I was very impressed with Wheatley's response to the blessings of Christ. She had a lot of things happen in her life, like being treated as a slave, but she seemed to look on the positive side of life. In her poem "On Being Brought from Africa to America" she has taught me so much, even though this poem is only eight lines long. She used her gift of writing as a witness for Christ and wrote, "'Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land,/taught my benighted soul to understand/that there's a God, that there's a Savior too..." (1-3). She seems to have such a humble spirit, and seems to understand the fact that Christ saved her and nothing she did brought her to a safe land. There is a metaphor she used, whether it was intentional or not, that she was brought from Africa to America to live with a family that seemed to treat her well, and she also was brought to safety from death to live with Jesus. She has witnessed what it feels like to be, in a way, rescued and gives the credit to God.
Her other lines I enjoy from this poem are, "Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain,/May be refined, and join the angelic train" (7-8). She is talking about the color of human's sin rather than their skin. She is pleading for others not to judge by the outside, but remember that the heart of a person is what matters in the end.
I complain a lot in life. I complain about the weather, homework, not getting enough sleep, and friendships/relationships. It was really beneficial to read what Wheatley had to say about being thankful for the Cross, and not thinking so much about this present life. My "problems" in life seem a lot less dramatic than hers, but she still kept a positive perspective. I've learned a lot from her.
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