Final answer:
The poems "On Liberty and Slavery" and "Duty" share a focus on inhumane social structures and hierarchies, particularly regarding slavery and the contradictory quest for freedom in an oppressive society. Through Phillis Wheatley's poetry and Thoreau's writings, these works highlight the tension between the pursuit of liberty and the enduring reality of societal and personal oppression.
Step-by-step explanation:
The commonality between the poems "On Liberty and Slavery" and "Duty" lies in their focus on inhumane social structures and hierarchies, specifically the institution of slavery and the hypocrisy surrounding the call for liberty in a society that enslaves others. Both poems delve into the moral and ethical contradictions of their time, examining the yearning for freedom against the backdrop of an oppressive system that denies it to many.
Phillis Wheatley's writings, and specifically her poem "On Being Brought from Africa to America," express this bittersweet paradox of finding Christian salvation while confronting the brutal reality of being enslaved. This ambivalence is also reflected in the writings on freedom and the social critique of Henry David Thoreau. The works of these authors ask readers to consider the grave inconsistencies between the ideological pursuit of liberty and the reality of social and individual oppression.
Scholars have debated whether Wheatley's work was a direct critique of slavery or a more subtle articulation of her complex status as an African, a slave, and a Christian. The use of diacritical marks and biblical allusions in her poetry underscores the power of her words to convey meanings that go beyond the overt content, potentially suggesting a critique of slavery and a yearning for the universal human desire for freedom.