Literature in Context She traveled to London in 1773 (with the Wheatley's son) in order to publish her book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. Read Wheatley's poems and letters and compare her concerns, in an essay, to those of other African American authors of any period. Spelling is very inaccurate and hinders full understanding. That there's a God, that there's a That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too: Once I redemption neither sought nor knew. Figurative language is used in this poem. Metaphor. Speaking of one of his visions, the prophet observes, "I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple" (Isaiah 6:1). Taught my benighted soul to understand In fact, the Wheatleys introduced Phillis to their circle of Evangelical antislavery friends. The poem's meter is iambic pentameter, where each line contains ten syllables and every other syllable is stressed. The word Some also introduces a more critical tone on the part of the speaker, as does the word Remember, which becomes an admonition to those who call themselves "Christians" but do not act as such. Does she feel a conflict about these two aspects of herself, or has she found an integrated identity? Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain. West Africa Being made a slave is one thing, but having white Christians call black a diabolic dye, suggesting that black people are black because they're evil, is something else entirely. The final and highly ironic demonstration of otherness, of course, would be one's failure to understand the very poem that enacts this strategy. Cain is a biblical character that kills his brother, an example of the evil of humanity. Because Wheatley stands at the beginning of a long tradition of African-American poetry, we thought we'd offer some . An online version of Wheatley's poetry collection, including "On Being Brought from Africa to America.". The "authentic" Christian is the one who "gets" the puns and double entendres and ironies, the one who is able to participate fully in Wheatley's rhetorical performance. Source: Mary McAleer Balkun, "Phillis Wheatley's Construction of Otherness and the Rhetoric of Performed Ideology," in African American Review, Vol. Following fuller scholarly investigation into her complete works, however, many agree that this interpretation is oversimplified and does not do full justice to her awareness of injustice. Ironically, this authorization occurs through the agency of a black female slave. Analysis Of The Poem ' Phillis Wheatley '. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. 1, 2002, pp. Figurative language is used in this poem. On Being Brought from Africa to America was written by Phillis Wheatley and published in her collection Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral in 1773. Africa, the physical continent, cannot be pagan. Although her intended audience is not black, she still refers to "our sable race." 61, 1974, pp. Wheatley was a member of the Old South Congregational Church of Boston. Wheatley's criticisms steam mostly form the figurative language in the poem. Poetry for Students. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. 3That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too: 4Once I redemption neither sought nor knew. Although she was an enslaved person, Phillis Wheatley Peters was one of the best-known poets in pre-19th century America. "Taught my benighted soul to understand" (Line 2) "Once I redemption neither sought nor knew." (Line 4) "'Their colour is a diabolic die.'" (Line 6) "May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train." (Line 8) Report Quiz. Encyclopedia.com. Whilst there is no mention of the physical voyage or abduction or emotional stress, the experience came about through the compassion of God. It is organized into four couplets, which are two rhymed lines of verse. She was born in West Africa circa 1753, and thus she was only a few years younger than James Madison. Through all the heav'ns what beauteous dies are . the colonies have tried every means possible to avoid war. For example, while the word die is clearly meant to refer to skin pigmentation, it also suggests the ultimate fate that awaits all people, regardless of color or race. Poem Analysis, https://poemanalysis.com/phillis-wheatley/on-being-brought-from-africa-to-america/. Get the entire guide to On Being Brought from Africa to America as a printable PDF. Andersen holds a PhD in literature and teaches literature and writing. . Line 3 further explains what coming into the light means: knowing God and Savior. Phillis Wheatley was brought through the transatlantic slave trade and brought to America as a child. Negros For instance, in lines 7 and 8, Wheatley rhymes "Cain" and "angelic train." May be refind, and join th angelic train. Another thing that a reader will notice is the meter of this poem.
