Although one is a slave and the other is not, both Wheatley and Woolman value slaves as children of God who are deserving of freedom. Believing that slaves are worthy of redemption, and should be able to see the light of the Great Awakening. As a result, all humans are equal and the practice of owning slaves should be abandoned. Phillis Wheatley, a slave herself was purchased by an Anglican Boston family at a young age. Wheatley began to study and adore Anglicanism, and believed to have been saved from her previous Pagan methods. Wheatley then began to publish poems which encouraged the practice of Anglicanism among slaves. Another advocate for the expression of God’s love towards all creations, including slaves, was John Woolman. Woolman, a Quaker leader from New Jersey, helped convince Philadelphia Quakers to advocate for emancipation; by explaining the importance of expressing love toward all human beings. The key similarity between Wheatley and Woolman is their profound comprehension of religion and love for all God’s children, including slaves; as a result, their relationships with God lead them to value the …show more content…
In her poem “Thoughts on the Works of Providence,” Wheatley explains that she senses the presence and infinite love of God visually, through beauty in the natural world. In both the earth, and all the earth’s creatures. Seeing the beauty that God created, led her soul to rapture and soar. Woolman feels the presence of God in his soul “like a consuming fire." Declaring the importance of outwardly expressing love to fellow man, in his journal Woolman states, "my heart was tender and often contrite, and universal love to my fellow creatures increased in me." Despite their different religions, Wheatley and Woolman both view loving the Lord’s creations as an important step to take when becoming closer atoned with
Equiano worked with British abolitionists to placate the conditions of poor black people by settling them in the new British West African colonies. Whereas, Wheatley’s works provided demonstrable evidence of reason, which was previously considered absent among African slaves. In her poem “On the Death of the Rev. George Whitefield”, Phillis Wheatley acclaims that the Africans “shall be sons, and kings, and priests to God.” The Reverend Alexander Crummell educated African Americans; later, he moved to Liberia as a missionary
Readers unfamiliar with Phillis Wheatley may wonder of her background and who she was in particular to be able to gain rights to be mentioned in early American literature. Wheatley was born in 1753 and was captured by Africans, and sold to an American family known as the Wheatley’s. She quickly became a member of the Wheatley family, living in the home, and being tutored on reading and writing.
Wheatley was born in West Africa around 1750, and was captured when she was 7. John Wheatley purchased Phillis for his wife, Susanna; together they taught Phillis how to read and write, and as early as 12, Phillis was writing poetry and her first poem had been published. Wheatley’s poems implicitly advocated for racial equality, while condemning slavery. Her work received some negative feedback from political figureheads, such as Thomas Jefferson. White America classified a human as having the ability to read, write, and reason; therefore, leaving no room for the uneducated Africans, seeing Africans as nonhuman. Jefferson claimed Wheatley’s work was not literature because the moment he admitted Wheatley’s work was indeed literature, he would have had to admit she was a human being. The way Phillis Wheatley handled the adversity she faced is admirable. Wheatley definitely impacted American history, and “owes her place in history to advocates of inequality” (Young 1999
Throughout the poem, “To the University of Cambridge, in New England”, Phyllis Wheatley suggest that she accepted the colonial idea of slavery, by first describing her captivity, even though this poem has a subversive double meaning that has sent an anti-slavery message. Wheatley’s choice of words indicates that her directed audience was educated at a sophisticated level because of the language chosen. Her audience was assumingly also familiar with the bible because of the religious references used. The bible was used as a reference because of its accessibility. Wheatley uses religious references to subversively warn her readers about slavery and its repercussions and to challenge her reader’s morals.
Phillis Wheatley, a poet of early modern poetry discloses a sonnet to Scipio Moorhead labeled To S.M., a Young African Painter, on Seeing His Works. The start of Wheatley life was being purchased by a white family and shipped off to Boston. She was an extremely intelligent child that was beginning to learn how to read, write and how to strongly connect to the Bible. When knowing the background of this poet, we realize first-hand how her childhood impacted her poetry. This piece of poetry was in the point of view of first person. Many poets use a type of sound devices or figurative language to enhance their message within. Wheatley introduces a sound device known as end rhyme as a way of intensifying the experience to the reader. The poet stated, “When first thy pencil did those beauties give, and breathing figures learnt from thee to live” (409) uses end rhyme to give connection between those two lines. My outsight on these two lines would be summarized as the poet trying to interpret the beautiful people the artist has drawn in her own words. Also, Wheatley communicates figurative language into this poem by using the several metaphors to put emphasis on her writing. The metaphor heavily absorbed by me would be, “Whose twice six gates on radiant hinges ring: Celestial Salem blooms in endless spring” (410) creating an image of Heaven.
Wheatley, Phillis. Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. New York: AMS Press, 1976. Rpt. of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. Philadelphia, 1786.
Before the American Revolution, significant opposition to slavery already existed. James Otis, a Massachusetts lawyer emblemized this strain of thought when he wrote about the rights of natural born citizens and men. He argued that a man, black or white, should be guaranteed, as British subjects, the same rights and liberties. These liberties should protect men from slavery and afford them the rights guaranteed by the British Crown. Many other American colonists shared this attitude of abolitionism, however their reasoning relied on religious beliefs rather than modern political theory. A letter written by Phillis Wheatley to a Reverend exemplifies this justification for abolition. The letter expressed appreciation for the Reverend’s abolitionist views, but also compared the current situation to those of the Israelites when the Egyptians enslaved them. A parallel to the Bible furthered the view for many that slavery was unjust. This combination of Enlightenment ideals of natural righ...
