How Did Phillis Wheatley Impact Society

Throughout our course we have learned about various authors ranging from John Smith to Edgar Allan Poe to Hannah Foster, but one of the most interesting authors that we have learned about has to be Phillis Wheatley. Throughout my essay, I will be discussing the role Phillis Wheatley had on society, the uniqueness of her situation, and the controversy of her poetry. I will also mention the content within her poetry. We had the opportunity to read her poems, On Being Brought Africa to America, To the University of Cambridge, in New England, On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield, 1770, and Thoughts on the Works of Providence. Wheatley did not approve of slavery, which she mentions a little in her poetry, but she does not talk too much about the issue. I believe that she was just oblivious to how bad it really was for others, because she was treated in a humane manner that was not like how other slaves were treated.
Wheatley was kidnapped from …show more content…
She was kidnapped from her homeland of West Africa, but still with the help of her slave-owners and their children was able to make something of herself. There are many factors that play into the style and content of Wheatley’s poetry. She had very many constricting factors that played into her poetry. There were things she could not write in her poetry because of the trouble it would cause. The first time reading Wheatley’s poetry one would think that she did not care anything about her fellow slaves and that she was just oblivious to what others were experiencing because she was fortunate enough to be purchased by a decent family. The way you feel about Phillis Wheatley depends on which piece of poetry you read. There are some that makes you feel like she was oblivious to her fellow slaves’ suffering and there are some that stand out that make you feel like she really does