“On Being Brought from Africa to America” Summary

“On Being Brought from Africa to America” Themes

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  Christianity and Racial Equality

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• 

  Redemption and Salvation

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “On Being Brought from Africa to America”

• Lines 1-1

  'Twas mercy brought me from my
  Pagan
  land,

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 2-4

  Taught my benighted soul to understand
  That there's a God, that there's a
  Saviour
  too:
  Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 5-6

  Some view our sable race with scornful eye,
  "Their colour is a diabolic die."

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 7-8

  Remember,
  Christians
  ,
  Negros
  , black as
  Cain
  ,
  May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.

  

  

  

  

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“On Being Brought from Africa to America” Symbols

• Cain

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“On Being Brought from Africa to America” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Imagery

  

  

  

  

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• Metaphor

  

  

  

  

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• Allusion

  

  

  

  

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• Personification

  

  

  

  

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• Caesura

  

  

  

  

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• Consonance

  

  

  

  

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• Assonance

  

  

  

  

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“On Being Brought from Africa to America” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• 'Twas
• Pagan
• Benighted
• Redemption
• Sable
• Diabolic
• Die
• Cain
• Refined

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “On Being Brought from Africa to America”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“On Being Brought from Africa to America” Speaker

“On Being Brought from Africa to America” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “On Being Brought from Africa to America”

More “On Being Brought from Africa to America” Resources

• External Resources

  • Biography of Phillis Wheatley — An overview of Wheatley's life and work.

  • Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral — An online version of Wheatley's poetry collection, including "On Being Brought from Africa to America."

  • "The Privileged and Impoverished Life of Phillis Wheatley" — A discussion of Phillis Wheatley's controversial status within the African American community. 

  • Illustrated Works — More on Wheatley's work from PBS, including illustrations of her poems and a portrait of the poet herself.

  • Wheatley and Women's History — Additional information about Wheatley's life, upbringing, and education, including resources for further research. 

• LitCharts on Other Poems by Phillis Wheatley

  • To the University of Cambridge, in New England