A First Poet

A First Poet

            African American Lit in many ways has had a lot of first.  Many debated who the first African American poet was that had their work published.   Stated as a fact in the encyclopedia, Phillis Wheatley was the first African American woman to have her poetry published.  Since Wheatley was a slave the origins of her birth are unknown.  To estimate the time about when she was born would be roughly about 1753 and the time of her death was in December 1784.  Wheatley was captured and brought to America in 1761.  At a young age she was purchased by a wealthy family from the Boston Massachusetts area.  The Wheatley family encouraged Phillis Wheatley to write and learn to read. Phillis Wheatley was named Phillis because of the slave ship that brought her to America was named Phillis.  Although it was not known at this time despite the hand that was dealt to Wheatley she used it to build a great legacy.

As Wheatley grew into her life as a slave, she became interested in becoming educated.  As a matter of fact she began her process of learning by being tutored by her master’s daughter Mary Wheatley.  By the time Phillis Wheatley became a preteen she was studying Greek and Latin.  It was through her master’s encouragement that helped Wheatley transcend into a poet.  She studied the works of Alexander Pope, John Milton, and Virgil.  It was these authors that influenced Wheatley to write poetry.

            When it came to the style and structure of Wheatley’s poetry she used a formula that consisted of three elements.  These elements were Christian beliefs, Classicism, and Solar worship.  With these elements plus life experiences Wheatley was very capable of creating potent poetry.  It would be her focus on religious and moral themes that was the main ideas from which her work was created.

            In her work Wheatley expressed herself so well to the point that many thought that she stole her poetry and ideas from someone else.  With many thinking that she did not write her work she was put on trial to see if indeed she was the author of her work.  In 1772 Wheatley had to prove her poetic skills before a court of law.  In this case Wheatley proved to be the author leaving many in shock .It’s a shame that many did not believe a West African female slave could write poetry.  This would make Wheatley the first African American female to have a book published.

Wheatley’s book called Poems On Various Subjects, Religious And Moral was published in England in 1773.  With the success of her book she traveled to England and was invited into George Washington’s home after she wrote a poem about Washington.  The poem was called “To His Excellency George Washington ”  It was poems such as these that brought Wheatley not only fame but her freedom from slavery.  In 1778 Wheatley was freed from all forms of slavery.  She even married a man named John Peters who was a free black man in the grocery business.  Sadly by the year of 1784 Wheatley’s husband was imprisoned for debt.  So Wheatley’s effort to support herself was to become a maid.  The same year Wheatley died in December, she was only 31 years of age.

Much is to be said about the legacy of Phillis Wheatley.  As a young girl she was stolen away from her homeland.  As a child she was cut off from her roots due to the fact of evil practices of slavery.  Throughout her life she made the best of it.  Wheatley was given lemons in life so she made lemonade. With her pain she expressed poetry from her tears.  To be forced to live in a land unknown to be bought, sold and owned is a sick way of life for anyone to live.  Although despite these things this lady showed the world that she was special and through her soul she gave birth to the idea of African Americans being writers.