Phillis Wheatley

Diamond Bell
AP English III
10/12/09
Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley was a very extraordinary black woman with great achievements. She went through ups and downs and still became a much known intelligent black writer while being a slave. She was kidnapped and taken from her natural being and still achieved many goals most slaves couldn’t even dream about. Wheatley wrote in moral and religious standards that reflected her as a person. She was bold but yet still, a humble black woman that held herself well. She didn’t hold her head down but instead she faced reality and wrote about how she felt and her views on the government and also life in general. Even though she was taken from her homeland, Africa, to Boston it almost seems as if it was destined. She adapted to her surroundings and made great use of the advantage of knowing how to read and write. Wheatley’s poetry intrigued many people and shocked many others. It is said she lived a good life as a slave, but life as a slave isn’t near being good. In retrospect she did know how to read and write two advantages that most slaves didn’t have at all. To me she didn’t let being a slave stop her hopes of being a writer or interfere with her life. Slavery came to Phiillis as something to deal with, but not as a huge tribulation. In “On Being Brought to America” Wheatley has confused me greatly. She is encouraging the blacks but also yelling at them. Why does she say,” Their colour is a diabolic die." Is Wheatley trying to say the color of blacks is related to the devil? Once again Wheatley confused me by relating blacks to Cain. What is she trying to say? Maybe she is coming off as,”why are we not united as blacks.” Another reason is can blacks be evil because Cain killed his brother? Injustice appears a lot through this poem and has a huge significance on why Phillis Wheatley created this poem.