'Upon Being Brought From Africa To America'

Throughout the poem the tone is earnest. Wheatley expresses intense seriousness when she begins to discuss religion and the temptation of sin. For example, she uses phrases such as “suppress the deadly serpent in its egg” and

The back slave waits for his freedom. He knows he is created in the image of his God but his fairer fellows fail to see it. Phillys Wheatley and George Moses Horton give voice to the agony of the enslaved male and female. This essay presents an analysis of the poems On Being Brought from Africa to America and George Moses Horton: Myself by Wheatley and Horton respectively. The analysis discovers the message of resistance to the oppression of slavery, its effects and the hypocrisy of the “white Christian” found in these poems.

In the poem “On Virtue” is about how Phillis Wheatley is trying to understand virtue. Phillis Wheatley feels that god has her back and she has faith in finding what she want. She uses figurative language to show us how she is trying to get to a happy place. Phillis wheatley is striving to reach a goal but is facing struggles. She is striving to get to a place where she would be in a better place mentally and physically but it is hard for her.

From the religious point, Phillis imply God can always be there to help assist the mind of trying to find virtue. Wheatley expressed clarity of her extremely strong faith. Expressing herself through her written work she showed how devoted and humbled she was. As confusing as this poem was Wheatley talked about her struggle to find what she was looking for and found it in her faith of God. The theme of this poem is virtue, each human being desired for something and staying optimistic. (Bilbro.

Although this is a short poem, there are so many different meanings that can come from the piece. With different literary poetic devices such as similes, imagery, and symbolism different people take away different things from the poem. One of my classmates saw it as an extended metaphor after searching for a deeper connection with the author. After some research on the author, we came to learn that the

Secondly, the speaker of the poem can be described as underprivileged, and this is shown throughout the entire poem. For example, line 1 of the poem it states "some are teethed on a silver spoon” and line 5 it states "some are swaddled in silk and down”. This shows that the speaker is not the same as the person who is teethed on a silver spoon or cared for very carefully. This inclusion also shows that the speaker was not born into a wealthy family and so the speaker must fight for what they need pertaining to themselves and the family.

This poem is written from the perspective of an African-American from a foreign country, who has come to America for the promise of equality,

Phillis Wheatley’s, ‘On Being Brought from AFRICA to AMERICA’ is a testament to writing that utilizes irony and satire to produce a salient argument. As Susan Martin, states in her analysis of Wheatley’s poem, “a young woman who sought to assert her views on the passage from freedom to slavery, ignorance to knowledge, darkness to enlightenment” (Martin, 157). In particular, Wheatley’s aim was to construct a piece which addresses the ideals expressed by Martin utilizing irony and satire. Moreover, Wheatley, at the time of writing this poem, was amongst those enslaved. In fact, Wheatley published her first book in 1773. This is a time before America’s independence and most certainly a time where slavery was prominent. This book, which contained numerous poems, proved those enslaved were more intelligent than previously thought. Within Wheatley’s book, her famous poem, ‘On Being Brought from AFRICA to AMERICA’ was read. Read by those who supported slavery and those who opposed it. Typically, Wheatley addresses Christianity and avoids any discussion of race. However, this poem addresses racial issues straight on. On the surface of this poem lies words that when first perceived, appear to support slavery and her deposition from Africa. Moreover, Wheatley utilizes irony and satire to provide a deeper message that speaks out against slavery. More importantly, satire and irony allow two views to form. Through analysis from authors, Levernier, Loving, and Martin, their multiple perspectives can be formed into one. This analysis, will allow a better understanding of Wheatley’s intent with each line and a closer analysis of her clever rhetoric. Furthermore, Wheatley aims to reveal the improper treatment of, “Negros, black as Cain” (Wheatley), while also allowing the poem to be perceived as an appraisal of slavery. Furthermore, Wheatley utilizes each line to provide discussion on different issues regarding slavery in terms of criticizing white Christianity. Furthermore, Wheatley makes her viewpoint of slavery clear; an improper treatment that will not last.

Wheatley is trying to subversively express that the Lord will be gracious enough to deliver the slaves from the “dark abodes”, or bad treatment as he did the Egyptians in biblical times. Throughout the first stanza of the poem, Phyllis Wheatley challenges the reader’s morals by referencing the bible right off the bat.

……In 1845 an extraordinary piece of work by Frederick Douglass was published “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave”; this was the life of a man who through many adversities stood tall with his head in the heavens. Douglass was the more proactive abolitionist as his work was to demolish slavery while detailing his life experience as a slave and expressing is deep emotions and theory on slavery. In the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave” he expresses the way religion and its literature, the bible, had an effect not only on slavery but also with white Christianity. His position on slavery was strong and compelling. Douglass used powerful authoritative words from the start of his narrative to grasp our hold and attention and keep us enflamed while realizing God is embedded in the words. ……Phillis Wheatley overcame obstacles most people would quiver against. She showed us slavery and she showed us faith. In the poem, she tells us “Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land, Taught my benighted soul to understand” (Wheatley, line 1-2) Right from the beginning , Wheatley shows us religion through her use of subtle but powerful words. She uses the words “Mercy, Pagan

All three of the poems discussed in this essay relate to the struggles suffered by African Americans in the late 18th century to the early 19th century in many different ways. They had to live under harsh

Race plays a big part in this poem. He speaks on Harlem and its culture and this environment but also about mutual interest with people

The United States was a melting pot of all different races at this time, due to this idea of the American dream. For the African Americans, the American dream was way better than anything they experienced for the past 100 years, because they were no longer slaves. Having the opportunities to work, make money, and live in their own homes, they were very happy. But, their lives were still not perfect. On one of the online documents, the author is an ex slave who is going to the north to escape the discrimination of the south, he says, “I pick up my life and take it with me and i put it down in Chicago… Any place that is North and West and not South” (DBQ D). After The Emancipation Proclamation people, mostly in the south, still treated the slaves as if they were aliens. The goal for the person in this poem was to move

This allusion to “mercy” also makes the reader assume that narrator has converted into Christianity, herein appealing as a positive resolution. Early on, a fine line is created between Africa and assumingly, the New World. The poem seems to depict Africa as bad and the New World as good. Race is then integrated as the poem continues, “Their colour is a diabolic die” (6). This other metaphor elaborates on the thought that Africa, represented by black slaves, is bad and the New World, now assumingly whites, is good.

Phillis Wheatley was a famous poet, her themes were mostly about her own experiences and feelings she had. She also took inspiration from the Bible, many other inspirational writings she knew. Wheatley comes from a background of a slave, she was sold at the age of seven and was brought to America by slave traders. Wheatley didn’t have an easy life at first but after coming to America she was bought by a good family, the Wheatley’s. Phillis was taught to read and write by the family, and after some time she took interest in the Bible, history, and British