Re-Reading Response Questions on Wheatley Poems Explore some of the questions in
the notes that seem significant to you. Wheatley is often judged harshly today for not being more socially conscious and openly speaking for her race. What do you think of that? What do you see in the subtext (which might not have been apparent at the time) that shows she is fully conscious of herself as African and female as well as an artist? For further exploration: Examine the imagery and allusions of all three poems and discuss what some of the images seem to represent. Compare these poems with others that she wrote, tracing out repeated themes and images. Do you find hints of revolutionary subtexts in all of them? |