First Project Fall 2021

Samantha Parker

09/30/2021

First Project Fall 2021

EN 3515

Christianity as an Oppressive Force Furthering Along Imperialism

The idea of one going into one’s homeland and taking over it completely is known as imperialism. In doing this, specifically talking about the British, they focus on completely ridding the natives of their culture, language, and religion and converting them into perfect “British soldiers” and by that, I mean slaves. In both Equiano and On Being Brought from Africa to America by Phillis Wheatley, both the authors talk specifically about Christianity and the effects it had on them. There is the idea that Christianity is a double-edged sword; bringing those who feel lost comfort and peace with God, but also being the one driving force ridding native people of their native self and fully completing their conversion. Through the analysis of works such as On Being Brought from Africa to America by Phillis Wheatley and Equiano, imperialism comes to light and its oppression on natives becomes evident through the forced Christianity placed upon them.  

To begin, in Equiano, the first time Equiano is introduced to God and Christianity he states,” and from what I could understand by him of this God, and in seeing these white people did not sell one another, as we did, I was much pleased; and in this I thought they were much happier than we Africans.” He goes on from this to describe the “white man”, but specifically the white Christian man, as “god-like” almost. He thinks those who are Christian are superior to those who are not. He views Christianity as a saving grace and uses it as his main argument against slavery throughout the story. To Equiano, Christianity means freedom and allows him to feel free through God, but the irony is that by converting himself into a Christian, he is only further entrapping himself. Equiano views Christianity highly and fully converts himself through his baptism later on in the story. This is where the double-edged sword comes into play. Although, Equiano being forced into slavery, leaving him feeling lost and alone, finds comfort with God and becoming a Christian, he fails to see the harm in leaving behind his native culture and religion for the “white mans” religion. A big part in imperializing an area is completely changing who the people are fundamentally in order to have their full loyalty and commitment to who they are to become. What Equiano fails to remember is the chant of his fellow enslaved slave-ship members, “O, ye nominal Christians! might not an African ask you, learned you this from your God, who says unto you, Do unto all men as you would men should do unto you? Is it not enough that we are torn from our country and friends to toil for your luxury and lust of gain? Must every tender feeling be likewise sacrificed to your avarice? Are the dearest friends and relations, now rendered more dear by their separation from their kindred, still to be parted from each other, and thus prevented from cheering the gloom of slavery with the small comfort of being together and mingling their sufferings and sorrows? Why are parents to lose their children, brothers their sisters, or husbands their wives?” At one point in time, obvious by this quote, the salves looked down upon the Christians for not acting Christian-like, ripping them apart from their families and forcing them into slavery.  

According to Eileen Razzari Elrod, the idea of Equiano being scared of the slave ship completely devouring him is ironic and foreshadowing, since he allows himself to be devoured completely by western culture.  Clearly, the British succeeded in converting Equiano, and even sent him on missions to convert others. Equiano even writes a letter stating, “ That your memorialist is desirous of returning to Africa as a missionary, if encouraged by your Lordship, in hopes of being able to prevail upon his countrymen to become Christians; and your memorialist is the more induced to undertake the same, from the success that has attended the like undertakings when encouraged by the Portuguese through their different settlements on the coast of Africa, and also by the Dutch: both governments encouraging the blacks, who, by their education are qualified to undertake the same, and are found more proper than European clergymen, unacquainted with the language and customs of the country.” He states in his letter that he plans to “prevail upon his countrymen to become Christians” which only helps to further prove the idea behind why people feel the need to cultivate and culturize African people. His viewing of the “white Christian man” as superior beings, encourages others to view African people as less than for not being Christian, and as needing to be changed or fixed; as if there is something wrong with the religion they practice or their customs already in place. The ideas that Equiano sets forth in this story only further progress the ideas behind imperialism.

