‘On Being Brought From Africa to America’ By: Phillis Wheatley Born 1753, Gambia Died on December 5th, 1784, Boston Mass. Born in Africa in 1753, Phillis Wheatley a future African American poet was kidnapped from her home in Gambia and shipped to New England in 1761. She was procured by Boston businessman, Sir John Wheatley, to care for his sickly wife Susanna in her frail age. Susanna liked the newfound Wheatley and educated her as if she was a part of the family, name and all. Phillis was assigned light, menial tasks around the house while she was being taught to read and write and was encouraged to study literature. As a result, after many years she had achieved an extremely high level of education unheard of even to many of the much higher …show more content…
Historical experts believe to point to the year 1765 in which she started to produce her own publishable works of poetry, that she gained international attention for in 1770 when her works were first published in the newspaper throughout New England. Now in 1773, ‘On Being Brought From Africa to America’, was found in the first full volume published work by an African American, let alone a woman, ‘Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral’, which examines the theme of adventurism and of spiritual awakening sprouting from being thrust into American society and being shown mercy and understanding through educational well-being. As such she was then a part of the flowering dialogue of the emerging American Republic, using her poems as the English version of ancient heroic Greek neoclassical works. However instead of using her voice as a protest to the slave trade like in ‘On Being Brought From Africa to America’, she surprisingly reveals her menial acceptance of her slave attributes and understanding of the immoral practices it holds. Without a doubt Phillis Wheatley will be known as a classic masterful poet of the time, and has been and will be praised for her astounding
A little background on the author of “Liberty and Peace” Mrs. Phillis Wheatley she was brought to the America in the 1700’s from west Africa for slavery. However, she was only seven years old and end up in Boston instead of the south other slaves. It was there where her literary talents were discovered by her slave masters the Wheatley’s. She was taught to read and write like the other children within the Wheatley’s household. Her first published poem was at the age of thirteen told the story of rescue at sea and was published without any problems. However even though she was literate she was still far away from her homeland. She expressed her feels through her later poems, which many were not published because of her being an African
Wheatley was born in West Africa around 1750, and was captured when she was 7. John Wheatley purchased Phillis for his wife, Susanna; together they taught Phillis how to read and write, and as early as 12, Phillis was writing poetry and her first poem had been published. Wheatley’s poems implicitly advocated for racial equality, while condemning slavery. Her work received some negative feedback from political figureheads, such as Thomas Jefferson. White America classified a human as having the ability to read, write, and reason; therefore, leaving no room for the uneducated Africans, seeing Africans as nonhuman. Jefferson claimed Wheatley’s work was not literature because the moment he admitted Wheatley’s work was indeed literature, he would have had to admit she was a human being. The way Phillis Wheatley handled the adversity she faced is admirable. Wheatley definitely impacted American history, and “owes her place in history to advocates of inequality” (Young 1999
Throughout the poem, “To the University of Cambridge, in New England”, Phyllis Wheatley suggest that she accepted the colonial idea of slavery, by first describing her captivity, even though this poem has a subversive double meaning that has sent an anti-slavery message. Wheatley’s choice of words indicates that her directed audience was educated at a sophisticated level because of the language chosen. Her audience was assumingly also familiar with the bible because of the religious references used. The bible was used as a reference because of its accessibility. Wheatley uses religious references to subversively warn her readers about slavery and its repercussions and to challenge her reader’s morals.
There are several points of comparison between the two writers. First, both wrote collections of poetry. Wheatley is considered the mother of the African-American literary tradition. She became the first African American to publish a book and the second woman in the United States to publish a collection of poetry. Her writing abilities sent a wave of shock through the white Americans of her day and many found it unbelieva...
Harriet Jacobs was raised as though she was not a slave; however, when she turned 6 years old her mother died and she realized the truth about her heritage. Nevertheless, her life was not that bad because her mistress was very kind to her. However, that was until her mistress passed away and gave Jacobs to her niece, whose father is a controlling manipulative man. Phillis Wheatley, on the other hand, was brought to Massachusetts from Senegal in 1761, on a slave ship at the age of 8. To much her advantage, Wheatley was bought by John Wheatley who, with the help from his wife, educated Phillis to the point she became fluent in latin and greek. She soon started writing poetry and at the age of 12 published her first poem. Wheatley and Jacobs, with the use of imagery, wrote their writings to educate those who they thought did not have enough information on slave life and religion.
The poetry of Phillis Wheatley is crafted in such a manner that she is able to create a specific aim for each poem, and achieve that aim by manipulating her position as the speaker. As a slave, she was cautious to cross any lines with her proclamations, but was able to get her point across by humbling her own position. In religious or elegiac matters, however, she seemed to consider herself to be an authority. Two of her poems, the panegyric “To MAECENAS” and the elegy “On the Death of a young Lady of Five Years of Age,” display Wheatley’s general consistency in form, but also her intelligence, versatility, and ability to adapt her position in order to achieve her goals.
