Phillis Wheatley On Being Brought From Africa To America Analysis

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Recommended: African American slavery in the colonial era 1619-1775

Nikhil Gudipalli
Mr. Smith
Honors English 11
10 October, 2017
“On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley SPOTTTS Essay
Subject: “On Being Brought from Africa to America” is about how Wheatley was brought from Africa to America as a slave and she turns into a Christian and gets redemption in life but finds out that the blacks are treated differently even though they are Christians.
Paraphrase: Wheatley begins by saying that it was a blessing that she got off Africa. She then states that turning into a Christian gave her knowledge and redemption. Wheatley then states that black people are seen very egregiously. Finally, she reminds Christians that black people are not evil and that all Christians are equal, no matter the color. …show more content…

In the first line, she says “Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land” (Wheatley 154) which shows us that she is talking about where she came from and her conversion. This is surprising because Wheatley is stating that god has affected her life before she even believed in god. In the next line, Wheatley says “Taught my benighted soul to understand” (Wheatley 154). She is inferring that her soul is benighted, overtaken by darkness, and her conversion has brought her into the light. This proves that she is Christian. In the third line, she says “That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too” (Wheatley 154). This is significant because this is where she starts to believe in god which forms the idea that anyone can be converted. Wheatley thinks that blacks and whites should be considered equal because they believe in the same god. In the next line, she says “Once I redemption neither sought nor knew” (Wheatley 154). This is truly a Christian thing to say because she is talking about her soul’s redemption because of her belief in god. Hence, Wheatley also thinks that blacks and whites can be forgiven of their sins through their belief in god. After a couple lines, Wheatley says “Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train” (Wheatley 154). This statement is aimed at Christians, telling them that they should accept blacks too. Through all of this imagery, it is shown that Wheatley wants any race of people to achieve redemption and get treated the same way as

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