Plot of Wheatleys On Being Brought From Africa to America

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Key Theme
Analysis
Conclusion
Reference

Introduction

Philips Wheatleys On Being Brought from Africa to America is an autobiographic poem describing the poets experience being enslaved and brought to the American colonies in the second half of the eighteenth century. Born in the 1750s in Gambia, Africa, Wheatley was captured by slave traders and brought to America as a young girl. After arriving, she was sold to the Wheatley family in Boston, Massachusetts. Her slaveowners educated Philips, and within one and a half years of her arrival to the country, she could read the Bible, classic British literature, and Latin and Greek works. She also engaged in geography and astronomy, and at fourteen, she published her very first poem in 1767. Wheatley was the very first woman of African American descent to publish a poetry book and argued that all individuals, despite their race, can find salvation through Christianity. Particular success was brought to Wheatley by her publication of An Elegiac Poem, on the Death of the Celebrated Divine George Whitefield in 1770. Thus, by looking further into the ideas of humanity and salvation that lie at the core of Christian doctrines, the author powerfully challenges racism in America and shows pride in her ethnicity.

Key Theme

The theme of the poem focuses on the author being taken from her non-Christian homeland as an act of mercy and the gift of a religion: Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land (Wheatley, 2021, para. 1). Although slavery was horrific, it allowed her to learn about Christianity and redemption through Jesus Christ: Taught my benighted soul to understand That theres God, and theres a Savior too: Once I redemption neither sought nor knew (Wheatley, 2021, para. 1). The religion was something that was previously known to her, and it was unlikely that she would ever seek it out on her own. It is notable that the speaker then addresses the issue of white people looking down on African Americans and viewing their skin tone as the devils sign: Some view our sable race with scornful eye, Their color is a diabolic dye (Wheatley, 2021, para. 1). However, the author reminds their readers that African Americans, whose skin was as dark as Cains, also have the opportunity to redeem themselves and reach salvation through Christianity: Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain, May be refind, and join th angelic train (Wheatley, 2021, para. 1). Thus, the poem does not consider the process of enslavement per se, even though the author was shown to be critical of the practice but did not fight it precisely because it was commonplace in her lifetime.

Analysis

Following the plot of the poem, it is notable that the speaker in On Being Brought from Africa to America argues that Christianity allowed her to reject the practice of racism on the premise that all people have equality in the eyes of the Creator. The author directly denies the belief that African Americans are incapable of redemption because of their skin color, a widespread Christian community in the eighteenth century. However, she insists that Black people can join the religion and achieve redemption through belief or prayer.

After she establishes the gratitude for her conversion to Christianity in the first part of the poem, Wheatley switches her focus toward the issue of people seeing dark skin as something demonic and should not be trusted. Such views were unfortunately very common in the eighteenth century and further. The author uses an allusion to the Bible to support her view that Christianity is supportive of equality among races by bringing up Cain and Abels story. In the Bible, Cain commits the first homicide by killing his brother, Abel. After God publishes Cain for his offense, he shows mercy by offering protection and placing a mark on him. Anyone seeing that mark will interpret it as a warning to others who may be motivated to harm Cain. During Wheatleys lifetime, Protestant Christians believed that the mark given to Cain was his dark skin, which is why the speaker of the poem makes that reference. However, the allusion to Cain is more in-depth than just his skin color. Through drawing the comparison between African Americans and Cain, the author suggests that those arriving from Africa also have the dignity and worth to be forgiven by God, similar to the forgiveness given to the person who committed the first act of killing.

Conclusion

Thus, in On Being Brought from Africa to America, Wheatley asserts that if Cain deserves mercy, everyone does, regardless of race. In the authors eyes, the notion of race should not be dividing people in the religious context because God does not discriminate against anyone when He punishes or forgives people for their doings. Many may view the authors perspective as paradoxical due to the racially discriminatory roots of Christianity. However, her dedication to proclaiming equality should be applauded, considering the time and context of the poems writing.

Reference

Wheatley, P. (2021). On being brought from Africa to America. Poetry Foundation. Web.

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Plot of Wheatleys On Being Brought From Africa to America

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