Wheatley wrote in neoclassical couplets of iambic pentameter, following the example of the most popular English poet of the times, Alexander Pope. In the South, masters frequently forbade slaves to learn to read or gather in groups to worship or convert other slaves, as literacy and Christianity were potent equalizing forces. To a Christian, it would seem that the hand of divine Providence led to her deliverance; God lifted her forcibly and dramatically out of that ignorance. Research the history of slavery in America and why it was an important topic for the founders in their planning for the country. Phillis Wheatley Peters was one of the best-known poets in pre-19th century America. This is a metaphor. Though lauded in her own day for overcoming the then unimaginable boundaries of race, slavery, and gender, by the twentieth century Wheatley was vilified, primarily for her poem "On Being Brought from Africa to America." Her strategy relies on images, references, and a narrative position that would have been strikingly familiar to her audience. In the last line of this poem, she asserts that the black race may, like any other branch of humanity, be saved and rise to a heavenly fate. , "On Being Brought from Africa to America," in The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. Recently, critics like James Levernier have tried to provide a more balanced view of Wheatley's achievement by studying her style within its historical context. This same spirit in literature and philosophy gave rise to the revolutionary ideas of government through human reason, as popularized in the Declaration of Independence. 'Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land. The opening sentiments would have been easily appreciated by Wheatley's contemporary white audience, but the last four lines exhorted them to reflect on their assumptions about the black race. "On Being Brought from Africa to America by Phillis Wheatley". 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 This is an eight-line poem written in iambic pentameter. POEM TEXT Won Pulitzer Prize Descriptions are unrelated to the literary elements. Although she was an enslaved person, Phillis Wheatley Peters was one of the best-known poets in pre-19th century America. Benjamin Rush, a prominent abolitionist, holds that Wheatley's "singular genius and accomplishments are such as not only do honor to her sex, but to human nature." Chosen by Him, the speaker is again thrust into the role of preacher, one with a mission to save others. It also contains a lot of figurative language describing . May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train. 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. 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). This question was discussed by the Founding Fathers and the first American citizens as well as by people in Europe. Read Wheatley's poems and letters and compare her concerns, in an essay, to those of other African American authors of any period. The material has been carefully compared Such authors as Wheatley can now be understood better by postcolonial critics, who see the same hybrid or double references in every displaced black author who had to find or make a new identity. Endnotes. 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. Question 4 (2 points) Identify a type of figurative language in the following lines of Phillis Wheatley's On Being Brought from Africa to America. Wheatley gave birth to three children, all of whom died. This racial myth and the mention of slavery in the Bible led Europeans to consider it no crime to enslave blacks, for they were apparently a marked and evil race. That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too: Once I redemption neither sought nor knew. One may wonder, then, why she would be glad to be in such a country that rejects her people. Albeit grammatically correct, this comma creates a trace of syntactic ambiguity that quietly instates both Christians and Negroes as the mutual offspring of Cain who are subject to refinement by divine grace. Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain. Rather than a direct appeal to a specific group, one with which the audience is asked to identify, this short poem is a meditation on being black and Christian in colonial America. Another thing that a reader will notice is the meter of this poem. In "On Being Brought from Africa to America," the author, Phillis Wheatley uses diction and punctuation to develop a subtle ironic tone. Her refusal to assign blame, while it has often led critics to describe her as uncritical of slavery, is an important element in Wheatley's rhetorical strategy and certainly one of the reasons her poetry was published in the first place. She did not seek redemption and did not even know that she needed it. al. 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. Whilst there is no mention of the physical voyage or abduction or emotional stress, the experience came about through the compassion of God. Wheatley continued to write throughout her life and there was some effort to publish a second book, which ultimately failed. A sensation in her own day, Wheatley was all but forgotten until scrutinized under the lens of African American studies in the twentieth century. CRITICAL OVERVIEW Some view our sable race with scornful eye. No wonder, then, that thinkers as great as Jefferson professed to be puzzled by Wheatley's poetry. