Ivana Barac
Professor Harold
ENGL 2131
22 March 2016 Phillis Wheatley was an African slave that was brought to America in the mid to late 1700’s. Her new slave owners in Boston had an immensely unique relationship with her. They taught Wheatley how to read and write which eventually led her to become an influential poet. She has created many poems in her life regarding her outlook on slavery. In one particular poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America”, Wheatley shows her positive and uplifting stance on slavery.

CARRETTA, VINCENT. "Phillis Wheatley: Researching A Life." Historical Journal Of Massachusetts 43.2 (2015): 64-89. America: History and Life with Full Text. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. Vincent Carretta created an article to detail the life of Phillis Wheatley which ultimately assists readers in understanding why she was so uplifting in her poetry. He begins with a brief introduction on her early life and background. Shortly after discussing Wheatley’s early life, Carretta brings in a new perspective on her stating, “The literary quality and the political significance of her writings have been challenged since the eighteenth century” (Corretta 66). The statement he presents shows an interesting view when dealing with a poet who is so significant in literature. He later speaks of Wheatley’s husband and other trips she had taken away from Africa. The situations Carretta informs readers on brings insight on Wheatley’s life and how/why she became the type of woman she did.
Frazier, Tom. "On Being Brought From Africa To America." Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition (2002): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. In Tom Frazier’s literary analysis, he begins by discussing Wheatley’s poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America” as a whole. He breaks down her poem basically word for word and describes that readers “…come away with the perception that Wheatley is writing a poem of gratitude” (Frazier). The reason he comes to that conclusion is because Wheatley does not speak against slavery in any way. Instead, she glorifies it because it led her closer to God and where she thinks she should actually be in life. Frazier then goes to explain that Wheatley uses many references and contrasts in her poem. One way she contrasts a certain topic is by discussing her “ …movement from a life of misunderstanding and ignorance in a “Pagan land” to a life of deliverance and revelation in her new home” (Frazier).
Levernier, James A. "Wheatley's ON BEING BROUGHT FROM AFRICA TO AMERICA." Explicator 40.1 (1981): 25. Literary Reference Center. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
James Levernier mainly discusses “obvious patterns of light/dark imagery” in Wheatley’s poems (Levernier). He states that it is obvious that Wheatley had her views on slavery that she could not discuss given her time period but had coped with it in an extraordinary way. Not only does she use specific imagery if looked deep into her poems, but she also uses puns. The main one she hints at is that Christians should practice what they preach. Levernier states that “Wheatley’s irony is further reinforced on a series of puns on the words “Die” and Cain”” (Levernier). The reason is because indigo dye and cane were all exchanged during the triangular trade where African American individuals were made to work but were also part of the trade.
McBride, Dwight, A. Appropriating The Word: Phillis Wheatley, Religious Rhetoric, And The Poetics Of Liberation. n.p.: Gale, Cengage Learning, n.d. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
Dwight McBride essay goes in depth on the religious rhetoric in Phillis Wheatley’s poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America.” McBride first goes in detail on Wheatley’s new slave owners in America and they way they educated her stating that they allowed and insisted she “study the Bible, astronomy, ancient history, and English and Latin literature” (McBride). Since Wheatley was more privileged than most slaves in the education aspect, she had a very strong relationship with God. In her poems, she refers to God many times in a positive way and leans on him during her obstacles which is why she did not have such a harsh view on slavery as she would have had otherwise had God not been in her life spiritually.
Walker, Marilyn. "The Defense Of Phillis Wheatley." Eighteenth Century: Theory & Interpretation (University Of Pennsylvania Press) 52.2 (2011): 235-239. Academic Search Complete. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
Marilyn Walker contrasts critic’s views on Phillis Wheatley’s poetry. She states that some individuals believe she was one of the most influential poets while others had said she “…also has been critiqued for being a poor imitator of Alexander Pope and his contemporaries, for not reflecting the black experience, and for writing in a neoclassical or “white” style” (Walker 235). Walker goes in depth on the critics that come to Wheatley’s defense and the others that do not believe her poetry lived up to its hype. Her ability to construct poems is widely debated by many individuals.