On Being Brought from Africa to America

The motif of mercy is an essential component of “On Being Brought from Africa to America.” Introduced in the first line, mercy metaphorically replaces the presence of the literal slave ships that ousted African people from their homeland. Some critics claim that Wheatley’s use of mercy reveals an internalized racism. The argument suggests that Wheatley views her abduction into slavery as an act of grace. This is further compounded by the Christian elements of the poem: particularly, the mention of a savior. It is possible that as a Christian, Wheatley believed her soul was saved from its heathenism (and therefore, eternal damnation) through her enslavement and subsequent religious conversion. In this reading, the function of mercy is to convey that Wheatley believes African slaves are being “saved” by Eurocentric industry, beliefs, and ideals and that essentially, Africans need to be rescued.

However, others argue that Wheatley’s usage of mercy undercuts this reading—especially if read with an ironic slant. Mercy, in its definition, is compassion or forbearance shown to an offender or one subject to one’s power. Therefore, mercy could be interpreted as an awareness of a power imbalance. Subjected to the power of white dominance, Wheatley was quite literally at the mercy of her captors.