NCDPI -- AIG Instructional Resource: Background Information
Resource Title: Walking the Tightrope in Phillis Wheatley’s On Being Brought from Africa to America
Subject Area/Grade Level (s):
Time Frame: one class period
Honors English III or AP
Common Core/Essential Standards Addressed:
Reading for Literature
RL.11.3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama
RL.11.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the
impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or
beautiful.
RL.11.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story,
the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
RL.11.6 Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant.
Language
L.11. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content,
choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
L.11.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Additional Standards Addressed: NA
Brief Description of Lesson/Task/Activity: Through the study of American poetry, or particularly early American poetry, students can analyze
and appreciate Wheatley’s poem for its meaning, diction and how she balances meaning during a difficult time for African Americans.
Type of Differentiation for AIGs (include all that apply):
Adaptations for AIGs:
x Content
x Process
x Enrichment
x Extension
Acceleration
Product
Explanation of How Resource is Appropriate for AIGs: Discussion and analysis of this poem goes far beyond the basic claim of individual
salvation to address her views in the time of slavery. Through diction and historical references Wheatley’s poem contains an abundance of
meaning in its few lines. A strong reader will be able to grasp the subtlety of her shifts and meanings.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction
AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project
Needed Resources/Materials:
 Wheatley’s poem On Being Brought from Africa to America
Sources: NA
TEACHER NOTES: NA
NCDPI AIG Curriculum Resource Outline
STAGE ONE: Engage
What are some ways to communicate your feelings when it might be dangerous to do so? Is there a way to guarantee success in sharing your
opposing view or are repercussions always looming?
Prior Knowledge or Instructional Input:
It would be helpful to provide a brief synopsis or research of Wheatley’s early life and its complexity due to faith, education, and slavery.
It would also be helpful to know the story of Cain and Abel from the Old Testament due to the reference to Cain and his “mark.”
STAGE TWO: ELABORATE
Guided or Independent Practice:
The following questions are written with the intent for group discussion; however, a class full of strong readers could handle these questions
independently.
Analyzing Structure:
Based on your reading and information from the text, what do you feel is Wheatley’s message?
One might argue that there are three distinct sections in this poem. What are they?
How do the three sections work as a whole to develop Wheatley’s intent?
Analyzing Word Choice and Punctuation:
How do the following words from the poem support your argument?
mercy (line 1)
benighted (line 2)
Savior (line 3)
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction
AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project
sable (line 5)
diabolic and dye (line 6)
Cain (line 7)
refined (line 8).
In regards to diction, why do you feel Wheatley uses “Being Brought,” “mercy,” and “Remember?”
What is the effect of containing line 6 within quotation marks?
After a thorough discussion of a close reading of the text, it may be useful to return to the historical context of the time in which Wheatley was
writing if the topic wasn’t included in analyzing diction.
STAGE THREE: EVALUATE
After a thorough discussion of the poem, the following questions would serve as assessments in a formal essay, an informal reading journal or a
formative assessment like an ‘exit ticket’ prior to student dismissal.
Students can be assessed through their responses to the following questions:
How does the motif of darkness function in this poem?
How does Wheatley navigate the theme of salvation of an African to a very European audience during the time of slavery?
What implications might Wheatley’s claim have on her professionally and personally?
TEACHER NOTES: Beyond the claim of spiritual salvation and the historical context, this poem also serves as a good representative of Federalist
poetry through its attention to form and rhythm.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction
AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project