On Being Brought from Africa to America is a short but powerful poem by Phillis Wheatley that reflects on the journey of an enslaved African girl brought to the American colonies and her conversion to Christianity. This article explores the historical context, literary meaning, and lasting significance of On Being Brought from Africa to America, helping readers understand why this 1773 poem remains a vital text in American literature and Black history.
Introduction
Phillis Wheatley was the first published African American female poet. Kidnapped from West Africa as a child and enslaved in Boston, she learned to read and write within a few years of her arrival. Her poem On Being Brought from Africa to America is only eight lines long, yet it carries complex messages about race, faith, and identity. For students and general readers, the poem is often a starting point for discussing how literature can both conform to and subtly challenge the norms of its time That's the part that actually makes a difference..
The work is frequently studied in schools because it shows the contradictions of a society that praised piety while permitting slavery. By examining Wheatley’s word choices, we can see how she used the language of her enslavers to assert her own humanity.
Historical Background of the Poem
To understand On Being Brought from Africa to America, we must look at the 18th-century Atlantic world.
- The transatlantic slave trade forcibly moved millions of Africans to the Americas.
- Wheatley was taken around age seven or eight and sold to the Wheatley family in 1761.
- Boston was a center of Puritan religion, where conversion and salvation were highly valued.
- Published in 1773 in Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, the book was approved by white colonists who doubted a Black person could write poetry.
Wheatley’s position was unusual: she was enslaved yet educated, Black yet Christian, colonized yet published. The poem reflects this tension.
The Text and Its Literal Meaning
The poem reads:
’Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too:
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye,
“Their colour is a diabolic dye.”
Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,
May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train.
In simple terms, Wheatley says she was brought from Africa (which she calls “Pagan”) by “mercy” and taught about God and salvation. She then addresses those who hate Black people, reminding them that Africans can also be saved.
Scientific and Linguistic Explanation
From a linguistic view, the poem uses couplets with a steady AABB rhyme scheme. This structure was common in 18th-century English poetry and gave Wheatley’s words a familiar, acceptable form.
Key terms to note:
- Pagan: used by Wheatley to describe African traditional beliefs, though today we recognize Africa had rich spiritual systems. Worth adding: - Benighted: meaning in darkness or ignorance, a reflection of Christian viewpoint of the time. - Sable: a poetic word for Black or dark.
- Cain: biblical figure, wrongly used in racist thought as a symbol of dark skin.
Counterintuitive, but true That alone is useful..
Psychologically, the poem shows double consciousness, a term later coined by W.Day to day, e. B. Plus, du Bois. Wheatley speaks as both a Christian and an African, aware of how others see her Nothing fancy..
Steps to Analyze the Poem
If you are reading On Being Brought from Africa to America for class or personal growth, follow these steps:
- Identify the speaker – An enslaved African girl who is now a Christian.
- Note the tone – Calm, ironic, and gently corrective.
- Find the shift – The poem moves from personal story to a rebuke of racism in lines five to eight.
- Examine the irony – Wheatley thanks “mercy” for slavery, which can be read as survival strategy or genuine faith.
- Connect to history – Link the words to the 1770s slave economy and religious debates.
Deeper Interpretation
Many modern readers ask: Did Wheatley support slavery? Most scholars say no. Her poem uses strategic accommodation. By framing her arrival as “mercy,” she gains a hearing from white audiences. Then she slips in a radical claim: Black people are equal in God’s eyes That's the part that actually makes a difference..
You'll probably want to bookmark this section.
This is an early example of coded resistance. She does not attack slavery directly, but she destroys the idea that Black skin is evil. In doing so, she lays ground for later abolitionist writing Small thing, real impact..
Why the Poem Matters Today
On Being Brought from Africa to America is more than a historical artifact. It helps us discuss:
- Representation: A Black woman writing in a white-dominated field.
- Faith and freedom: How religion can be both a tool of control and a source of dignity.
- Racial justice: The poem’s closing lines are an appeal for equality that still resonates.
Teachers use the poem to show that enslaved people were not passive. They wrote, thought, and argued using the tools available to them It's one of those things that adds up..
Common Misreadings to Avoid
- Thinking Wheatley hated Africa: She used Christian terms because that was required for publication.
- Ignoring the last four lines: The poem’s core message is anti-racist.
- Assuming short means simple: The compression makes every word weighty.
FAQ
Who was Phillis Wheatley?
She was an enslaved African girl brought to Boston in 1761, later becoming the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry Which is the point..
What is the main theme of the poem?
The main theme is the possibility of salvation for all races, combined with a quiet criticism of racial prejudice Less friction, more output..
Why does she call Africa “Pagan”?
That was the Christian label of the era. Wheatley used it to fit the religious expectations of her readers while still asserting her worth Worth keeping that in mind..
Is the poem pro-slavery?
No. Most evidence shows it is a survival text that uses accepted language to argue for Black humanity.
How long is the poem?
Only eight lines, but it is studied as deeply as much longer works.
Conclusion
On Being Brought from Africa to America by Phillis Wheatley remains a cornerstone of American educational reading because it packs historical, religious, and racial commentary into a tiny frame. By learning its context and language, readers gain not only literary skill but also a clearer view of how enslaved Africans used writing to claim their place in history. The poem teaches us that even within constraint, the human spirit can speak with clarity and quiet power. Whether you are a student, teacher, or curious reader, returning to Wheatley’s lines offers a reminder that understanding our past is essential to building a more just future But it adds up..
Further Reading and Classroom Approaches
For those who want to go beyond the poem itself, pairing Wheatley’s work with later abolitionist texts—such as Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s speeches or Frederick Douglass’s narratives—can illuminate how her coded resistance evolved into open confrontation. Practically speaking, in the classroom, instructors might ask students to rewrite the final stanza in contemporary language, revealing how the appeal for racial equality translates across centuries. Digital archives, including Wheatley’s original 1773 manuscript, also allow readers to see the material conditions of her publication and the white patrons who introduced her book Small thing, real impact..
Such exercises show that Wheatley was not an isolated voice but part of a longer tradition of Black authorship that used available platforms to insist on full humanity. Her eight lines, therefore, are not a closing argument but an opening gesture in a conversation that continues wherever readers take her words seriously.
Final Thought
Phillis Wheatley’s brevity was a strategy, not a limitation. Still, in a world that denied her voice, she crafted a poem that met the rules of her time while quietly breaking them. To read On Being Brought from Africa to America today is to listen for what is said underneath the surface—and to recognize that literature, even at its most constrained, can carry the seed of liberation.
