In just eight lines, Wheatley describes her attitude toward her condition of enslavementboth coming from Africa to America, and the culture that considers the fact that she is a Black woman so negatively. She addresses Christians, which in her day would have included most important people in America, in government, education, and the clergy. China has ceased binding their feet. . She asks that they remember that anyone, no matter their skin color, can be said by God. 2, Summer 1993, pp. She knew redemption through this transition and banished all sorrow from her life. The very distinctions that the "some" have created now work against them. Wheatley may also be using the rhetorical device of bringing up the opponent's worst criticism in order to defuse it. But in line 5, there is a shift in the poem. Therein, she implores him to right America's wrongs and be a just administrator. The first of these is unstressed and the second is stressed. The pealing thunder shook the heav'nly plain; Majestic grandeur! The rest of the poem is assertive and reminds her readers (who are mostly white people) that all humans are equal and capable of joining "th' angelic train." The poem consists of: Phillis Wheatley was abducted from her home in Africa at the age of 7 (in 1753) and taken by ship to America, where she ended up as the property of one John Wheatley, of Boston. Recent critics looking at the whole body of her work have favorably established the literary quality of her poems and her unique historical achievement. Of course, her life was very different. Such a person did not fit any known stereotype or category. Back then lynching was very common and not a good thing. themes in this piece are religion, freedom, and equality, https://poemanalysis.com/phillis-wheatley/on-being-brought-from-africa-to-america/, Poems covered in the Educational Syllabus. The Lord's attendant train is the retinue of the chosen referred to in the preceding allusion to Isaiah in Wheatley's poem. The effect is to place the "some" in a degraded position, one they have created for themselves through their un-Christian hypocrisy. She thus makes clear that she has praised God rather than the people or country of America for her good fortune. Anne Bradstreet Poems, Biography & Facts | Who is Anne Bradstreet? Structure. And she must have had in mind her subtle use of biblical allusions, which may also contain aesthetic allusions. The liberty she takes here exceeds her additions to the biblical narrative paraphrased in her verse "Isaiah LXIII. As placed in Wheatley's poem, this allusion can be read to say that being white (silver) is no sign of privilege (spiritually or culturally) because God's chosen are refined (purified, made spiritually white) through the afflictions that Christians and Negroes have in common, as mutually benighted descendants of Cain. Each poem has a custom designed teaching point about poetic elements and forms. In "On Being Brought from Africa to America," Wheatley identifies herself first and foremost as a Christian, rather than as African or American, and asserts everyone's equality in God's sight. Do you think that the judgment in the 1970s by black educators that Wheatley does not teach values that are good for African American students has merit today? answer not listed. She adds that in case he wonders why she loves freedom, it is because she was kidnapped from her native Africa and thinks of the suffering of her parents. John Peters eventually abandoned Wheatley and she lived in abject poverty, working in a boardinghouse, until her death on December 5, 1784. The latter is implied, at least religiously, in the last lines. Spelling is very inaccurate and hinders full understanding. The speaker uses metaphors, when reading in a superficial manner, causes the reader to think the speaker is self-deprecating. Instant PDF downloads. Those who have contended that Wheatley had no thoughts on slavery have been corrected by such poems as the one to the Earl of Dartmouth, the British secretary of state for North America. Figurative language is writing that is understood because of its association with a familiar thing, action, or image. Line 4 goes on to further illustrate how ignorant Wheatley was before coming to America: she did not even know enough to seek the redemption of her soul. Get LitCharts A +. Popularity of "Old Ironsides": Oliver Wendell Holmes, a great American physician, and poet wrote, "Old Ironsides".It was first published in 1830. Just as the American founders looked to classical democracy for models of government, American poets attempted to copy the themes and spirit of the classical authors of Greece and Rome. The early reviews, often written by people who had met her, refer to her as a genius. Wheatley perhaps included the reference to Cain for dramatic effect, to lead into the Christian doctrine of forgiveness, emphasized in line 8. Here she mentions nothing about having been free in Africa while now being enslaved in America. The speaker takes the high moral ground and is not bitter or resentful - rather the voice is calm and grateful. To be "benighted" is to be in moral or spiritual darkness as a result of ignorance or lack of enlightenment, certainly a description with which many of Wheatley's audience would have agreed. Redemption and Salvation: The speaker states that had she not been taken from her homeland and brought to America, she would never have known that there was a God and that she needed saving. Erkkila's insight into Wheatley's dualistic voice, which allowed her to blend various points of view, is validated both by a reading of her complete works and by the contemporary model of early transatlantic black literature, which enlarges the boundaries