Each of Phillis Wheatley’s poems is crafted with a specific purpose in mind. Although her use of heroic couplets stays mostly standard, she does leave room for adaptations that offer some insight into her ultimate purpose. While many of her poems humble her own position, often it is indeed for a specific cause, usually to convey a point she could not have otherwise communicated without fear of chastisement. On the other hand, speaking on religious matters she seems to feel bold enough to elevate her own position to that of an authority figure, giving guidance and hope to those in need of it.
...h as not being over worked, fed, clothed, and afford convenient rest was what he argued. Woolman’s abhorrence of slavery began early in life when a man to whom he was apprenticed asked him to write a bill of sale for a slave belonging to a senior member of the Quakers. His dislike of slavery continued to grow, especially after he had labored in the South and seen firsthand the degradation that slavery brought to both the slave and slaveholder. (Lauter 750)His primary focus was Matthews 25: 40 “Forasmuch as ye did it to the least of my brethren, ye did it unto me.” He also suggests that we should apply to God for wisdom that we may so we can see things as they are so that the hidden things may be brought to the light. Again I ask you, which one you might find to be more compelling? I think you would agree with me that John Woolman would be the most suitable choice.
Female slave writers could not be accompanied by anything other than that of their master’s endorsement. They faced many challenges when it came to writing, which was done with permission or done in secret, therefore slaves generally had to be educated to be able to read and write. The motif that is present here is that of slavery and their literature in the 18th century to aid the background of what Wheatley had to face when it came to writing. Phillis Wheatley was a very fortunate slave girl who was sympathetically taken in by her owners and taught to read and write, simultaneously while other slaves were living harsher realities. The realities facing slaves were being exploited for work with no pay, being treated like less than property or dirt by being traded at will, and in most cases being abused. This was a time in which plantation owners would try to promote families between the slaves to make them more productive and docile (PBS.org). While creating large connected communities across several plantations by separating the fathers of the families, fathers may live on a farm a mile away and visit once or twice a week. While sons were generally moved and sold immediately for a nice profit and the girls born to mothers would be the “least likely to be disturbed through sale” and even then they could be sold as a concubine or a prostitute. (PBS) Moreover, there is not much a
Phillis Wheatley overcame extreme obstacles, such as racism and sexism, to become one of the most acclaimed poets in the 18th Century. Her works are characterized by religious and moral backgrounds, which are due to the extensive education of religion she received. In this sense, her poems also fit into American Poetry. However, she differs in the way that she is a black woman whose writings tackle greater subjects while incorporating her moral standpoint. By developing her writing, she began speaking out against injustices that she faced and, consequently, gave way to authors such as Gwendolyn Brooks and Countee Cullen.
Wheatley in most of this poem, uses biblical imagery, showing us why and how the world is what it is today. She ...
The illustration that Phillis Wheatley portrays in history is an African-American woman who wrote poetry. Her life goes more into depths that what is perceived, however. Phillis Wheatley uses her poetry as a unique way to get out the truth. Through poems such as On Being Brought From Africa to America and the poem about Lee, she made statements about was what going on at that time; a revolution. Phillis Wheatley was known as a revolutionary mother, for she gave hope to slaves, ease to whites, and was an influence to America. She was not known for conflict or trying to start an argument, but she more known for personalizing her thoughts onto a piece of paper, read by all of America. Her ideas were used as an influence during the revolutionary war. Phillis Wheatley was not an ordinary slave, but she was accepted into society my the majority. The family who raised her, taught her how to read and write, and she slowly turned into a woman of the revolution.
In “On Being Brought From Africa To America” Phillis Wheatley speaks directly from her experience of coming to America, and how she became very religious on her arrival, so she uses her religious beliefs to explain how lucky she was to be in America and how she made a lot of achievements. Phillis Wheatley was a young black female poet, who started discovering her love for writing when she came to America, although it was illegal to educate black people she found a way to teach herself to read and write, even though a lot of people of her race were told that they weren’t good enough to deserve to be Christians and also to enjoy the advantage of being a citizen in America, Wheatley overcame these immense obstacles and she was so grateful for the chance to be a part of the Christian word and also to hear the word of Christianity, she was also very happy that she was brought to America where she has the opportunity to read and write. “Phillis” wasn’t her real name but her master named her that because the slave ship she boarded to come to America was named Phillis.
At first, I did not understand what she had written but after analyzing each stanza I can understand what her message was. This poem was about Wheatley interpretation of what virtue is she didn’t truly understand it but she felt that virtue is something that is desired by all. She explains that virtue itself is hard to reach. And throughout the poem, she compares virtue to god. Wheatley starts off the poem by writing, “o thou bright jewel in my aim I strive to comprehend thee.” She is comparing virtue to a bright jewel, I think that was her way of comparing virtue to something that is of great value and pure. Wheatley states, “Thine own words declare Wisdom is higher than a fool can reach.” The author explains that virtue is hard to reach but it depends on the person who is reaching for it. I agree with Wheatley there is some point in time when a person desires to know one’s virtue in life. Throughout the poem I can tell that Wheatley was very religious she felt that the only way to reach virtue was through god and that they were one and the same.