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. Some view our sable race with scornful eye. A second biblical allusion occurs in the word train. "Some view our sable race with a scornful eye, "Their colour is a diabolic dye." Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain." Personification Simile Hyperbole Aphorism 18, 33, 71, 82, 89-90. Wheatley goes on to say that when she was in Africa, she knew neither about the existence of God nor the need of a savior. Walker, Alice, "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Honoring the Creativity of the Black Woman," in Jackson State Review, Vol. Martin Luther King uses loaded words to create pathos when he wrote " Letter from Birmingham Jail." One way he uses loaded words is when he says " vicious mobs lynch your mother's and father's." This creates pathos because lynching implies hanging colored folks. Figurative language is used in this poem. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. The last two lines of the poem make use of imperative language, which is language that gives a command or tells the reader what to do. This is a reference to the biblical Book of Genesis and the two sons of Adam. Shuffelton also surmises why Native American cultural production was prized while black cultural objects were not. 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. All the end rhymes are full. Robinson, William H., Phillis Wheatley and Her Writings, Garland, 1984, pp. In short, both races share a common heritage of Cain-like barbaric and criminal blackness, a "benighted soul," to which the poet refers in the second line of her poem. Explore "On Being Brought from Africa to America" by Phillis Wheatley. Following are the main themes. land. 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). Read the full text of On Being Brought from Africa to America, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, "The Privileged and Impoverished Life of Phillis Wheatley". Betsy Erkkila describes this strategy as "a form of mimesis that mimics and mocks in the act of repeating" ("Revolutionary" 206). Encyclopedia.com. In the meanwhile, until you change your minds, enjoy the firefight! Phillis Wheatley was abducted from her home in Africa at the age of 7 (in 1753) and taken by ship to America, where . Some readers, looking for protests against slavery in her work, have been disenchanted upon instead finding poems like "On Being Brought from Africa to America" to reveal a meek acceptance of her slave fate. The speaker has learned of God, become enlightened, is aware of the life of Christ on Earth, and is now saved, having previously no knowledge or need of the redemption of the soul. Pagan is defined as "a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions." 1-7. The Wheatleys noticed Phillis's keen intelligence and educated her alongside their own children. How is it that she was saved? While ostensibly about the fate of those black Christians who see the light and are saved, the final line in "On Being Brought From Africa to America" is also a reminder to the members of her audience about their own fate should they choose unwisely. Line 3 further explains what coming into the light means: knowing God and Savior. There were public debates on slavery, as well as on other liberal ideas, and Wheatley was no doubt present at many of these discussions, as references to them show up in her poems and letters, addressed to such notable revolutionaries as George Washington, the Countess of Huntingdon, the Earl of Dartmouth, English antislavery advocates, the Reverend Samuel Cooper, and James Bowdoin. In the event that what is at stake has not been made evident enough, Wheatley becomes most explicit in the concluding lines. But the women are on the march. Look at the poems and letters of Phillis Wheatley, and find evidence of her two voices, African and American. In the following essay on "On Being Brought from Africa to America," she focuses on Phillis Wheatley's self-styled personaand its relation to American history, as well as to popular perceptions of the poet herself. On Being Brought from Africa to America. Read about the poet, see her poem's summary and analysis, and study its meaning and themes. During her time with the Wheatley family, Phillis showed a keen talent for learning and was soon proficient in English. Through all the heav'ns what beauteous dies are . Wheatley, Phillis, Complete Writings, edited by Vincent Carretta, Penguin Books, 2001. In fact, Wheatley's poems and their religious nature were used by abolitionists as proof that Africans were spiritual human beings and should not be treated as cattle. Poetry for Students. She does not, however, stipulate exactly whose act of mercy it was that saved her, God's or man's. 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. Wheatley, however, applies the doctrine of salvation in an unusual way for most of her readers; she broadens it into a political or sociological discussion as well. From this perspective, Africans were living in darkness. In alluding to the two passages from Isaiah, she intimates certain racial implications that are hardly conventional interpretations of these passages. Q. 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). 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. Line 2 explains why she considers coming to America to have been good fortune. This simple and consistent pattern makes sense for Wheatley's straightforward message. The speaker of this poem says that her abduction from Africa and subsequent enslavement in America was an act of mercy, in that it allowed her to learn about Christianity and ultimately be saved. Carole A. