On being brought from AFRICA to AMERICA, Phillis Wheatley

On being brought from AFRICA to AMERICA

Phillis  Wheatley

 '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 die."

Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,

May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.

 On being brought from AFRICA to AMERICA written by Phillis Wheatley was publish 1773. While America was still an England colony, Phillis Wheatley was an "enslaved black female" poet owned by John Wheatley. What did she want to tell the audience since she was a total minor in the society; slave, woman, and black? This poem is brave. As I kept saying, she was a slave, and especially on the eighteenth century, there was a strict bias to African American, although she was settled on North, where was weaker racism than South. However, in this poem, she "bravely" tells that her thought toward the redemption for the black. It might be really hard for her to speak out her thoughts and to be sarcastic about the white. she did not directly make a satire at the white, but what she wants to tell was pretty straightforward; being brought from Africa to America, being taught Christianity and redemption, but not being able to go to heaven because of her skin color, which the white said "cursed." The tone of this poem could be strong, as well as soft. The words like "diabolic," "die," "scornful," and "Cain" sound strong, but the words like "May," "angelic," "mercy," and "redemption" make the sound soft. I love this ambiguous tone, and last two lines, my favorite lines, "Remember, Christian, Negros, Black as Cain./ May be refin'd and  joined th' angelic train," rule the ambiguousness in  the poem. Last two lines deliver the message she wants to tell; however, it is not clear enough to say straight forward because there are two ways to read the lines.

1) Remember,/ Christian, Negros,/ Black as Cain.

2) Remember, Christian,/ Negros, Black as Cain.

 I like second one more than first one because the voice is more connected from the beginning. However, there are no correct answers for the poem since what you feel is right. In addition, I like the metaphors, Cain for the cursed people, angelic train for heaven, and pagan land for Africa. It is pretty direct and simple metaphors letting people easily get the ideas. 

 Although there are controversial opinion between Phillis Wheatey's poetical quality, If I read only this poem, I'd like to say she was the poet, because for me, poems are all about feeling of life and thoughts of religion. Although all her collections did not have a specific theme, such as death, life, redemption, or so on, she still has her own theme, "Phillis Wheatley's life." She delivered her life as slave, black, woman, christian, and made the audience "feel" the messages. The most important thing for poets and writers is emotional connection with readers, and she did. 

"Misery is often the parent of the most affecting touches in poetry. Among the blacks is misery enough, God knows, but not poetry. Love is the peculiar oestrum of the poet. Their love is ardent, but it kindles the senses only, not the imagination. Religion, indeed, has produced a Phillis Wheatley; but it could not produce a poet." - Thomas Jefferson