of reference for her achievement. Particularly apt is the clever syntax of the last two lines of the poem: "Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain / May be refin'd." Wheatley was bought as a starving child and transformed into a prodigy in a few short years of training. In line 1 of "On Being Brought from Africa to America," as she does throughout her poems and letters, Wheatley praises the mercy of God for singling her out for redemption. She was baptized a Christian and began publishing her own poetry in her early teens. Ironically, this authorization occurs through the agency of a black female slave. be exposed to another medium of written expression; learn the rules and conventions of poetry, including figurative language, metaphor, simile, symbolism, and point-of-view; learn five strategies for analyzing poetry; and William Robinson provides the diverse early. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. She was bought by Susanna Wheatley, the wife of a Boston merchant, and given a name composed from the name of the slave ship, "Phillis," and her master's last name. The brief poem Harlem introduces themes that run throughout Langston Hughess volume Montage of a Dream Deferred and throughout his, Langston Hughes 19021967 She believes that her discovery of God, after being forcibly enslaved in America, was the best thing that couldve happened to her. Encyclopedia.com. As Wheatley pertinently wrote in "On Imagination" (1773), which similarly mingles religious and aesthetic refinements, she aimed to embody "blooming graces" in the "triumph of [her] song" (Mason 78). The major themes of the poem are Christianity, redemption and salvation, and racial equality. This essay investigates Jefferson's scientific inquiry into racial differences and his conclusions that Native Americans are intelligent and that African Americans are not. She wants to inform her readers of the opposite factand yet the wording of her confession of faith became proof to later readers that she had sold out, like an Uncle Tom, to her captors' religious propaganda. This view sees the slave girl as completely brainwashed by the colonial captors and made to confess her inferiority in order to be accepted. 103-104. Providing a comprehensive and inspiring perspective in The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., remarks on the irony that "Wheatley, having been pain-stakingly authenticated in her own time, now stands as a symbol of falsity, artificiality, of spiritless and rote convention." Her religion has changed her life entirely and, clearly, she believes the same can happen for anyone else. ", In the last two lines, Wheatley reminds her audience that all people, regardless of race, can be Christian and be saved. ." On the other hand, by bringing up Cain, she confronts the popular European idea that the black race sprang from Cain, who murdered his brother Abel and was punished by having a mark put on him as an outcast. too: Through her rhetoric of performed ideology, Wheatley revises the implied meaning of the word Christian to include African Americans. Learning Objectives. Born c. 1753 Wheatley is talking about the people who live in Africa; they have not yet been exposed to Christianity or the idea of salvation. She was thus part of the emerging dialogue of the new republic, and her poems to leading public figures in neoclassical couplets, the English version of the heroic meters of the ancient Greek poet Homer, were hailed as masterpieces. The poem uses the principles of Protestant meditation, which include contemplating various Christian themes like one's own death or salvation. Phillis Wheatley was taken from what she describes as her pagan homeland of Africa as a young child and enslaved upon her arrival in America. It seems most likely that Wheatley refers to the sinful quality of any person who has not seen the light of God. They have become, within the parameters of the poem at least, what they once abhorredbenighted, ignorant, lost in moral darkness, unenlightenedbecause they are unable to accept the redemption of Africans. Although she was an enslaved person, Phillis Wheatley Peters was one of the best-known poets in pre-19th century America. This was the legacy of philosophers such as John Locke who argued against absolute monarchy, saying that government should be a social contract with the people; if the people are not being served, they have a right to rebel. 372-73. While Wheatley included some traditional elements of the elegy, or praise for the dead, in "On Being Brought from Africa to America," she primarily combines sermon and meditation techniques in the poem. The reception became such because the poem does not explicitly challenge slavery and almost seems to subtly approve of it, in that it brought about the poet's Christianity. Although most of her religious themes are conventional exhortations against sin and for accepting salvation, there is a refined and beautiful inspiration to her verse that was popular with her audience. February 2023, Oakland Curator: Jan Watten Diaspora is a vivid word. Abolitionists like Rush used Wheatley as proof for the argument of black humanity, an issue then debated by philosophers. Baker offers readings of such authors as Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, and Ntozake Shange as examples of his theoretical framework, explaining that African American women's literature is concerned with a search for spiritual identity. That is, she applies the doctrine to the black race. She wrote and published verses to George Washington, the general of the Revolutionary army, saying that he was sure to win with virtue on his side. On Being Brought from Africa to America - Poem Analysis It also talks about how they were looked at differently because of the difference in the color of their skin. Poems to integrate into your English Language Arts classroom. Phillis Wheatley is all about change. 