19 pages • 38 minutes read
Phillis WheatleyOn Being Brought from Africa to America
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1773A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
"To the University of Cambridge, in New England" by Phillis Wheatley (1773)
Wheatley’s passion for education is evident in this poem, which is addressed to the University of Cambridge. The poem elevates academic pursuits to the divine, suggesting that higher learning is morally virtuous for the soul. There exists an element of sadness within the text: Wheatley, implores Cambridge students to value their educations, as it is clear that she longs for the opportunity herself—an opportunity she would never be afforded.
"To the Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth" by Phillis Wheatley (1773)
This poem, written by Wheatley to praise the leadership and politics of the Earl of Dartmouth, addresses themes similar to “On Being Brought from Africa to America.” Concepts of freedom, oppression, and racial injustice are central. Wheatley expresses hopefulness regarding the Earl’s position of power and even relates him to Christ, believing he will help eradicate slavery in America.
"An Address to Miss Phillis Wheatley" by Jupiter Hammon (1778)
Jupiter Hammon, a contemporary of Wheatley’s, also wrote and published poems. Like Wheatley, Hammon was an educated enslaved person writing about slavery. A well-respected preacher and devout Christian, Hammon worried that Wheatley’s writing had become too pagan influenced. The poem—with each stanza accompanied by a corresponding biblical verse—was written to encourage Wheatley to pursue a Christian path.
Further Literary Resources
"In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens" by Alice Walker (1972)
Alice Walker, known for her Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Color Purple, discusses Phillis Wheatley’s legacy within the framework of a woman “torn by contrary instincts.” In this article, Walker is critical of Wheatley’s work and goes so far as to claim that history will remember Wheatley as “a fool.” Walker’s essay explores the idea of Wheatley’s internalized racism. Writing in the wake of Frantz Fanon, Walker offers an interpretation of Wheatley’s work as seen through a postcolonial perspective.
"Camille T. Dungy on On Being Brought from Africa by Phillis Wheatley" by Camille T. Dungy (2020)
This article, published on Poets.org, provides an overview of “On Being Brought from Africa to America” in terms of poetic craft. A contemporary poet, professor, and critic, Camille T. Dungy focuses on how the poem upholds the standards of its neoclassical tradition (in relationship to form, organization, and reason) while also deviating from neoclassic norms. She pays particular attention to the poem’s internal logic and posits that “there is practically a secret code inside the poem.” Dungy argues that the poem is far more “rebellious” than it appears.
"Letters of Phillis Wheatley and Susanna Wheatley" by Phillis Wheatley, Susanna Wheatley, and Sara Dunlap Jackson (1972)
This correspondence between Phillis and Susanna Wheatley, curated and published by Sara Dunlap Jackson, documents Wheatley’s voyage to England to visit the Countess of Huntingdon. This visitation was instrumental in the publication of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. The letters provide a first person account of Phillis and Susanna’s relationship and allow a glimpse of social class standards and expectations of the time. Discussions of religious matters, missionary work, and concerns of dress are also noted.
Listen to Poem
Teyuna Darris, narrator for GoodPoetry.org, provides a musical rendition of Wheatley’s famous poem. This recording highlights Wheatley’s use of sonic craft elements, particularly emphasizing the poem’s rhyme scheme, assonance, and punctuation.
Cornelius Eady, poet and co-founder of the Cave Canem Foundation for African American poets, reads and discusses “On Being Brought from Africa to America.” Eady highlights the historical significance of the poem as one of the first slave narratives written in American history. He briefly discusses Wheatley’s awareness of double consciousness.
Related Titles
By Phillis Wheatley
