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Phillis wheatley religion
What role does religion have on phillis wheatley's poems
What role does religion have on phillis wheatley's poems
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Study of the Religious and Allusory Diction in Wheatley’s On Being Brought from Africa to America
Phillis Wheatley was born around 1753 and was the first African American woman to publish a book of poems. Her famous poem On Being Brought from Africa to America concerns her stand against slaves being treated as simply objects to be used under the name of God. Susan Lippert Martin’s journal article Diabolic Dye, Commodities, and Refinement in Phillis Wheatley’s ON BEING BROUGHT FROM AFRICA TO AMERICA analyzes the poem in-depth from the significance of the entire piece down to a single word. My intent in reading her essay was to gain more understanding on who Phillis Wheatley was as a person and where she stood in her society, for I have not
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studied her in detail in my academic career yet. The first question I had while reading the analysis was: is Phillis Wheatley religious?
Martin mentions in her opening paragraph that in Wheatley’s poem, “she is testifying to her belief that people of African descent are equal in God’s sight to white people…” (Martin 157). Wheatley is knowledgeable of Christian theology, but that does not necessarily make her religious. Martin answers my question with the next paragraph, writing “…her fate in life was dictated in large measure by human choice, attitude, and behavior, she ascribes to God those circumstances both past and present that have shaped her life…” (Martin 158). Therefore, Wheatley must believe God exists in order to “ascribe” to him. From this point on Martin continues to prove that Wheatley believes, even if she is not religious, by mentioning how men do not control Wheatley’s life, but God …show more content…
does. Furthermore, Wheatley alludes to her belief with her careful diction. Martin brings to her reader’s attention the lines “Some view our sable race with scornful eye, / ‘Their colour is a diabolic dye’” (Wheatley). Diabolic dye is not only a subtle religious reference, but a political one as well. According to Martin, one of the definitions of diabolic in the Oxford English Dictionary is “of or pertaining to the devil” (Oxford English Dictionary, Def. 2b). Dye, on the other hand, refers to the product of indigo dye that was produced by slaves at the time. The Quaker minister and abolitionist John Woolman set into motion the practice of Quakers only wearing gray textiles, for he refused to wear any clothes that were dyed with the use of slavery. I find it very surprising that something so commonplace today as dye could have made such an impact on slavery back then. If one was seen “wearing articles colored with slave-produced dye” they were assumed to be pro-slavery (Martin 159). Many were assumed to be pro-slavery for wearing slavery-dyed clothing even though they weren’t even aware that their clothing dye came from slave production. Wheatley impresses me with her continuous subtle references to the products of slavery, this time it being sugar.
She again makes reference to both products of slavery and religious standing with her lines: “‘Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, / May be refined, and join the angelic train’” (Wheatley). Martin makes the connection that slaves are seen simply as tools or animals to be used instead of humans. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, one of the definitions of refined is: “purified; freed from impurities or extraneous matter… of a substance or product (especially sugar or oil)” (Oxford English Dictionary, Def. 3.1). Thus, Wheatley could have possibly used the word in reference to the slave production of sugar. Furthermore, she is declaring that there is no way in God’s eyes that she could be considered the same as sugar, as in something to simply be used and disposed of. She is a human being, not just an object to be
used. Martin translates that Wheatley believed “both Christians and people of African descent are capable of committing sin, which would render them ‘black as Cain,’ if one equates sin with a black stain upon soul or character” (Martin 159). She believed that all were equal in the eyes of God and that her fate was not in the control of man. While questioning who was in real control of her life, Wheatley stood firm in her belief of God. Works Cited “diabolic.” Oxford English Dictionary. Online ed. 2014. Web. Martin, Susan Lippert. “Diabolic Dye, Commodities, and Refinement in Phillis Wheatley's ON BEING BROUGHT FROM AFRICA TO AMERICA.” The Explicator, vol. 73, no. 2, 2 June 2015, pp. 157–161. Taylor & Francis Online, doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/00144940. 2015.1032192. “refined.” Oxford English Dictionary. Online ed. 2014. Web. Wheatley, Phillis. “On Being Brought From Africa To America.” PoemHunter.com, 31 Dec. 2003, www.poemhunter.com/poem/on-being-brought-from-africa-to-america/.
Equiano worked with British abolitionists to placate the conditions of poor black people by settling them in the new British West African colonies. Whereas, Wheatley’s works provided demonstrable evidence of reason, which was previously considered absent among African slaves. In her poem “On the Death of the Rev. George Whitefield”, Phillis Wheatley acclaims that the Africans “shall be sons, and kings, and priests to God.” The Reverend Alexander Crummell educated African Americans; later, he moved to Liberia as a missionary
Although two different authors wrote these works of literature, A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson and From Africa to America, both stories possessed similar and different elements of writing. These tales were worthy of comparing because they had various things to review, contrast, and realize, such as the worship they had or didn’t have for God, their experiences, and their styles. Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano were remarkable writers whose works will always be a part of America’s history for the various styles and purposes they had to share with their readers.
