Using Primary and Secondary Sources to Analyze “On Being Brought from Africa to America” (Phillis Wheatley)

Details

Author
Katie McGriff
Topic/Subject Area
Slavery, Indenture; Art, Music, Literature, Crafts; African American, Black Life
Historical Era
Colonial settlement, 1620–1762
Grade Level
High School (9–12)
Creation Date
2017
Last Revision Date
2024

About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will read and analyze Phillis Wheatley’s poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” first generating their own summary of the claim the poem makes, then analyzing two or three conflicting critical interpretations of the poem, and finally writing their own.