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Reading Log: On Being Brought From Africa To America

1677 Words7 Pages

Nora Alesaa
Mohrah AlOtaibi
ENG 374
18 April 2018
Reading Log: On Being Brought from Africa to America
The first thing I noticed while reading the poem is the repetition theme of Christianity throughout each line of this poem. Moreover, the writer is using her own life as an example of how to change from a pagan African, without God, to a saved Christian. I felt that she is trying to convince other slaves to convert to Christianity, in a subtle way.
The second thing I noticed, in the poem she is also acknowledging the racism in America. She is saying, "Some view our sable race with scornful eye" she is talking about the people that saw Africans as less than human because of their skin color. She says that it is only "some," but she is admitting …show more content…

First of all, Edgar Allan Poe’s use of Greek, Roman God’s and terminology in this poem was overwhelming compared to his other stories. There are many Gods and phrases that he references to that help the reader understand the story. Also, there is evidence that Poe has portrayed bits of his life through the narrator. Poe lost a loved one, and he is reflecting it through the narrator.
I am not sure what does the raven represents? Is it death, Lenore, his imagination, or something else? Maybe the raven is representative of grief and loved lost. With the poem ending with the raven and his shadow seemingly forever placed over Poe and his own floating soul. This suggests that Poe will never overcome this feeling of grief and will live under it in loneliness until he may one day again see his Lenore. From my respective view, the poem is representative of grief and despair can envelop and overtake someone’s life.
No wonder why this poem has been so successful. All those words came from Poe’s soul, and reflect the trails of thought he went through when he lost his loved one. Not only are they personal; they also convey feelings any person can go through, and ultimate human nature. Also, the rhyme of the poem is amazing. I enjoy the way this poem sounds and flows even more than the Shakespearean

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