What type of figurative language does Wheatley use in most of her poems . 233 Words1 Page. Free Black History Month Poem Teaching Resources | TPT Poetic devices are thin on the ground in this short poem but note the thread of silent consonants brought/Taught/benighted/sought and the hard consonants scornful/diabolic/black/th'angelic which bring texture and contrast to the sound. The speaker, a slave brought from Africa to America by whites magnifies the discrepancy between the whites' perception of blacks and the reality of the situation. The inclusion of the white prejudice in the poem is very effective, for it creates two effects. Born c. 1753 Speaking for God, the prophet at one point says, "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" (Isaiah 48:10). 24, 27-31, 33, 36, 42-43, 47. Wheatley on being brought from africa to america. Being Brought From copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. One of the first things a reader will notice about this poem is the rhyme scheme, which is AABBCCDD. Now the speaker states that some people treat Black people badly and look upon them scornfully. It is not mere doctrine or profession that saves. She also means the aesthetic refinement that likewise (evidently in her mind at least) may accompany spiritual refinement. by Phillis Wheatley. Alliteration is a common and useful device that helps to increase the rhythm of the poem. At this point, the poem displaces its biblical legitimation by drawing attention to its own achievement, as inherent testimony to its argument. Sophia has taught college French and composition. Mary Beth Norton presents documents from before and after the war in. On Being Brought from Africa to America On this note, the speaker segues into the second stanza, having laid out her ("Christian") position and established the source of her rhetorical authority. Once I redemption neither sought nor knew. to America") was published by Archibald Bell of London. Throughout the poem, the speaker talks about God's mercy and the indifferent attitude of the people toward the African-American community. Poet and World Traveler . Spelling is very inaccurate and hinders full understanding. Thomas Paine | Common Sense Quotes & History, Wallace Stevens's 'Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird': Summary & Analysis, Letters from an American Farmer by St. Jean de Crevecoeur | Summary & Themes, Mulatto by Langston Hughes: Poem & Analysis, The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell | Summary & Analysis, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut | Summary & Chronology. February 2023, Oakland Curator: Jan Watten Diaspora is a vivid word. 1, edited by Nina Baym, Norton, 1998, p. 825. It was dedicated to the Countess of Huntingdon, a known abolitionist, and it made Phillis a sensation all over Europe. The typical funeral sermon delivered by this sect relied on portraits of the deceased and exhortations not to grieve, as well as meditations on salvation. Biography of Phillis Wheatley They have become, within the parameters of the poem at least, what they once abhorredbenighted, ignorant, lost in moral darkness, unenlightenedbecause they are unable to accept the redemption of Africans. Wheatley's shift from first to third person in the first and second stanzas is part of this approach. To a Gentleman and Lady on the Death of the Lady's Brother and Sister, and a Child of the Name Avis, Aged One Year. According to Merriam-Webster, benighted has two definitions. According to Robinson, the Gentleman's Magazine of London and the London Monthly Review disagreed on the quality of the poems but agreed on the ingeniousness of the author, pointing out the shame that she was a slave in a freedom-loving city like Boston. Further, because the membership of the "some" is not specified (aside from their common attitude), the audience is not automatically classified as belonging with them. The audience must therefore make a decision: Be part of the group that acknowledges the Christianity of blacks, including the speaker of the poem, or be part of the anonymous "some" who refuse to acknowledge a portion of God's creation. If it is not, one cannot enter eternal bliss in heaven. Line 2 explains why she considers coming to America to have been good fortune. She belonged to a revolutionary family and their circle, and although she had English friends, when the Revolution began, she was on the side of the colonists, reflecting, of course, on the hope of future liberty for her fellow slaves as well. sable - black; (also a small animal with dark brown or black fur. At the age of 14, she published her first poem in a local newspaper and went on to publish books and pamphlets. She was instructed in Evangelical Christianity from her arrival and was a devout practicing Christian. