On Being Brought from Africa to America

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1773

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Themes

Advocacy of Formal Education

The tradition of neoclassicism requires of its proponents a deep familiarity with Latin, Greek, and religious texts, among other academic, philosophical, and scientific learnings. As scholarly allusions, rational thought, logic, and objectivity were the poetic standards of the time, a formal education was absolutely essential. As evidenced by the poems in Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, Phillis Wheatley valued intellectual and spiritual pursuits as the subjects of her work. Her poem, “To the University of Cambridge in New England,” expresses a desire for a more challenging academic atmosphere and her literary allusions, both classic and biblical, reveal the breadth of her knowledge. “On Being Brought from Africa to America” is no exception to this: The poem explores the theme of education through the lens of Christianity, though it goes well beyond religious implication.

The poem makes a narrative arc from ignorance to awareness in its first four lines. The speaker maintains she was a “benighted soul”—a person lacking intellectual opportunity—before being “taught” by mercy “to understand” (Line 2). Personified within the Christian context, mercy is granted to the speaker because she was stripped of that which she truly deserved: freedom. Mercy intervenes, despite the horror of enslavement, and thus becomes her teacher. Through mercy she learns of the existence of God, of Jesus Christ, and the possibility of redemption—all of which she “neither sought nor knew” (Line 4) before her abduction.

A surface reading suggests Wheatley considered her education to be of an exclusively Christian origin. However, Wheatley merely uses religion as an entry point into the more complex nuances of what education provides. When considering the implication of “redemption” (Line 4) beyond its Christian significance, the word means to regain possession of something in exchange for payment—or the action of buying one’s freedom. Revealing a deep understanding of diction and the ways in which English words are multilayered in meaning, Wheatley uses subtext to argue that education can release a person of the bondage of slavery.

As the second half of the poem continues, Wheatley’s theme of education is extended to her white audience. She implores “Christians” to “remember” (Line 7) that African Americans are also intellectually capable and thereby requests that they personally seek their own education.

Christian Morality and Racial Equality

Similar to the ways Wheatley uses religion as the vehicle for a discussion on education, she also employs Christian morals as a tactical strategy to support racial equality—or, at least to discourage blatant racism. Writing within the biases of her time, Wheatley was aware that an outright rejection of societal norms was impossible. Therefore, she uses more overtly acceptable religious material to convey concepts contrary to the status quo of the time.

To accomplish this, Wheatley first establishes the speaker of “On Being Brought from Africa to America” as a saved Christian. The repetition of “there’s a God […] there’s a Savior too” (Line 3) gives white readers the understanding that the speaker is virtuous and devout and can therefore be trusted. The message in the second half of the poem relies on the religiosity of the first. As the poem transitions from the personal to the external, Wheatley introduces public opinion and hatred of African Americans. Her use of the word “diabolic” in Line 6 invokes the accepted notion that black-skinned people are evil. Wheatley sets this up with the purpose of debunking it by the closing couplet. Her use of the phrase “Remember, Christians” in Line 7 beseeches white readers to reassess their moral compasses. If a Black slave can represent a pillar of Christian values, then what does that suggest about their faith and their own value systems?

Ultimately, Wheatley argues that a true Christian would not support slavery or partake in racist beliefs. The “angelic train” of the final line is a spiritual journey that welcomes all souls on the journey to salvation, regardless of race. Therefore, the spiritual path—founded on Christian morals and belief that Christ is the savior of all human beings—is equalizing.

Development of Double Consciousness

Though “On Being Brought from Africa to America” was published 130 years before the advent of the theory of double consciousness, Wheatley’s poem exhibits the same dual awareness of the self. A phenomenon termed by W.E.B. DuBois in his book The Souls of Black Folk, double consciousness is defined as the internal conflict African Americans (or other subjugated groups within an oppressive society) experience when seeing themselves through the eyes of the dominant white society who views them with contempt. DuBois posits that such awareness creates a psychological schism within the identity of a Black individual, thus creating “two warring ideals in one dark body.” One ideal is the desire to attain social acceptance and societal standing; the other is the belief in the value and validity of one’s blackness.

Wheatley’s poem embodies this duality—particularly in her racial descriptions. First, she describes Africa as a “pagan land” (Line 1)—the word “pagan” is of note—as the word would not be self-referential if not for a Christian viewpoint. Wheatley’s awareness of the dominant Christian culture is apparent. Her familiarity with white society continues as she occupies the voice of a white speaker: “[T]heir colour is a diabolic die” (Line 6). By taking on this voice, Wheatley enacts a fundamental concept of double consciousness: seeing oneself through another’s eyes. Wheatley identifies the eye as “scornful” (Line 5), further highlighting the specificity of understanding how others view her.

As Wheatley makes known her perceptive qualities, the psychological impact of double consciousness begins to show. The poem’s ending suggests that Wheatley believes in the inherent worthiness of her people and wants white society to follow her example. However, given that the poem is written in English, follows European poetic standards, and even adopts a white societal perspective, Wheatley’s desire for acceptance is apparent. The duality between reconciling an African heritage with the utilization of a Eurocentric art form is, for Wheatley, the epitome of the conflict of double consciousness.