Use evidence from the class readings to back up your stance. a. James Levernier’s essay, “Style as Protest in the Poetry of Phillis Wheatley” b. June Jordan’s essay, “The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America” c. Lauri Ramey’s book, Slave Songs and the Birth of African American Poetry, either the “Introduction,” or chapter 4, “Border Crossing in Slave Songs.”

YOU MUST ANSWER BOTH QUESTIONS. Each answer should be at least 500 words (1,000 words
combined).
1. Support OR challenge one argument made by a literary critic we have read (see a, b, and c
below). Use evidence from the class readings to back up your stance.
a. James Levernier’s essay, “Style as Protest in the Poetry of Phillis Wheatley”
b. June Jordan’s essay, “The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America”
c. Lauri Ramey’s book, Slave Songs and the Birth of African American Poetry, either the
“Introduction,” or chapter 4, “Border Crossing in Slave Songs.”
For example, Levernier argues that Phillis Wheatley’s poetry held subversive messages within
her poetic style/form. If you disagree, use examples from Wheatley’s poetry to show your
rationale. If you agree, then use additional examples not mentioned by Levernier (i.e., add to his
argument rather than restating it) to show why you support his argument.

2. Explore one rhetorical or formal device (e.g., ethos, pathos, logos, questions, imagery, or
metaphor) and discuss its impact on the overall message (content) of one of the following pieces:
a. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
b. Frederick Douglass’s “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July”
c. Olaudah Equiano’s narrative
d. (For presenters: if you gave a presentation on either Native American speeches or
Abolitionist writings, then you may write about that author’s work.)
IF YOU USE OUTSIDE RESEARCH, PLEASE CITE IT IN-TEXT AND IN A WORKS CITED PAGE AT
THE END (USE MLA FORMAT).
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