Research Proposal for Literary Research Essay
I have always been interested in the making of the American nation, and unfortunately, the experiences of slavery are part of the history of the vast country. From the perspective of literary works, the Middle Passage and consequent slavery, together with the horrors of its reverberating effects, are an indispensable part of the American nation.
Moreover, the transportation of slaves from Africa to European colonies denied the slaves of their homeland experiences. In my opinion, it shaped the writing of the many other writers on the issue of slavery. In this context, the works of Philip Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano share the common denominator of chronicling their views and experiences of slavery. Not only are their literary works outspoken, but they also come close to painting a picture of American slavery. Consequently, it is the comparison of the ordinary experiences and differences in both outlooks and manner of explanation that shape the ideas of Philip Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano concerning slavery. . Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
In To the Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth, by Phillip Wheatley, is an outspoken African American expression of hope that the newly elected earl was to relieve the Black slaves of the oppression that they faced under the previous English ruler. On the other hand, Olaudah Equinoh’s work, The Life of Gustavus Vassa, takes an autobiographical form, thus retells of his journey as a slave travelling through the Middle Passage. What’s more, the sensory experiences of the two authors can be narrowed into their kidnapping at a young age from Africa and subjection to slavery. Additionally, I find it riveting that their stories as slaves take a plot twist with the individuals becoming successful in their areas of practice despite their differences. The locus of the focus of this study is the period between the 17thcentury, the colonial period, the revolutionary period and the early national period of America. Evidence from this period is primarily based on the book, Becoming America by Wendy Kurant. The book explores the possible literary criticism and comments on American literature documented from the post-colonial to the post-revolutionary periods. Other projected areas of literary criticism include the various articles written by authors written over time.