Analysis Of Phillis Wheatley

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Phillis Wheatley published her first poem at the age of seventeen years old (358). Phillis Wheatley is thought to live in Senegal and Gambia, who was sold into slavery when she was about seven years old. The family she was sold to bought her right off a boat in Boston and were called The Wheatley’s, they treated her nicely and educated her in English as well as educating her with the Bible (358). The education she was able to received carved into the poet she longed to be. In Wheatley’s poem “To The University of Cambridge, in New England.” she argues religion for not only the impact it had on her but the impact religion has had on all human race.
I believe this poem shows her love for God and her love for religion. In the first six lines I believe she gives God the credit for her leaving Africa and going to America. In the fifth line,
“Father of mercy, ‘ twas Thy gracious hand Brought me in safety from those dark adobes” (363) explains that God is the “Father of mercy” who freed her from the hardships in Africa. She is very passionate about God and she even praises that he is her savior as he is to all humankind. In line ten, “ Still more, ye sons of science ye receive The blissful news by messengers from Heav’n, How Jesus blood for your redemption flows.(363)” In these lines I feel the passion in her for education and how she says that without Jesus and without what he did for us humans, we would not have the education we are able to have today. He died on the cross for us and with that he gave us freedom and the freedom for education. She also uses biblical imagery here to show us the what Jesus did for us.
Wheatley in most of this poem, uses biblical imagery, showing us why and how the world is what it is today. She ...

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...(363) I feel she is repeating herself by saying committing a sin may make you feel terrible or make you feel like you're a bad person or even tear you down but you can ask for forgiveness and start over and live an honest life.
Phillis Wheatley is such a strong writer and uses such biblical imagery to show us what Jesus has done for us, so the most we can do is make ourselves the best we can be, without sinning. In the poem “To the University of Cambridge, in New England” she argues that religion is true education, we as humans should believe in God honor what he has done for us. I personally enjoyed this poem because it shows you a woman during this time period being a very educated human being, and she shows it so well, in such dignity and in such honor of someone she truly loves and appreciates for all he has done for the human race and most importantly for her.

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