Julie Borrego
English 48A
Journal for Wheatley



"Some view our sable race with scornful eye.
"Their color is a diabolic dye."
Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain,
May be refined, and join the angelic train."(Norton p 753)


"...she, in sixteen Months Time from her Arrival, attained the English Language, to which she was an utter Stranger before, to such a Degree, as to read any, the most difficult Parts of the Sacred Writings, to the great Astonishment of all who heard her. As to her WRITING, her own Curiosity led her to it; and this she learnt in so short a Time..." (A testimony by John Wheatley, regarding the authenticity of Phillis Wheatley's peoms.)

Summary:


This quote was taken from “On being brought from Africa To America”. In these particular lines you can see where Wheatley has stepped into another character, she is now the voice of white slave owners, uttering their thoughts on Africans, but in the last line she steps back into character, making sure to remind people that African Americans are God’s children also.


My Ideas:

Some critic’s feel that Wheatley had become so immersed by white culture that her poems do not reflect a true African slaves voice. However, I feel as you read her poetry and especially in “On being brought from Africa To America”, you can hear her protest as subtle as it may be. Wheatley was very aware of who her audience was and did not want to isolate herself from them. (Reminds me of Lincoln…how he was fist a politician and then second an abolitionist). I feel that Wheatley's poems and the lack of in your face protest was a result of her being a slave. She could not truly speak her mind in fear of loosing the only support system that she had ever known. So she wrote about religion something that most Europeans could agree on and find a connection within her poetry.

I loved her poems, although not being the most religious person her words painted a beautiful picture in my mind. Some people might think them fluff, but one can tell that she carefully chose each world to ignite certain emotions when reading.

The fact that she was so young, and this was her second language is inspirational.

I feel that regardless of her circumstances being better of then most slaves, having the opportunity to become educated, that she was still a slave and not truly given freedom to write what she may have wanted to. I wonder if she was not afraid of disturbing the status quo what she would write about, one thing I am sure of is that she would have written it eloquently.