Dec 28, 2009

The Poetry of Wheatley | The Poetry of Phillis Wheatley

At a glance:

Author: Phillis Wheatley
First Published: 1773
Genres: Poetry
Subjects: African Americans, Religion, God, Eighteenth century, Death or dying, Imagination, Bible, biblical imagery, or biblical symbolism, Widows or widowers, Clergy, Patriotism

The Work

Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, which appeared in London in 1773, is the first book published by an African American. The poet was born in Gambia, Africa, transported to Boston when she was eight aboard the slave ship Phillis, and purchased by a wealthy tailor named John Wheatley. The publication of her poetry in what had been a foreign language to her came a scant twelve years later. The poetry is firmly rooted in the neoclassical literary conventions of her day, evidence of the education that the Wheatleys offered...

[The entire page is 541 words long]

The Poetry of Wheatley | The Poetry of Phillis Wheatley

At a glance:

The Work

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