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Phillis Wheatley's Signature Poem Analysis

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In her article “ Uncovering Subversion in Phillis Wheatley’s Signature Poem: “ On being brought from AFRICA to AMERICA”, MaryCatherine Loving states the reading strategies to reveal Wheatley’s rejection of Christianity, her acknowledgement of life before slavery, and her efforts to position her own body with those of other enslaved Africans. Wheatley’s choice of title provides an early frame of reference for the movement will be more fully described. The movement was not only to AMERICA it originated in AFRICA. Wheatley’s use of capitalization in the title of work can be proposed as a forerunner of the term African American to denote blacks of African heritage. She carefully mimicked the forms of language and stereotypes regarding enslaved African, which she inherited. …show more content…

Wheatley conversion to Christianity are the central themes of her work. Sources states that, “Emphatic words are usually Italicized or expressed emphatically, by means of a horizontal stroke drawn under them with a pen” (Loving). Wheatley uses italics to distinguish five words in the poem. These five words are linked through such use.

The third line of the poem, “ That there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too.” The author believes that Wheatley confession is directly countered by statements she made recalling her earliest memories as those of her mother. "That there's a Savior too" indicates Wheatley consideration of a "Saviour" as separate and distinct from God. The italicization and capitalization of "Saviour" continues the practice Wheatley began in the opening couplet and links "Pagan" in line

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