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"cajhZ6VFWaUJG3veQ.det3ab.5UanemT4_W4vp5lfYs-86400-0"}; Richard Abcarian (PhD, University of California, Berkeley) is a professor of English emeritus at California State University, Northridge, where he taught for thirty-seven years. She describes Africa as a "Pagan land." She was taught theology, English, Latin, Greek, mythology, literature, geography, and astronomy. The Wheatleys had to flee Boston when the British occupied the city. Later rebellions in the South were often fostered by black Christian ministers, a tradition that was epitomized by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s civil rights movement. 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. By Phillis Wheatley. She does more here than remark that representatives of the black race may be refined into angelic mattermade, as it were, spiritually white through redemptive Christianizing. Wheatley perhaps included the reference to Cain for dramatic effect, to lead into the Christian doctrine of forgiveness, emphasized in line 8. 2, December 1975, pp. They are walking upward to the sunlit plains where the thinking people rule. Figures of speech are literary devices that are also used throughout our society and help relay important ideas in a meaningful way. She returned to America riding on that success and was set free by the Wheatleysa mixed blessing, since it meant she had to support herself. Just as she included a typical racial sneer, she includes the myth of blacks springing from Cain. PDF. sable - black; (also a small animal with dark brown or black fur. 23 Feb. 2023 . Phillis Wheatley was born in Africa in 1753 and enslaved in America. Personification. The result is that those who would cast black Christians as other have now been placed in a like position. Lastly, the speaker reminds her audience, mostly consisting of white people, that Black people can be Christian people, too. She was in a sinful and ignorant state, not knowing God or Christ. Following the poem (from Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, 1773), are some observations about its treatment of the theme of . Patricia Liggins Hill, et. By the time Wheatley had been in America for 16 months, she was reading the Bible, classics in Greek and Latin, and British literature. During the war in Iraq, black recruitment falls off, in part due to the many more civil career options open to young blacks. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998), p.98. Whilst showing restraint and dignity, the speaker's message gets through plain and clear - black people are not evil and before God, all are welcome, none turned away. The message of this poem is that all people, regardless of race, can be of Christian faith and saved. Of course, Wheatley's poetry does document a black experience in America, namely, Wheatley's alone, in her unique and complex position as slave, Christian, American, African, and woman of letters. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. From the zephyr's wing, Exhales the incense of the blooming spring. For example, her speaker claims that it was "mercy" that took her out of "my Pagan land" and into America where she was enslaved. It is used within both prose and verse writing. It is not only "Negroes" who "may" get to join "th' angelic train" (7-8), but also those who truly deserve the label Christian as demonstrated by their behavior toward all of God's creatures. Wheatley proudly offers herself as proof of that miracle. 257-77. Text is very difficult to understand. The masters, on the other hand, claimed that the Bible recorded and condoned the practice of slavery. She was intended to be a personal servant to the wife of John Wheatley. Encyclopedia.com. Wheatley's shift from first to third person in the first and second stanzas is part of this approach. Gates documents the history of the critique of her poetry, noting that African Americans in the nineteenth century, following the trends of Frederick Douglass and the numerous slave narratives, created a different trajectory for black literature, separate from the white tradition that Wheatley emulated; even before the twentieth century, then, she was being scorned by other black writers for not mirroring black experience in her poems. "May be refined" can be read either as synonymous for can or as a warning: No one, neither Christians nor Negroes, should take salvation for granted. by Phillis Wheatley. As such, though she inherited the Puritan sense of original sin and resignation in death, she focuses on the element of comfort for the bereaved. . A resurgence of interest in Wheatley during the 1960s and 1970s, with the rise of African American studies, led again to mixed opinions, this time among black readers. The first four lines concentrate on the retrospective experience of the speaker - having gained knowledge of the new religion, Christianity, she can now say that she is a believer, a convert. Additional information about Wheatley's life, upbringing, and education, including resources for further research. Parks, writing in Black World that same year, describes a Mississippi poetry festival where Wheatley's poetry was read in a way that made her "Blacker." Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. The difficulties she may have encountered in America are nothing to her, compared to possibly having remained unsaved.
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