Phillis Wheatley Poem On Religion - 1527 Words

Reading the works of Phillis Wheatley are more so confused on the high praise that she bestows upon the Europeans that we know have taken her from her homeland due to the enslavement of the African people. Her passion to write about the importance of the Christian religion is reflected in her work including her poem â€Å"On Being Brought from Africa to America.† In this poem, she explains her appreciation for the white race. Being of the enslaved people during this time, is puzzling to read such things but intrigues one to comprehensively understand why she feels this way. She touches on different themes such as race, religion, and self-identity. Wheatley makes a bold statement to express how being introduced to Christianity has modified her†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Taught my benighted soul to understand (2).† Although what she fully understands isn’t stated into detail in the poem. Whats important is that she feels like mercy in her life is, in a g ood way, is responsible for taking her from home and enlightening her soul. Mercy is now used as a symbol for the Europeans as if they represented compassion, forgiveness and all things good. Benighted means to be overcome with darkness, or to be morally and intellectually in the dark. She uses a metaphor to compare her life before being introduced to Christianity to being dark as the night. If her soul is dark, then we know shes saying that, before mercy, her soul was in cold, unsaved, pagan, or unaware. It could be saying that her life was dull and incomplete in a sense; she had nothing to live for until now. There is an emphasis on her soul to where she explains her soul was taught to understand because she was oblivious to the things that the whites knew before she was taken. She goes further to state what mercy taught her: that God exists, God saves, and he is all in all. â€Å"That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too (3).† Wheatley’s tone is sincere, and shes explains the contrast between Pagan and Saviour. Through mercy, she was taken from the Pagan land and taught that theres a God who can save her from sin, and can redeem her benighted soul. Instead of repeating GodShow MoreRelatedThe Colonization Of The Americas Became A Time Of Growth Of Independence And Religious Freedoms1524 Words   |  7 Pagesindependence and religious freedoms. People began separating from the original religious sects and began searching for other ways of worship. These included revivals, outdoor sermons, and more inclusive baptisms. This allowed more people to experience religion, allowing people to decide for themselves which way of worship was right for them. Along with growing religious independence, the nation itself began to establish itself as a unified entity. 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