Phillis Wheatley

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Phillis Wheatley's work with emphasis on religious element in her poems. The poet was known for her religious inclination and used religion as her key to freedom and independence that all slaves longed for. The paper cites many critics and scholars to explain why religion was so often used by Wheatley in her work.

From the Paper:

"This is because from a very young age, she had been exposed to the Bible and classical texts, especially the works of Virgil and Ovid. This was primarily because asa slave girl, she often stayed in the company of some very refined group of people who came to visit Mrs. Susannah Wheatley. apart from that Wheatleys had a daughter, Mary, who also helped young Phillis in her education. This girl helped Phillis gain confidence in herself and the latter became engrossed in religion through prayer, meditation, and reading. This resulted in development of her writing talents and she started writing poetry. Her first poem, "On Being Brought from Africa to America," written in 1770 showed great promise and with that her household duties were relaxed so she could focus on her career. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Wheatley, Phillis. Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. London: A. Bell, 1773.
• The Collected Works of Phillis Wheatley. Ed. John C. Shields. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. Scholarly sources
• Ajayi Omofolabo. Phillis Wheatley: A Life of Triumph Over Obstacles.The Brown Quarterly. Volume 1. No. 1.
• Burke Helen M. "The Rhetoric and Politics of Marginality: The Subject of Phillis Wheatley." Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature 9-10 ( 1990- 1991): 31-42.
• Jordan June. "The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America or Something like a Sonnet for Phillis Wheatley." Massachusetts Review 27 ( 1986): 252-63.

More papers on Phillis Wheatley:

• Essay # 71264 : "Phillis Wheatley and Belinda"
• Poem Review # 127930 : "Poets Robert Frost and Phillis Wheatley"
• Analytical Essay # 9774 : "Phillis Wheatley's Poetry Defended Against Criticism"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: