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Dualities in Phillis Wheatley's writings and poems
Dualities in Phillis Wheatley's writings and poems
Dualities in Phillis Wheatley's writings and poems
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Phillis Wheatley is a gem of her time; the first African-American woman to have her poetry published. Though purchased as a slave, her life was far from most African-Americans during the 17th century. She was educated and became deeply rooted in her faith: Christianity. From an outsider, her life may be viewed as an adopted child rather than a slave to the Wheatley family. However, she did not forget where she came from or those less fortunate than herself. Wheatley used the education she was afforded and her new-found spirituality to fight against slavery through the use of words (751). One of the greatest examples of this is her poem “To the University of Cambridge, in New England” addressed to perhaps the well-educated group of individuals in early America. Wheatley purposely does so to convey her assertion; regardless of your education or status, even the most educated in America, must view the teachings of the Bible in the highest respect. Though Wheatley’s education was far beneath the Harvard University students, she feels compelled to teach them about the importance of the Bible and living a life free from sin; the act of slavery in particular. Wheatley asserts that while the sin of slavery may be convenient on Earth it will eventually land the students and those who practice it in hell, according to the Bible (756). Through her use of the first person point of view, tone, and allusion, Wheatley is able to provide justification for her theme: slavery is a sin punishable by God.
Wheatley’s use of the first person allows readers into her own thought processes. The title of the poem itself: “To the University of Cambridge, in New England,” identifies Wheatley’s target audience; Harvard University students. During the earl...
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...racter and provoke questions as to the morality of slavery. She successfully does so by using profound references throughout the Bible and creating a sincere and very serious tone throughout the poem. Her agenda was very clear; she aimed to inform and to perhaps rid students of the sin of slavery. However, she mentions that it will be the student’s decision to either continue or put an end to this evil knowing the potential consequences afterlife. Most-importantly, Wheatley informs them that regardless of their decision to fight against or to continue the practice of slavery, their lives’ will be judged be it a “good or bad report of [them] to Heav’n” (23).
Works Cited
Baym, Nina, Wayne Franklin, Philip F. Gura, and Arnold Krupat. "Phillis Wheatley."
The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 7th ed. Vol. A. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2007. 751-56. Print.
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.
To further analyze a more spoiled African American of the time, Phillis Wheatley did address the issues of her race as much as Sojourner Truth did. Wheatley mainly wrote “to Whites, for Whites and generally in the Euro-American tradition at that time” (Jamison 408). Her content focused on Christianity, morality, virtue, and other non-African-American-related topics. Her poetry has an underlying attitude of a white, not an African American. She shares the same views and attitude as a Caucasian, therefore she is part of African American literature because she was born into it, but she did not share the particular views and struggles of the African American population. She was heavily praised, because it was not expected from an African such as herself, although her upbringing should be considered. Some white men admired her work, because it was more than
Phillis Wheatley was an African-born slave in the last quarter of the eighteenth-century in New England. She was born in West Africa and brought to America on the slave ship Phillis. She was, however, much more than chattel-she was a poet. Phillis was the first African American to have a book published. In a time when women were not expected to be able to read or write, and when teaching an African American to be literate was frowned upon, Phillis Wheatley became educated in Latin and English literature. The education of Phillis Wheatley was, for the most part, for the intent of training "a servant and would-be companion for domestic utility," in which they undoubtedly succeeded. However, they "got an intellectual adornment" who, with her knowledge of the poems of Alexander Pope, the "Puritanical whiteness of her thoughts," and ability to write poems, soon became a celebrity among Boston?s social elite (Richmond 18,19).
