Poems by Phillis Wheatley

Biography & Background

• First published African American poet
• First African American woman whose writings helped create the genre of African American literature
• Born in Gambia
• Became a slave at age 7
• She was purchased by the Wheatley family of Boston
• Wheatley family taught her to read and write and helped encourage her poetry
• Wheatley wrote about religion and morality
• Praised by George Washington
• Wheatley was emancipated by her owners and stayed with the Wheatley family 
• Wheatley was a supporter of American independence 
• Married, but her husband left her
• Died at age 31 during childbirth
• Wheatley's poetry revolves around Christian themes and many poems are dedicated to famous personalities 
• 1/3 of her poems are elegies

Poems

In Wheatley's poem, "On Imagination," she describes herself as a slave thinking of freedom by using her imagination. Imagination is a mental faculty and as Wheatley said, "and soft captivity involves the mind." Wheatley says she is involved in a softer captivity than most slaves who cannot read or write. Hard captivity is much less desirable than soft captivity.

"On Virtue" is a poem by Wheatley where she compares herself to a jewel and asserts that virtues lead you to a better life, or one of charity. Many slaves were religious and saw the afterlife as a promise of ultimate freedom and a better living situation than their identity on earth promises. 

In her poem, "On Being Brought from Africa to America," Wheatley called Africa a "Pagan land." Wheatley says she is happy she came to America because even as a slave, she has a better life in America and she views her identity as a slave in a spiritual manner. Essentially, she is making lemonade out of lemons. She is also happy she came to America because if she had remained in Africa, she would have never become a Christian. One cannot be a Christian if they support slavery, but in this poem, Wheatley does not take an anti-slavery view. 

In "His Excellency General Washington," Wheatley discusses her admiration and reverence for President George Washington. 

Wheatley is very different from many of the women writers we've discussed this semester because she writes about things that others are experiencing, not just about her own experiences. Also, Wheatley's poetry was encouraged by her owners, so her situation was very different from any other writers we have studied. Like Wheatley, Margaret Cavendish also lost several children and was left by her husband. Lady Mary Chudleigh was also similar to Wheatley in that both authorized their art forms religiously and both women wrote about the importance of virtue. At the time of Wheatley's life, many high-born women lived lives similar to slaves because both were considered to be the property of a man.