233 Words1 Page. As Christian people, they are supposed to be "refin'd," or to behave in a blessed and educated manner. In this regard, one might pertinently note that Wheatley's voice in this poem anticipates the ministerial role unwittingly assumed by an African-American woman in the twenty-third chapter of Harriet Beecher Stowe's The Minister's Wooing (1859), in which Candace's hortatory words intrinsically reveal what male ministers have failed to teach about life and love. Create your account. Phillis Wheatley Poems & Facts | What Was Phillis Wheatley Known For? by Phillis Wheatley. In the first lines of On Being Brought from Africa to America, Wheatley states that it was mercy that brought her to America from her Pagan land, Africa. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. At this point, the poem displaces its biblical legitimation by drawing attention to its own achievement, as inherent testimony to its argument. This poem is a real-life account of Wheatleys experiences. Endnotes. While in London to promote her poems, Wheatley also received treatment for chronic asthma. A soul in darkness to Wheatley means someone unconverted. Africa To America Figurative Language - 352 Words | 123 Help Me She was instructed in Evangelical Christianity from her arrival and was a devout practicing Christian. So many in the world do not know God or Christ. Shockley, Ann Allen, Afro-American Women Writers, 1746-1933: An Anthology and Critical Guide, G. K. Hall, 1988. On Being Brought From Africa To America Summary - Bartleby Educated and enslaved in the household of . Use Of Poetic Devices And Figurative Language - 1747 Words | Bartleby On being brought from AFRICA to AMERICA The capitalization of AFRICA and AMERICA follows a norm of written language as codified in Joshua Bradley's 1815 text A Brief, Practical System of Punctuation To Which are added Rules Respecting the Uses of Capitals , Etc. Phillis Wheatley was abducted from her home in Africa at the age of 7 (in 1753) and taken by ship to America, where . //]]>. Despite what might first come to someones mind who knows anything about slavery in the United States, she saw it as an act of kindness. She now offers readers an opportunity to participate in their own salvation: The speaker, carefully aligning herself with those readers who will understand the subtlety of her allusions and references, creates a space wherein she and they are joined against a common antagonist: the "some" who "view our sable race with scornful eye" (5). , "On Being Brought from Africa to America," in The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. "Mercy" is defined as "a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion" and indicates that it was ordained by God that she was taken from Africa. On Being Brought from Africa to America Summary & Analysis. Rather than creating distinctions, the speaker actually collapses those which the "some" have worked so hard to create and maintain, the source of their dwindling authority (at least within the precincts of the poem). , ed., Critical Essays on Phillis Wheatley, G. K. Hall, 1982, pp. Barbara Evans. This question was discussed by the Founding Fathers and the first American citizens as well as by people in Europe. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). (Born Thelma Lucille Sayles) American poet, autobiographer, and author of children's books. POEM SUMMARY Carretta and Gould note the problems of being a literate black in the eighteenth century, having more than one culture or language. Adding insult to injury, Wheatley co-opts the rhetoric of this groupthose who say of blacks that "Their colour is a diabolic die" (6)using their own words against them. Phillis Wheatley was born in Gambia, Africa, in 1753. By rhyming this word with "angelic train," the author is connecting the ideas of pure evil and the goodness of Heaven, suggesting that what appears evil may, in fact, be worthy of Heaven. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Once I redemption neither sought nor knew. Wheatley was then abducted by slave traders and brought to America in 1761. Against the unlikely backdrop of the institution of slavery, ideas of liberty were taking hold in colonial America, circulating for many years in intellectual circles before war with Britain actually broke out. In fact, it might end up being desirable, spiritually, morally, one day. All the end rhymes are full. Daniel Garrett's appreciation of the contributions of African American women artists includes a study of Cicely Tyson, Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, and Regina King. Major Themes in "On Being Brought from Africa to America": Mercy, racism and divinity are the major themes of this poem. If the "angelic train" of her song actually enacts or performs her argumentthat an African-American can be trained (taught to understand) the refinements of religion and artit carries a still more subtle suggestion of self-authorization. Form two groups and hold a debate on the topic. The poem was "On Being Brought from Africa to America," written by a 14-year-old Phillis in the late 18th century. While the use of italics for "Pagan" and "Savior" may have been a printer's decision rather than Wheatley's, the words are also connected through their position in their respective lines and through metric emphasis. the colonies have tried every means possible to avoid war. Figures of speech are literary devices that are also used throughout our society and help relay important ideas in a meaningful way.