The Cabinet Dictionary - The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia 5Some view our sable race with scornful eye. 23 Feb. 2023
. As the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry, Wheatley uses this poem to argue that all people, regardless of race, are capable of finding salvation through Christianity. Question 14. The collection was such an astonishing testimony to the intelligence of her race that John Wheatley had to assemble a group of eighteen prominent citizens of Boston to attest to the poet's competency. What difficulties did they face in considering the abolition of the institution in the formation of the new government? It seems most likely that Wheatley refers to the sinful quality of any person who has not seen the light of God. It is easy to see the calming influence she must have had on the people who sought her out for her soothing thoughts on the deaths of children, wives, ministers, and public figures, praising their virtues and their happy state in heaven. She wrote about her pride in her African heritage and religion. This poetic demonstration of refinement, of "blooming graces" in both a spiritual and a cultural sense, is the "triumph in [her] song" entitled "On Being Brought from Africa to America.". Later generations of slaves were born into captivity. Although she was an enslaved person, Phillis Wheatley Peters was one of the best-known poets in pre-19th century America. This idea sums up a gratitude whites might have expected, or demanded, from a Christian slave. Illustrated Works Spelling and grammar is mostly accurate. . HISTORICAL CONTEXT Only eighteen of the African Americans were free. In 1773 her Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (which includes "On Being Brought from Africa. Boston, Massachusetts In these ways, then, the biblical and aesthetic subtleties of Wheatley's poem make her case about refinement. Author But the women are on the march. Old Ironsides Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices 24, 27-31, 33, 36, 42-43, 47. FRANK BIDART While Wheatley's poetry gave fuel to abolitionists who argued that blacks were rational and human and therefore ought not be treated as beasts, Thomas Jefferson found Wheatley's poems imitative and beneath notice. The pealing thunder shook the heav'nly plain; Majestic grandeur! Erkkila, Betsy, "Phillis Wheatley and the Black American Revolution," in A Mixed Race: Ethnicity in Early America, edited by Frank Shuffelton, Oxford University Press, 1993, pp. For example, Saviour and sought in lines three and four as well as diabolic die in line six. The impact of the racial problems in Revolutionary America on Wheatley's reputation should not be underrated. Her most well-known poem, "On Being Brought from Africa to America," is an eight-line poem that addresses the hypocrisy of so-called Christian people incorrectly believing that those of African heritage cannot be educated and incorrectly believing that they are lesser human beings. The Impact of the Early Years Common Core State Standards Text Exemplars, A Change of World, Episode 1: The Wilderness, To a Gentleman and Lady on the Death of the Lady's Brother and Sister, and a Child of the Name, To the Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth, To S. M. A Young African Painter, On Seeing His Works. In "On Being Brought from Africa to America," the author, Phillis Wheatley uses diction and punctuation to develop a subtle ironic tone. A Short Analysis of Phillis Wheatley's 'On Being Brought from Africa to There was no precedent for it. Surely, too, she must have had in mind the clever use of syntax in the penultimate line of her poem, as well as her argument, conducted by means of imagery and nuance, for the equality of both races in terms of their mutually "benighted soul." Although he, as well as many other prominent men, condemned slavery as an unjust practice for the country, he nevertheless held slaves, as did many abolitionists. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Learning Objectives. She wants them all to know that she was brought by mercy to America and to religion. In this poem Wheatley gives her white readers argumentative and artistic proof; and she gives her black readers an example of how to appropriate biblical ground to self-empower their similar development of religious and cultural refinement. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. Descriptions are unrelated to the literary elements. She admits that people are scornful of her race and that she came from a pagan background. She published her first poem in 1767, later becoming a household name. Why, then, does she seem to destroy her argument and admit that the African race is black like Cain, the first murderer in the Bible? White people are given a lesson in basic Christian ethics. Throughout the poem, the speaker talks about God's mercy and the indifferent attitude of the people toward the African-American community. It has a steady rhythm, the classic iambic pentameter of five beats per line giving it a traditional pace when reading: Twas mer / cy brought / me from / my Pag / an land, Taught my / benight / ed soul / to und / erstand. She did not seek redemption and did not even know that she needed it. On Virtue. That this self-validating woman was a black slave makes this confiscation of ministerial role even more singular. Wheatley explains her humble origins in "On Being Brought from Africa to America" and then promptly turns around to exhort her audience to accept African equality in the realm of spiritual matters, and by implication, in intellectual matters (the poem being in the form of neoclassical couplets). Chosen by Him, the speaker is again thrust into the role of preacher, one with a mission to save others. , black as Hers is an inclusionary rhetoric, reinforcing the similarities between the audience and the speaker of the poem, indeed all "Christians," in an effort to expand the parameters of that word in the minds of her readers. Carretta and Gould note the problems of being a literate black in the eighteenth century, having more than one culture or language. And she must have had in mind her subtle use of biblical allusions, which may also contain aesthetic allusions. Specifically, Wheatley deftly manages two biblical allusions in her last line, both to Isaiah. The last two lines refer to the equality inherent in Christian doctrine in regard to salvation, for Christ accepted everyone. 