After reading Frederick Douglass’s narrative of slavery, I couldn’t help but stop and try to gather my thoughts in any way possible. It was not the first time I had read the narrative, but this time around Douglass’s words hit me much harder. Perhaps, it was that I read the narrative in a more critical lens, or possibly it was just that I am older and more mature now from the last time I read it, but whatever the reason, I can confidently say reading the narrative has changed my heart and opened my eyes in many ways. I have always been aware of the injustices that slavery encompassed and of course like many other people, I have been taught about slavery in a historical narrative my entire life. But, Frederick Douglass’s narrative does more than just provide a historical perspective in seeing the injustices in slavery. His narrative asks the reader to look directly into the eyes of actual slaves and realize their very heart beat and existence as humans. Douglass humanizes the people of whom the terrible acts we acted upon that we learn about as early as elementary school. It is because of this that I decided to write this poem. Reading the narrative made me really think about Douglass’s journey and the story he tells on his road to freedom. I felt as if he was really speaking to me and, and in turn I wanted to give Douglass a voice in my own writing.
Wheatley, Phillis, and Margaretta Odell. Memoir and poems of Phillis Wheatley, a Native African and a Slave. Boston: Geo. W. Light, 1834. eBook.
Phillis Wheatley, one of America’s most profound writers, has contributed greatly to American literature, not only as a writer, but as an African American woman, who has influenced many African Americans by enriching their knowledge of and exposure to their Negro heritage and Negro literature. As one of America’s most renown writers, Wheatley, said to be the mother of African American Literature, is best known for her sympathetic portrayals of African American thought. Wheatley’s literary contributions are vast in nature and distinguish her apart from most writers of her era. Her writings have helped in the molding of the African American tradition and are favored by people of all ethnic backgrounds.Phillis Wheatley was born on the West coast of Africa. Her exact birthplace is unknown; however it is assumed that she was born near Senegambia, a territory that today is divided between the nation of Senegal and Gambia.
The poetry of Phillis Wheatley is crafted in such a manner that she is able to create a specific aim for each poem, and achieve that aim by manipulating her position as the speaker. As a slave, she was cautious to cross any lines with her proclamations, but was able to get her point across by humbling her own position. In religious or elegiac matters, however, she seemed to consider herself to be an authority. Two of her poems, the panegyric “To MAECENAS” and the elegy “On the Death of a young Lady of Five Years of Age,” display Wheatley’s general consistency in form, but also her intelligence, versatility, and ability to adapt her position in order to achieve her goals.
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
Phillis Wheatley's religious perspectives were extremely evident all through the content. Wheatley communicated her perspective all through different poems that she has composed, for example, in “To the University of Cambridge in New England”, lines 12-20 truly demonstrate her commitment to God and where she remains as a Christian. Lines that truly emerged among the poems were “How Jesus’ blood for your redemption flows”, and “See him with hands outstretched upon the cross; Immense compassion in His bosom glows”. Wheatley also has another poem that sheds light on her pious religious views in “On Being Brought from Africa to America” Wheatley talks about her Pagan land, in doing so she expresses the fact that she knows there is a God, and
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.
The issue of Slavery in the South was an unresolved issue in the United States during the seventeenth and eighteenth century. During these years, the south kept having slavery, even though most states had slavery abolished. Due to the fact that slaves were treated as inferior, they did not have the same rights and their chances of becoming an educated person were almost impossible. However, some information about slavery, from the slaves’ point of view, has been saved. In this essay, we are comparing two different books that show us what being a slave actually was. This will be seen with the help of two different characters: Linda Brent in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Frederick Douglass in The Narrative of the life of Frederick
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.
Although this poem has lots of themes, I think “redemption” is the main theme because she is focusing on the freedom of other slaves. She uses the word “redemption” just to show how much she values religion and God. It’s like she wanted to become a prophet, someone that would use the message of God to redeem the slaves. She says “Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, May be refined, and join the angelic train” (Wheatly 405). She was trying to say her main point in this quote by using her religious knowledge, she is trying to say that slaves can also be redeemed, she referred to the black people as Cain because the whites saw them as “evil” and Cain in the bible was marked evil by God for killing his brother out of jealousy. Because she doesn’t want them to look at the blacks that way, she then tells the white people that blacks can also be redeemed, polished, saved... and they can also join the angelic train and not stay marked