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., in The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers (2003), contends that Wheatley's reputation as a whitewashed black poet rests almost entirely on interpretations of "On Being Brought from Africa to America," which he calls "the most reviled poem in African-American literature." Surely, too, she must have had in mind the clever use of syntax in the penultimate line of her poem, as well as her argument, conducted by means of imagery and nuance, for the equality of both races in terms of their mutually "benighted soul." Mr. George Whitefield . While it suggests the darkness of her African skin, it also resonates with the state of all those living in sin, including her audience. The eighteen judges signed a document, which Phillis took to London with her, accompanied by the Wheatley son, Nathaniel, as proof of who she was. But another approach is also possible. She wrote about her pride in her African heritage and religion. . Cain is a biblical character that kills his brother, an example of the evil of humanity. Illustrated Works The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. . She was the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry and was brought to America and enslaved in 1761. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998), p.98. "On Being Brought from Africa to America" is written in iambic pentameter, which means that each line contains ten syllables, with every other syllable being stressed. Phillis Wheatley: Complete Writings (2001), which includes "On Being Brought from Africa to America," finally gives readers a chance to form their own opinions, as they may consider this poem against the whole body of Wheatley's poems and letters. In the meanwhile, until you change your minds, enjoy the firefight! As the final word of this very brief poem, train is situated to draw more than average attention to itself. May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train. Scribd is the world's largest social reading and publishing site. The "authentic" Christian is the one who "gets" the puns and double entendres and ironies, the one who is able to participate fully in Wheatley's rhetorical performance. She describes Africa as a "Pagan land." The book includes a portrait of Wheatley and a preface where 17 notable Boston citizens verified that the work was indeed written by a Black woman. 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. Some were deists, like Benjamin Franklin, who believed in God but not a divine savior. From the start, critics have had difficulty disentangling the racial and literary issues. FURT, Wheatley, Phillis The opening thought is thus easily accepted by a white or possibly hostile audience: that she is glad she came to America to find true religion. John Peters eventually abandoned Wheatley and she lived in abject poverty, working in a boardinghouse, until her death on December 5, 1784. Wheatley is guiding her readers to ask: How could good Christian people treat other human beings in such a horrific way? Providing a comprehensive and inspiring perspective in The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., remarks on the irony that "Wheatley, having been pain-stakingly authenticated in her own time, now stands as a symbol of falsity, artificiality, of spiritless and rote convention." 1-13. 15 chapters | For instance, the use of the word sable to describe the skin color of her race imparts a suggestion of rarity and richness that also makes affiliation with the group of which she is a part something to be desired and even sought after. succeed. It was written by a black woman who was enslaved. She was intended to be a personal servant to the wife of John Wheatley. During the war in Iraq, black recruitment falls off, in part due to the many more civil career options open to young blacks. Literary Elements in On Being Brought from Africa to America In the following essay, Scheick argues that in "On Being Brought from Africa to America," Wheatleyrelies on biblical allusions to erase the difference between the races. In returning the reader circularly to the beginning of the poem, this word transforms its biblical authorization into a form of exemplary self-authorization. CRITICAL OVERVIEW This article seeks to analyze two works of black poetry, On Being Brought from Africa to America by Phillis Wheatley and I, too, Sing . J Afr Am St (2016) 20:67-74 (ff) >D/ CrossMark DOI 10. 1007/sl21 1 1 Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. 372-73. It is organized into four couplets, which are two rhymed lines of verse. "On Being Brought from Africa to America" is really about the irony of Christian people who treat Black people as inferior. It also talks about how they were looked at differently because of the difference in the color of their skin. This line is meaningful to an Evangelical Christian because one's soul needs to be in a state of grace, or sanctified by Christ, upon leaving the earth. The Challenge "There are more things in heav'n and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."Hamlet. being Brought from Africa to America." In the poem "Wheatley chose to use the meditation as the form for her contemplation of her enslavement." (Frazier) In the poem "On being Brought from Africa to America." Phillis Wheatley uses different poetic devices like figurative language, form, and irony to express the hypocrisy of American racism. Encyclopedia.com. When we consider how Wheatley manages these biblical allusions, particularly how she interprets them, we witness the extent to which she has become self-authorized as a result of her training and refinement. . 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. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. The Philosophy of Mystery by Walter Cooper Dendy - Complete text online