Examine the Use of Religion in Black Literature

The things to examine are how they use religion in their literature and how they talked about it, viewed it, and how they dealt with it. In our readings most of the African American literaturary writers are northern blacks. In the North, educated blacks often assimilated very successfully into white culture; indeed, that was precisely the goal for many. Exemplified by the poetry of Phillis Wheatley, for example. Each author had been very careful to …

…at the depths of inhumanity, had come to their faith in the bible in a way that places them at the very center of God’s moral redemption in this world. They despised the world they lived in, nevertheless, their faith was strong, because their work was plainly “the work of God,” as they put it. In spite of human obstacles, they were able to undertake this tremendous revolution of love, peace, freedom, and justice.