Two Views of Slavery Before the 20th century, our world accepted slavery as a normal part of life. Aphra Behn and Phillis Wheatley, both authors born about 100 years apart, had their own views on slavery and wrote poems and stories on the subject. These women were physically different, Aphra was Caucasian and Phillis was African American, and their lives were quite different as well. Aphra was a spy and playwright who lived in the middle class and Phillis was a slave who was kidnapped from her homeland, brought to America, sold into slavery, and then freed. I believe it was difficult to understand the opinions of both writers, especially by simply reading their works. Phillis was born in Senegal/Gambia and was sold into slavery when he was a very young child. She was acquired by the Wheatley family when she was very young and served her master's wife. She was treated much kinder than most slaves during this period, even though she was purchased and held almost as a prisoner as most slaves were. Although she was considered a slave, she had the luxury of learning English and Latin and was allowed to read and, as a result, admired writers such as John Milton and Alexander Pope. It's hard to say what his views on slavery are. In some of her writings, she suggests that slavery was not really a bad thing, as most believe. In her poem On Being Brought from Africa to America, she tells the story of her journey from her homeland to America. She tells how the mercy and will of God brought him out of his “pagan country”. (Wheatley 359) In this poem, it seems that she is avoiding telling the true story of her kidnapping by her family and everything she knows and loves. Then the poem goes on to say that some p...... middle of paper ......w slaves. In the end, he was murdered in the most brutal way imaginable. Ultimately, I have to believe that both authors had views on slavery that served their purpose at the time they wrote their poems or story. Phillis Wheatley wrote her poems without anger against slavery because she was treated kindly and humanely once sold and lived a better life than most slaves. Aphra Behn, on the other hand, fictionalized slavery, then abruptly changed at the end of the story and showed the horror of slavery. Works cited by Gilbert, Sandra M. and Susan Gubar. “Orinoco.” The Norton Anthology of Women's Literature: Traditions in English. New York: WW Norton, 2007. PrintGilbert, Sandra M. and Susan Gubar. “Phillis Wheatley.” The Norton Anthology of Women's Literature: Traditions in English. New York: WW Norton, 2007. Print.