On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley and “Bars Fight” by Lucy Terry are both examples of griots, retelling their firsthand experiences with empathetic tone and diction. Lucy Terry was an African American woman who was kidnapped from Africa and sold into slavery as an infant and later became a free woman in Massachusetts. Terry usesher life and her deep wealth of experience to create a surprisingly lighthearted poem recounting horrendous events. Phillis Wheatley was the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry. Much like Lucy Terry, Wheatley was sold into slavery andtransported to North America. She was purchased by the Wheatley family who taught her to read and write and encouraged her when they saw her poetic talent. Terry and Wheatley discuss their experiences being brought to America, and through this shared experience, both are able to effectively translate their story to a common audience.

Phillis Wheatley’s “On Being Brought from Africa to America” discusses her experience being taken from her homeland and brought to America, enslaved and forced to conform to the white society. She was introduced to and surrounded by Christianity as she speaks of “redemption” and “salvation” (Wheatley, 3-4). Wheatley says, “ ‘Twas Mercy brought me from my Pagan land” (Wheatly, 1) She was raised around this view and convinced she should be thankful for being brought to America. Wheatley uses positive diction as she says “Mercy” brought her from Africa. This obviously shocks the reader, but if you really analyze the Kairos the author employs, you can understand the reason that sheis actually thankful for being kidnapped and brought to America because. Wheatley understands her audience is predominantly white males thus she uses positive diction. She is thankful for being literate and for having a Christian upbringing because a majority of the enslaved Africans were illiterate, and since Christianity was not a common practice in Africa, Wheatley feels privileged. The poem has a serious tone showing actual gratitude and passion. Wheatley says, “Their color is a ‘diabolic die,’”(Wheatly, 6) the use of alliteration emphasizing the racist gruesome view of dark skin. Wheatley goes on to say that the negro “may be refin’d and join th’ angelic train” (Wheatly, 8) as she believes that people can be refined to join white society which she believes is the “angelic team.” Phillis Wheatley is a griot in the way her poetry pulls from her personal experience to pass on her ideas, however, her message and story could be interpreted in many different ways and is ambiguous.

“Bars Fight” by Lucy Terrydescribes an attack on two white families by Native Americans. One of the earliest poems by an African American woman, Terry, uses the first four lines to employ Kairos, stating, “August ‘twas the twenty-fifth Seventeen hundred forty-six.” (Terry, 1) Thispoem narrates white settlers who came upon native Americans and were killed. Terry uses each line to describe a different attack and act of violence. While describing Eteazer Hawks murder Terry uses anaphora to emphasizethe element of ambush and Hawk’s vulnerabilityby stating “Before he had time to fight, Before he did the Indians see…” (Terry, 11) Terry is a griot and a historic witness through her use of firsthand story telling. Terry’s use of rhyme couplets really helped the poem flow, giving the poema nursery rhyme rhythm to it, this strengthens her work as a griot making her writing more memorable. Being a black woman in the 1700’s it was pivotal to establish her ethos through her use of literary techniques in order to allow her voice to not only beheard, but listened to. The tone is almost upbeat despite the gruesome actions she’s describing. The tone of the poem leaves out her emotions or biased as a black woman in 1746.

Much like “Bars Fight” by Lucy Terry, “On being brought from Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley, uses positive connotation to praise white Americans. Terry uses words such as “valiant men” (Terry, 4) and “he was so brave and bold.” (Terry, 7) While it is odd for a black woman in 1746 to describe a white man with such praise, this is because both Terry and Wheatley understood their audience. At the time Wheatley and Terry’s audiences were white men as most African American’s were not literate. This form of diction appeased the white audiences both Terry and Wheatly had to write for. Not only did Terry and Wheatly feel obligated to write favorably about whites because whites were reading their work, but they also wrote this way in order to please publishing companies, which were also controlled by whites.

Similarly,to the ways in which Terry and Wheatly effectively appeal to their audience,Joyce A. Joyce’s piece “The Black Canon” addresses the importance of understanding an audience. Joyce underlines the necessity that the “historical interrelationship between literature, class,(and) values” play in being a Black American writer. It is essential to employ Kairos, understanding the social and political climate when writing any piece of literature. For instance, Joyce considers the fact that many pieces of slave narratives “were all addressed to white audiences with the explicit aim of denouncing slavery.” Joyce comprehends the necessity of the writer’s responsibility to not only understand who the audience is, but also what their ideals are. Since Terry and Wheatly both understoodthat their writing would be interpreted and received by white, literate men, they effectively adjusted their message and diction to appease to the white man’s ideals. Joyce, Wheatly and Terry all utilize the context of their works in order to masterfully appeal to the audience.

In conclusion, both Lucy Terry in “Bars Fight” and Phillis Wheatley in “On Being Brought from Africa to America”, act as griots and retell their stories through the use of tone and diction, which helps them reach their target audience. Both of these poems were written by literate African Americans, unlike most enslaved African Americans at the time who were illiterate. Due to the fact their audiences were predominantly white males, itis clear that their work is directed towards the praising of white Americans in Terry and Wheatley’s literary