On Being Brought from Africa to America Analysis - Literary devices

On Being Brought from Africa to America
by means of Phillis Wheatley

‘Twas mercy delivered 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 die.”
Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,
May be refin’d, and be part of th’ angelic train.

Summary of On Being Brought from Africa to America
Popularity of “On Being Brought from Africa to America”: This poem turned into written by Phillis Wheatley, a prominent African American poet. It is a short narrative poem and turned into first posted in 1773. Phillis become the first African-American female poet. The poem unusually speaks about being saved because of Christianity and feels that she is redeemed from the pagan land. On the contrary, it additionally offers with the difficulty of slavery and discusses the troubles faced through the African. Its popularity, however, lies in that it praises God for the function He plays to repair man’s happiness.
“On Being Brought from Africa to America” As a Representative of Joy: The poem illustrates two things: poet’s pleasure on the presence of God and her resentment on the painful life in America during the slavery. She begins by way of declaring that it is God’s grace which delivered her out from Africa and has saved her from ruination. She admires the distinctive feature of the Christian tradition. Despite having troubles and terrible injustices in lifestyles, she admires God’s present of giving her forbearance. It is because of divine intervention that the chaotic era of her life is now over, and he or she is saved from the redemption of the soul.
Moreover, she pours her heart out to talk about the ill-treatment black people face. They should bear hatred, bitterness and scornful behavior just due to the dark colour of their skin. What, however, stays inside the minds of the readers is the way she addresses the detrimental impacts of racism.
Major Themes in “On Being Brought from Africa to America”: Mercy, racism and divinity are the most important issues of this poem. Throughout the poem, the speaker talks about God’s mercy and the indifferent attitude of the human beings in the direction of the African-American community. Though human beings speak that everybody is same before God, they in no way let them revel in the advantages of lifestyles. Rather, they treat humans of shade like animals, which in the end harm their mental health.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “On Being Brought from Africa to America”
Literary devices are tools used by writers to carry their emotions, ideas, and subject matters to make texts more appealing to the reader. Phillis Wheatley has also used some literary devices on this poem to specific her ideas. The evaluation of the literary gadgets used in this poem has been given under.

Enjambment: It is described as a idea or clause that does not come to an stop at a line break; rather, it movements over to the following line. For example,
“Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too.”

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds inside the same line. For example, the sound of /a/ in “May be refin’d, and be a part of th’ angelic train”.
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds within the identical line. For example, the sound of /t/ in “Twas mercy delivered me from my Pagan land, Taught my benighted soul to understand”.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds inside the same line in short succession. There is only one alliteration inside the poem – the sound of /d/ in “Their color is a diabolic die”.
Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things concerning their 5 senses. For example, “Some view our sable race with scornful eye”, “Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain” and “Their color is a diabolic die.”
Symbolism: Symbolism is a use of symbols to indicate ideas and features by giving them symbolic meanings which can be exceptional from their literal meanings. Here, “sable race” symbolizes African race.
Personification: Personification is to offer human characteristics to inanimate objects. For example, mercy is personified within the opening traces of the poem.
“‘Twas mercy introduced me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too.”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “On Being Brought from Africa to America”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, however a few are used most effective in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic gadgets used on this poem.

Heroic Couplet: There are constructive strains of verse in a heroic couplet, commonly in the equal meter and joined via rhyme. There are 4 heroic couplets on this poem.
Iambic Pentameter: It is a form of meter having 5 iambs consistent with line. The poem follows iambic pentameter. For example, “Twas mercy introduced me from my Pagan”
Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the ABAB rhyme scheme and this pattern continuous until the quit.
End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. For example, “land/understand”, “Cain/train” and “eye/die.”
Quotes to be Used
The strains stated below are appropriate for a motivational speech to talk about God’s mercy and kindness.

‘Twas mercy delivered me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too.”