To be surprised that an African-American is capable of authorship is of course an extremely dated and embarrassing thought to have today. Rewind time, and as deplorable as it might seem, such a thought becomes commonplace—the literacy of an African-American, especially one forced into slavery, is considered an oddity. In fact, it is so miraculous, that Whites must bear witness to the authenticity of their work. After all, it was only when they had been examined, that authors like Phillis Wheatley were deemed qualified enough to have been the writer of their own poems and letters. Still, the story is not her authorship, but rather, the unexpected, yet perceptive, content of her remarkable works.
The text’s introduction prefaces her collection by stating, “…It is no exaggeration to say that she has never been better understood than at the present….reconsideration shows Wheatley to be a bold and canny spokesperson for her faith and her politics” (Franklin 752). It does help to keep that in mind while reading, as it is true, in Wheatley’s words one can clearly see her support for American independence and the abolition of slavery. However, the problem is not recognizing where she stands on the issues, but discerning where exactly these beliefs are coming from, and asking if the modern mind really does understand her point of view?
To say her poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” is conflicting is an understatement. She writes of her homeland and her life before slavery in not the most flattering light saying, “’Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land, / Taught my benighted soul to understand / That there’s a God, that there’s a Savior too” (1-3). Classifying the actions of slave dealers (who abducted children and took others hostage) as an act of mercy seems an incongruously absurd idea. What’s more, before her sale into slavery, Wheatley classifies her soul as benighted, meaning it to be unenlightened intellectually, socially, or morally. This idea would also seem contradictory given the fact that modern thought would lead one to think it was the enslaver’s soul, not the enslaved, which would be darkened and in dire need of the redeeming Savior.
Perhaps more confusing than her opening lines are Wheatley’s closing sentiments: “Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, / May be refined, and join the angelic train” (7-8). To remark to anyone in the year 2008 that there is hope for African-Americans because they can be refined enough to “join the angelic train” is complete nonsense suitable only to those who would agree with Hitler. Then again, I do not believe that is what Wheatley meant, given she was writing to a much different audience and time. To start making sense of her poem, my attention returns to the previously stated questions: Where are her beliefs coming from, and does modern thought better understand her intentions?
Foremost, given she was a child when sold into slavery, and was accordingly raised by the white, Christian Wheatleys, I feel as though her work is completely influenced by that subsequent upbringing. Of course, it is not a far stretch to surmise that she may have believed her soul was in the dark until by the grace of God she was taught to read and write. Also, it should be mentioned that a large part of her work centers on the undeniable feeling all humans have for Freedom. Thus, when she says those “black as Cain” can become refined, I feel as though she is trying to dispel the untrue belief held by many Whites of the time: namely that Blacks were unable to be educated, making them something less than human and more akin to property. Indeed, those sentiments are cause enough to see why people demanded verification of her work. The time and people she was writing to are starkly different from those now, and for that reason, I do not believe judging her works by today’s standards is advisable. The reader needs to remove themselves from their time and be cognizant of hers, but maybe that is what the introduction meant when it theorized that recent critics have “provided a context in which her work can best be read and her life understood” (Franklin 752).
Franklin, Wayne, Philip F. Gura, and Arnold Krupat. “Phillis Wheatley (ca. 1753-1784).” The Norton Anthology of American Literature Vol. A. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. 751-752.
Wheatley, Phillis. "On Being Brought from Africa to America." The Norton Anthology of American Literature Vol. A. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. 752-753.
3 comments:
When I first read Wheatley I was without a doubt confused by her ideas that seemed totally contradictory. After thinking about it though it began to make more sense. Since she was sold into slavery as a child i feel like she had to oppisite life experiences: One of freedom and one of slavery. The idea that a black woman was literate was remarkable at the time.
I loved how wonderfully this was written and how well you addressed your points. It seems weird that there were people that thought that African Americans could not match white people in such things as literature, but people like that still exist today, although they are not as common as back then. I also agree that we should not judge Wheatley’s work by today’s standards, because it does seem conflicting.
The only way that I can reconcile what Wheatley wrote with the reality of being exported from Africa--we only need to review Equiano's descriptions to see what it was really like--was that she was writing for a white audience. I can only guess that she would have had this in mind with every line that she wrote. It probably would not have been wise to condemn those who would have been reading her work. This might explain at least some of the contradictions: there's always the consequences of what is written and published. For Wheatley those consequences might have been too serious. That's my guess.
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