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On being brought from Africa to America
Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye,
"Their colour is a diabolic dye."
Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain,
May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.
Questions to ask:
1. Is there any word or words showing that Wheatley is saying in the white man's language? If so, what are they?
2. How does Wheatly use Christianity, the white man's religion, in her argument? Positively or Negatively?
3.The most important point of her protest is that there is nothing that connects the colour of the skin to it's moral quality. How consistent is she in arguing this?
4. Is there any irony in her protest at all?
5. Compare Alice Walker and Phyllis Wheatley in their ways of dealing with the white man's idea of race in their works. Is there any difference between Miss Wangero and Wheatley?
 
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