The Works of Phillis Wheatley Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays

The Works of Phillis WheatleyBiographyPhillis Wheatley was born in West Africa slightly 1753. Sometime after her birth, she was brought to the States and purchased by John Wheatley in 1761. He turned Phillis over to his wife, Susanna, to work as a personal maid. later realizing Phillis intellect, the Wheatley family encouraged Phillis to study the Bible and record English and Latin literature, annals and geography.Wheatleys first poem was published in a Rhode Island theme in 1767. Poems on Various Subjects consisted of thirty-eight poems written by Wheatley, and it could be found in London in 1773. Wheatley died on December 5, 1784.* banter of Wheatleys WorkThe poetry of Phillis Wheatley should be considered very controversial and powerful. The contented of Wheatleys poetry contains the muscle needed to strike controversy and power, provided it also must be understood within the context of history. Wheatley was a black slave writing very methodic poetry in the States during a time when African-the Statesns were considered to be less than animals. Reading and writing was not an option given to an overwhelming majority of slaves. Wheatley was able to do some(prenominal) with ease, and her white masters encouraged her to do so.The fact that Wheatleys poetry was read in her time is another impressive factor. She was black and a female, yet she received a decent amount of readership. In addition, she was reckon for her art. However, the controversy and power existed not only within the time end Wheatley lived in, but they also existed within the content of her poetry.On Being Brought from Africa to America praised the salvation that Wheatley received by coming to America and being undefended to Christianity. She also ... ... Wheatley stands as a pioneering figure of African-American poetry (Gates xi). Wheatley has provided redoubted inspiration for African-American literature. Zora Neale Hurston, Lorraine Hansberry and Toni Morrison are among the many writers that Wheatley has enticed, and she will continue to influence many more considering her works are still published and read worldwide.Works CitedGates, Henry Louis Jr. Foreword. The Collected Works of Phillis Wheatley. Ed. John C. Shields. bare-assed York Oxford UP, 1988. xi.Gates, Henry Louis Jr., and Nellie Y. McKay, eds. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New York W.W. Norton, 1997. 164-167.Wheatley, Phillis. On Being Brought from Africa to America, Atheism and An Address to the Deist. The Collected Works of Phillis Wheatley. Ed. John C. Shields. New York Oxford UP, 1988. 18, 130, 131.