Furthering the idea of Christianity as an oppressive imperializing force, Phillis Wheatley wrote On Being Brought from Africa to America, a poem about being brought from her homeland to America and converting to Christian faith. In the first poem, Wheatley states, “twas mercy brought me from my pagan land.” According to Webster’s dictionary, pagan means “a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions.” Here, Wheatley is saying she is grateful to have been brought from a land where there were no Christians and then brought to a place with Christians where she converted. The idea of that double-edged sword is then presented to us again through her delight to be a Christian, but her ignorance to the harsh realities of conversion that were caused in support of imperialism. Wheatley further goes on to say, “Some view our sable race with scornful eye, “Their colour is a diabolic die.” Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain, May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train.”  Now these few lines, although short, say a lot about her views of Blacks, Christianity, and conversion. She first addresses others’ views on her race, referring to what others think such as them being a “diabolic die” due to the color of their skin. She then goes on to say, although you may view us with disdain and a “scornful eye,” you don’t need to for long because we can change, or be “refin’d” into Christians, which is what she meant by “join th’ angelic train. ” What is so wrong with other religions? Other customs and ideas? Why should one race need to change to fit into what the other race would prefer, instead of having the other race learn something new and understand others religions and cultures? This is the driving force behind imperialism. The British walk in, take over, and convert the people into their religion of Christianity. Although good for some, like Wheatley and Equiano, the overall conversion is ridding the natives of anything tying them to their real selves and what they were born into. This idea that anyone needs to change or be “refin’d” is a part of the bigger problem and by encouraging it, Wheatley further progresses the ideas behind imperialism. 

According to “Making the Awakening Hers”, through Wheatley’s poetry, it is evident how Blacks could “appropriate the language of Christian Salvation to proclaim their humanity and their rights in the eye of the divine authority.” West analyzes the works of Wheatley and dives deeper into how Wheatley’s views on Christianity affect the lasting African Americans who are yet to be “culturized.” Wheatley found the positives in becoming Christian, as she and many others were able to relate their experiences to “key biblical stories of struggle and suffering,” but the idea of wanting to “reform” African Americans forcing them to leave behind their rituals and beliefs meant leaving that country behind to be taken over by the British, with no one left to salvage a community with born beliefs and culture. Wheatley states that it was “mercy” that brought her from her homeland to America in order for her to find Christianity, but it undermines the treacherous road it took for her to reach this peace, slavery. To quote West again, “Whether Africans had adopted Christianity or dismissed it, they were, out of necessity, compelled to transform their religion and worldview to their new condition.” This quote only further proves how Christianity was an oppressive force, as it was forced upon everyone whether they liked it or not, because converting to it meant adopting the “white man’s” beliefs, customs, and traditions, further isolating themselves from their native land and culture. Wheatley’s poetry therefore supports the imperialistic ideas of needing to culturize African Americans into a culture prominently dominated by “white men” in order for them to be “refined,” according to her, but to the British who were trying to take over all of this land, conversion to Christianity was necessary for African Americans to live amongst them, be more “humanized,” and not give as much as a fight when it came to the destroying of their home lands. By further isolating African Americans from what they know and believe in, the British are able to imperialize further and not before long, nothing is left to remember what used to be, land or its people.

Works Cited

Cotten, Trystan T., et al. “Making the Awakening Hers: Phillis Wheatley and the Transportation of African Spirituality to Christian Religiosity.” Cultural Sites of Critical Insight: Philosophy, Aesthetics, and African American and Native American Women’s Writings, State University of New York Press, Albany, 2007.

Elrod, Eileen Razzari. “Moses and the Egyptian: Religious Authority in Olaudah Equiano’s Interesting Narrative.” African American Review, vol. 35, no. 3, 2001, p. 409., https://doi.org/10.2307/2903311.

Equiano, Olaudah. “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African Written by Himself.” The Project Gutenberg EBook of “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African”, by OLAUDAH EQUIANO., 7 Mar. 2005, https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15399/pg15399-images.html.Wheatley, Phillis. “On Being Brought from Africa to America.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45465/on-being-brought-from-africa-to-america.