On Being Brought from Africa to America, I found it to be somewhat interesting because it shows the distinction of how one was determined to leave her native land to find a better and new way of living. The way she tells her story, to me, is that her readers have to read in between the lines to get the feeling of how she felt back in Africa. Then again, I think of it too that she sometimes compares Africa to America where in America she is more of a free person and in Africa she is bound to the native traditions. When she mentions about she know that there is a God, I reacted to that as though she had been praying and asking God to remove her from the place she is in and place her somewhere where she respected more and has her opinion. And when she mentions being refined to join the angelic train I also thought that to be that she may have saw Africa as hell because she was only limited to a few surrounding where in America a person is welcome to do and say whatever they have to say without getting corrected. Coming in with the mercy aspect that Wheatly mentions she knows and understands that it was God’s intent and mercy that brought her out of Africa and to America to show her the better side of life and that has long as she is His willing vessel all things are possible.
I agree within this short poem there seems to be alot of meaning behind it. It seems that she is dependent on God and she describes wanting to get away from Africa because she feels like a prisoners (which she was) and come to the land where people are free. Knowing the background of Phillis Wheatley she was not completely free here because she was a slave to a family but they supported her writings and tried to help her. In addition, they were very proud of her for her accomplishments and eventually let her free which most masters never did. Masters sons and daughters became masters and so on. Phillis Wheatley is a very interesting character and her short poems describe so much.
On Being Brought from Africa to America, I found it to be somewhat interesting because it shows the distinction of how one was determined to leave her native land to find a better and new way of living. The way she tells her story, to me, is that her readers have to read in between the lines to get the feeling of how she felt back in Africa. Then again, I think of it too that she sometimes compares Africa to America where in America she is more of a free person and in Africa she is bound to the native traditions. When she mentions about she know that there is a God, I reacted to that as though she had been praying and asking God to remove her from the place she is in and place her somewhere where she respected more and has her opinion. And when she mentions being refined to join the angelic train I also thought that to be that she may have saw Africa as hell because she was only limited to a few surrounding where in America a person is welcome to do and say whatever they have to say without getting corrected. Coming in with the mercy aspect that Wheatly mentions she knows and understands that it was God’s intent and mercy that brought her out of Africa and to America to show her the better side of life and that has long as she is His willing vessel all things are possible.
ReplyDeleteI agree within this short poem there seems to be alot of meaning behind it. It seems that she is dependent on God and she describes wanting to get away from Africa because she feels like a prisoners (which she was) and come to the land where people are free. Knowing the background of Phillis Wheatley she was not completely free here because she was a slave to a family but they supported her writings and tried to help her. In addition, they were very proud of her for her accomplishments and eventually let her free which most masters never did. Masters sons and daughters became masters and so on. Phillis Wheatley is a very interesting character and her short poems describe so much.
ReplyDelete