Phillis Wheatley

Introduction

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.

Biography and Accomplishments

Phillis Wheatley was born in about 1753, in Gambia, Africa. She was kidnapped when she was seven or eight years old, in 1761, and brought to America. John Wheatley bought her at the Boston docks for his wife, Savanna, who was in need of a young servant. The Wheatley's gave her the name Phillis, and also let their 18-year old daughter teach her the English language. Their daughter, Mary, realized very quickly that Phillis was an entertaining mimic and could learn to read very fast. Phillis was given lessons from the Bible, which were meant to be quite difficult, but Phillis learned so quickly that the family didn't know what to do with it. Only after a few short months, this girl had already learned so much and was even found to know how to write! After sixteen months of being in the Wheatley household, Phillis was reading the hardest parts of the Bible and her writing had become amazingly skillful. She was too much for the mistress anymore, for Mary didn't know too much more than Phillis at this point. The Wheatley son, Nathaniel, continued to encourage Phillis to read whatever she could.

The newest question that aroused in the Wheatley family, was that since now Phillis could speak fluent English, could she explain her past and development. "All she could remember of her past was an image of her mother pouring water on the land before the rising sun, honoring the new ay by the rite#".(pg 95 Women in the American Revolution) This shows that Phillis could have learned the Arabic language. She was often told that Phillis should consider herself lucky because she brought into a land of Christianity. However, her Bible tells her that "the black children of Cain are marked for perdition#".( pg 96 Women in the American Revolution) Phillis was noted for her prayer, in which she wrote in her Bible for God to save her, "Oh my Gracious Preserver! ..Tho conceived in Sin & brot forth in iniquity yet thy infinite wisdom can bring a clean thing out of an unclean, a cessel of Honor filled for Thy glory---grant me to live a life of gratitude to Thee for the innumerable benefits---O Lord my God! Instruct my ignorance and enlighten my darkness." (pg 96 Women in the American Revolution)

This is when Phillis decided to write poetry, and celebrate her faith in God and the white culture that gave her the opportunity to be saved. She felt that in coming to America, she had experienced a "saving change" (pg 96 Women in the American Revolution) She wrote her first famous poem when at her baptism, she was told to sit with the other black slaves, outside. These are words from her poem On Being Brought From Africa to America.

"'Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,/Taught

my benighted soul to understand/That there's a God,

and there's a Savior too." She responded to the popular

idea that the color black was "a diabolic dye" by admonishing Christians to remember that "Negroes, black as Cain,/May be refin'd,

and join the angelic train." (pg 96 Women in the American Revolution)

She continued to grow in fame, as she supported the return of black Christians to Africa for evangelical purposes. Her status as a black Christian was quite confusing seeing as she was an extraordinary slave. She was favored in the Wheatley's household. She was allowed to recite poems allover Boston, she had light duties around the house, and sometimes she was given the privilege of having a fire going all night in her room to keep her warm so that she could stay up and write poetry. Phillis got a lot of things most slaves did not. However, she was first-most a slave, meaning she was to be prudent and obedient above all.

Phillis Wheatley accomplished becoming the first African-American Women Poet. She devoted her whole life to her writing. She was kept from a full company of blacks, and yet she didn't like a full company of whites either. Phillis made sure her poems didn't cause conflict between the two, and so she could keep her place above the average slave.

Phillis married to John Peters, who was highly articulate like her. Together they lived in poverty; horrid times. After losing her first child in Wilmington, Phillis turned to teaching at a day school, and after that, a common Negro boarding house. When she had a second child, it also died. John was in jail for debt and she died in 1784. Her last poem was printed several days after her death. With her, died her third child.

Overall Poetry of Phillis Wheatley

In the year 1770, also the year of the Boston Massacre#, Phillis became extremely famous throughout the colonies and in England. She wrote a poem, which was believed to relate to the massacre itself.

"But, though arrested by the hand of death,

Whitefield no more exerts his lab'ring breath,

Yet let us view him in th' eternal skies,

Let ev'ry heart to this bright vision rise;

While the tomb safe retains its sacred trust,

Till life divine re-animates his dust." (part of On

The Death Of The Rev. Mr. George Whitefield)

The truth of it was, Phillis wasn't writing about the massacre,