Phillis became a Christian, she was very religious, and it showed in her poetry (“The Poetry of Phillis Wheatley”). Meaning that she was happy because she found a way of redemption, she found God. She faced many challenges in her life, because of the color of her skin. According to "The Poetry of Phillis Wheatley," many Americans couldn’t believe her work, they belittle it, even if the work was great, because she was black. But through her poetry, and for her to publish her poetry book, speaks for how things were changing throughout history, little by
After being kidnapped at age seven and taken to America on a ship, where one in four enslaved Africans died on the journey, to be sold into slavery, many would expect this experience to foster a sense of despair within Wheatley (Carretta). On the contrary, this journey, which inspired the title of her poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” Wheatley sheds light on the benefits of her situation.
Similar to that of Oludah Equiano’s narrative, Phillis Wheatley was the first African-American woman in America to publish her book of poems. Being subject to a variety of discriminations, being a woman and black she was able to publish successful poems, although commonly directed at the religious aspect of the importance of Christianity for a slave, she also touches upon issues relating to race in “On Being Brought from Africa to America” being a powerful insight into slavery leading us to connect these issues into Gilroy’s idea of the “Black Atlantic”. Using rhyme and iambic pedometer "On Being Brought" mixes themes of slavery, Christianity, and salvation, and although it's unusual for Wheatley to write about being a slave taken from Africa
The power to do an outlandish action to change the future is truly remarkable. Eighteenth century poet Phillis Wheatley a former slave in the United States became the first African American to publish a book of poems. Fully aware that her life would change drastically she had no idea that her life would change for the better as her slave ship kissed the shores of Massachusetts. She had no idea that she would embark on the journey which would become the pathway for other African Americans to take upon themselves to understand literature. Phillis is amongst the few in history that created a tremendous change in how the eighteenth century population of white masters viewed the slaves they owned.
Applegate, Anne. “Philllis Wheatley: Her Critics and her Contribution.” Negro American Literature Forum 9.4 (1975): 123-136. JStor Database. Web. 29 July 2011.
Phillis Wheatley overcame extreme obstacles, such as racism and sexism, to become one of the most acclaimed poets in the 18th Century. Her works are characterized by religious and moral backgrounds, which are due to the extensive education of religion she received. In this sense, her poems also fit into American Poetry. However, she differs in the way that she is a black woman whose writings tackle greater subjects while incorporating her moral standpoint. By developing her writing, she began speaking out against injustices that she faced and, consequently, gave way to authors such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Countee Cullen.
In the article, The World of Phillis Wheatley, James Rawley’s main thesis is to show that Phillis Wheatley's work was mainly influenced by the religion. Rawley shows evidence for this claim by bringing up the person Wheatley held the tightest bond with was Suzanne Whitley, with Rawley describing her as "This remarkable woman was active in religious, humanitarian enterprises, and conducted a wide correspondence with philanthropic persons in England” (668). The relationship between the two women provided the main reason why Wheatley’s work became known to the public. “It was Susanna who planned for the publication of the Poems, and in England enabled the poet to meet distinguished personages, and ultimately secured the slave's freedom.”
The illustration that Phillis Wheatley portrays in history is an African-American woman who wrote poetry. Her life goes more into depths that what is perceived, however. Phillis Wheatley uses her poetry as a unique way to get out the truth. Through poems such as On Being Brought From Africa to America and the poem about Lee, she made statements about was what going on at that time; a revolution. Phillis Wheatley was known as a revolutionary mother, for she gave hope to slaves, ease to whites, and was an influence to America. She was not known for conflict or trying to start an argument, but she more known for personalizing her thoughts onto a piece of paper, read by all of America. Her ideas were used as an influence during the revolutionary war. Phillis Wheatley was not an ordinary slave, but she was accepted into society my the majority. The family who raised her, taught her how to read and write, and she slowly turned into a woman of the revolution.
In “On Being Brought From Africa To America” Phillis Wheatley speaks directly from her experience of coming to America, and how she became very religious on her arrival, so she uses her religious beliefs to explain how lucky she was to be in America and how she made a lot of achievements. Phillis Wheatley was a young black female poet, who started discovering her love for writing when she came to America, although it was illegal to educate black people she found a way to teach herself to read and write, even though a lot of people of her race were told that they weren’t good enough to deserve to be Christians and also to enjoy the advantage of being a citizen in America, Wheatley overcame these immense obstacles and she was so grateful for the chance to be a part of the Christian word and also to hear the word of Christianity, she was also very happy that she was brought to America where she has the opportunity to read and write. “Phillis” wasn’t her real name but her master named her that because the slave ship she boarded to come to America was named Phillis.