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
Readers unfamiliar with Phillis Wheatley may wonder of her background and who she was in particular to be able to gain rights to be mentioned in early American literature. Wheatley was born in 1753 and was captured by Africans, and sold to an American family known as the Wheatley’s. She quickly became a member of the Wheatley family, living in the home, and being tutored on reading and writing.
Wheatley starts the poem in a very dark place when she mentions the word “benighted,” (Line 2) as if the darkness has disappeared from her life once she met mercy. Since the poem was written in the late 1700’s the reader can assume that she was in the darkness in her homeland Senegal because she as a slave. Once she was brought to America by mercy she is no longer in the dark. The word benighted is to be overtaken by darkness, so this means that the speaker was benighted when she lived in a place where they did not follow certain religious beliefs as the rest of the world. The speaker’s soul is in a dark place and when she was brought to America and found God, she was enlightened. Another example of how Wheatley references color and darkness is line six in the poem “Their colour is a diabolic die,” (Line 6) this is the only sentence in the poem that has quotation marks so the readers can assume that she quoted someone. This could also mean that she is referring to a phy...
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.
To further analyze a more spoiled African American of the time, Phillis Wheatley did address the issues of her race as much as Sojourner Truth did. Wheatley mainly wrote “to Whites, for Whites and generally in the Euro-American tradition at that time” (Jamison 408). Her content focused on Christianity, morality, virtue, and other non-African-American-related topics. Her poetry has an underlying attitude of a white, not an African American. She shares the same views and attitude as a Caucasian, therefore she is part of African American literature because she was born into it, but she did not share the particular views and struggles of the African American population. She was heavily praised, because it was not expected from an African such as herself, although her upbringing should be considered. Some white men admired her work, because it was more than
On Being Brought from Africa to America, Wheatley’s short poem reads powerfully. How could one possibly breeze past such a sharply positioned argument which directly places her race front and center?
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.
Wheatleys separate desire was to write poetry about her personal experience, ideas, and beliefs . However; In "Being Brought from Africa to America" Wheatley expresses "some view our race with scornful eye." here shes not indicating who views our face with scornful eye,
Wheatley, Phillis. Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. New York: AMS Press, 1976. Rpt. of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. Philadelphia, 1786.
Wheatley explains in her works that there is a God that believes in you, no matter what race or religion. The idea of hope is so strongly engraved into Wheatley’s stories because hope is all she had to cling to while in Africa and then while being separated from her husband after arriving in America. A man named John Wheatley purchased Wheatley and gave her a much better life than she ever imagined. From her journey across the ocean upon her arrival to the United States of America, she expressed her love for writing as an illustration of God’s unfailing love to share with people. She became familiar with the true meaning of the bible and God’s providence. God’s providence is how he cares and watches over her during the life’s passage. In “To the University of Cambridge, in New England”, she is able to write to the college students about the main goals. Wheatley heavily emphasizes to them that they should not get so wrapped up in their schoolwork and studies that it hinders their personal relationship with God. By having a balance in schooling and daily walk with God, it will help the student’s life more efficiently than just doing one action. The author’s main point in her poetry
Each of Phillis Wheatley’s poems is crafted with a specific purpose in mind. Although her use of heroic couplets stays mostly standard, she does leave room for adaptations that offer some insight into her ultimate purpose. While many of her poems humble her own position, often it is indeed for a specific cause, usually to convey a point she could not have otherwise communicated without fear of chastisement. On the other hand, speaking on religious matters she seems to feel bold enough to elevate her own position to that of an authority figure, giving guidance and hope to those in need of it.
...orld about the interpretation of “Black English”, but flaws in the execution of her publication could prevent her audience from grasping her claim. Her biggest problem is the pathos that oozes from the paper. Whether it is the use of outside comments or hybrid dialogue, the pathos could block the minds of literary scholars. The ethos that Smitherman tries to achieve through quotations and research does not work when the quotes are pathos-charged and are from irrelevant time period. The support to her claim that “Black English” should remain strictly to Black culture doesn’t make a lot of sense. It is illogical to think that the only solution is to stop correcting for the grammar of “Black English” and still keep it only amongst African Americans. Smitherman’s claim for better treatment of “Black English would be perceived far better without the strong use of pathos.
The clash between racial reality and idea is what is artistically shown in “on being brought from Africa to America”. Wheatley is a subtle rebel. At the beginning of her poem she shows thanks for being enslaved because it brought happiness to her life in finding Christianity, but as time goes by we start to see the true tone of Wheatley, which clearly show in the last two lines of the poem, now Wheatley begins to take a big position of power as if she already has the attention of the reader. Wheatley continues by saying that Africans may not be perfect but the Christians who enslave human beings aren’t