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. This color, the speaker says, may think is a sign of the devil. Nevertheless, in her association of spiritual and aesthetic refinement, she also participates in an extensive tradition of religious poets, like George Herbert and Edward Taylor, who fantasized about the correspondence between their spiritual reconstruction and the aesthetic grace of their poetry. Skin color, Wheatley asserts, has nothing to do with evil or salvation. Wheatley continues her stratagem by reminding the audience of more universal truths than those uttered by the "some." 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. In this, she asserts her religion as her priority in life; but, as many commentators have pointed out, it does not necessarily follow that she condones slavery, for there is evidence that she did not, in such poems as the one to Dartmouth and in the letter to Samson Occom. The justification was given that the participants in a republican government must possess the faculty of reason, and it was widely believed that Africans were not fully human or in possession of adequate reason. 3, 1974, pp. Voice | Academy of American Poets Analysis Of On Being Brought From Africa To America By | Bartleby The poet quickly and ably turns into a moral teacher, explaining as to her backward American friends the meaning of their own religion. Today: African Americans are educated and hold political office, even becoming serious contenders for the office of president of the United States. For example, her speaker claims that it was "mercy" that took her out of "my Pagan land" and into America where she was enslaved. 422. For Wheatley's management of the concept of refinement is doubly nuanced in her poem. 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. 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). English is the single most important language in the world, being the official or de facto . J Afr Am St (2016) 20:67-74 (ff) >D/ CrossMark DOI 10. 1007/sl21 1 1 Indeed, the idea of anyone, black or white, being in a state of ignorance if not knowing Christ is prominent in her poems and letters. Mistakes do not get in the way of understanding. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. Imperative language shows up in this poem in the last two lines. Endnotes. 233 Words1 Page. "On Being Brought from Africa to America" is really about the irony of Christian people who treat Black people as inferior. He identifies the most important biblical images for African Americans, Exile . Accessed 4 March 2023. This question was discussed by the Founding Fathers and the first American citizens as well as by people in Europe. Wheatley was then abducted by slave traders and brought to America in 1761. It was dedicated to the Countess of Huntingdon, a known abolitionist, and it made Phillis a sensation all over Europe. Davis, Arthur P., "The Personal Elements in the Poetry of Phillis Wheatley," in Critical Essays on Phillis Wheatley, edited by William H. Robinson, G. K. Hall, 1982, p. 95. "On Being Brought From Africa to America" 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. Pagan is defined as "a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions." Wheatley proudly offers herself as proof of that miracle. She addresses Christians, which in her day would have included most important people in America, in government, education, and the clergy. 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. Smith, Eleanor, "Phillis Wheatley: A Black Perspective," in Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 2, December 1975, pp. To a Gentleman and Lady on the Death of the Lady's Brother and Sister, and a Child of the Name Avis, Aged One Year. The last four lines take a surprising turn; suddenly, the reader is made to think. From this perspective, Africans were living in darkness. Poem Solutions Limited International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct,London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, Discover and learn about the greatest poetry ever straight to your inbox, Discover and learn about the greatest poetry, straight to your inbox. 257-77. 172-93. Following her previous rhetorical clues, the only ones who can accept the title of "Christian" are those who have made the decision not to be part of the "some" and to admit that "Negroes / May be refin'd and join th' angelic train" (7-8). (Born Thelma Lucille Sayles) American poet, autobiographer, and author of children's books. All rights reserved. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Line 5 does represent a shift in the mood/tone of the poem. As Christian people, they are supposed to be "refin'd," or to behave in a blessed and educated manner. This discrepancy between the rhetoric of freedom and the fact of slavery was often remarked upon in Europe. May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train. This powerful statement introduces the idea that prejudice, bigotry, and racism toward black people are wrong and anti-Christian. Too young to be sold in the West Indies or the southern colonies, she was . In "On Being Brought from Africa to America," Wheatley asserts religious freedom as an issue of primary importance. Additional information about Wheatley's life, upbringing, and education, including resources for further research. Endnotes. An online version of Wheatley's poetry collection, including "On Being Brought from Africa to America.". Through her rhetoric of performed ideology, Wheatley revises the implied meaning of the word Christian to include African Americans. The transatlantic slave trade lasted from the early 16th century to the late 19th century and involved the forced relocation and enslavement of approximately 12.5 million African people. I feel like its a lifeline. "On Being Brought from Africa to America" is a poem written by Phillis Wheatley, published in her 1773 poetry collection "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral." Phillis Wheatley Poems & Facts | What Was Phillis Wheatley Known For? Nevertheless, Wheatley was a legitimate woman of learning and letters who consciously participated in the public discussion of the day, in a voice representing the living truth of what America claimed it stood forwhether or not the slave-owning citizens were prepared to accept it. On Being Brought from Africa to America by Phillis Wheatley is a simple poem about the power of Christianity to bring people to salvation. Phillis Wheatley was an internationally known American poet of the late 18th century. The later poem exhibits an even greater level of complexity and authorial control, with Wheatley manipulating her audience by even more covert means. "Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train. The poem consists of: A single stanza of eight lines, with full rhyme and classic iambic pentameter beat, it basically says that black people can become Christian believers and in this respect are just the same as everyone else.
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