Anya Nieves 3/26/18
ENG302 Professor Kappes
Triumph Against All Odds
Triumphing against all odds has never been more important than for those who have been enslaved. Can you imagine being considered a savage, incapable of learning or being taught, torn away from family, homeland and everything you hold dear to your disappearing to never be seen again? Only to then, be brought to a new land against your will. Imagine being a child ripped from your mother’s arms at such a young age that you forget what she looks, sounds and even smells like. The Transatlantic Slave trade had a profound effect on many lives. Two people who were affected greatly by this were slaves Juan de Pareja and Phillis Wheatley.
They were both of African heritage which would be stripped away to a degree by their “patrons”. The Countess of Huntingdon, Selina Hastings and famous Spanish painter, Diego Velazquez would become Wheatley and Pareja’s “patrons” or in their own minds their “saviors”. These same “saviors” considered themselves God fearing people and felt that there was no moral issue with what they were doing. There was no issue with seeing these two people like so many other oppressed people as inferior to supposedly superior and more educated people.
There was an archive of a portrait painting of Juan de Pareja. The archive can be found on the following website: http://www.inmotionaame.org/gallery/?migration=1&topic=99&type=image. It entails the history behind this amazing man. He was in captivity during the 1650’s. He was sold to the artist, Diego Velazquez to work as his assistant. His “job description” entailed grinding pigments and stretching canvases. Any painting that he was interested in had to be done in secret as he wasn’t allowed to learn from his “master”. Once he was freed in 1654, his dream of becoming a painter would finally be realized. Again, imagine having a passion for something and not being allowed to nourish it as you are deemed unfit by someone else. Who makes the determination what is best for you?
Diego Velazquez eventually painted a portrait of Juan. What is interesting is that the “master” must have found his “slave” interesting enough to even consider painting a portrait of him. In the portrait Juan has a contentious look as though he was silently “going against the grain”. There even seems to be this sense of having to prove to his captors that he could be just as dignified, educated and amazing as they were. When looking into Juan de Pareja’s eyes there is this fire in his eyes which would fuel him to escape the chains of bondage. He had this air about him that invoked pride in his heritage as well as his accomplishments.
Who would have thought this “slave” would quietly teach himself to paint and have become an accomplished painter in his own right? This man was considered a savage, an animal and not worthy of teaching let alone learning how to become a painter. It wasn’t until he was freed that he was in a sense allowed to become an amazing painter in his own right. Juan de Pareja was also allowed to use Diego Velázquez’s art studio.
The same can be said for the author Phillis Wheatley, whose poem “On being brought from Africa to America” was written and published in 1773. She was also taken from her home and family as a child and brought to a strange land. Wheatley became educated and was able to write poems, letters, etc. which would become published. She was able to voice her disdain for slavery in a rather covert way. Her poem uses moral and religious conjecture to prove her point. For example, she states in her poem, “That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too: Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.” (Lines 3-4) It seems as though she is stating here that she was saved even though she didn’t ask to be. Wheatley also states in her poem “Some view our sable race with scornful eye, “Their colour is a diabolic die.” (Lines 5-6) How else could an educated woman of African heritage be able show the injustices of slavery to a group of people who refused to see?
She showed that she didn’t have to write aggressively to get her point across. In many ways her writing proved that she was educated, passionate and creative. These were all qualities that were not synonymous with “slaves.” How can two individuals who weren’t even considered to be human create such beautiful and intense pieces of art? Phillis Wheatley had a patroness, the Countess of Huntingdon, Selina Hastings. Can you imagine two women “getting together” during a time when women were treated just a slight bit better than slaves? Selina Hastings did make sure that her presence was felt as her picture is in Phillis Wheatley’s book Complete Writings.
Both Juan de Pareja and Phillis Wheatley were educated “slaves” who managed to persevere and triumph despite everything that was done to them. These two people were not expected by their “masters” to be considered people let alone famous ones. Their triumphs and perseverance should be a lesson to all discriminated groups that despite the limitations these two individuals had at the time, if they can do it then anyone can do it. Wheatley was able to use her writing as her voice and we are able to get a better insight into this amazing woman. Velazquez’s painting of Pareja didn’t allow for his voice to be heard but rather a deduction of his body language and looks. Pareja and Wheatley were defiant towards there “masters” with and without words. Wheatley’s words burn thru you as you read her words while Pareja’s look has a similar effect.
These two people who weren’t supposed to amount to anything became a significant part of history. They superseded the expectations of those around them and now many generations of oppressed and non-oppressed people have gotten a glimpse into their lives. They proved that no one’s opinion of you should matter especially when you have a goal, passion or anything that is going to make you stand out.
