone evokes a sense of hope in light of their situation as African-Americans and inspires the youth, who will be the future leaders of the African-American community, to educate themselves first as a tool in combating the existing inequalities in their society.