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jemjemv's review against another edition
4.0
Regarding her poems: Incredible writing from the first Black poet to publish a book. As other reviewers have mentioned, I would give her poetry 5 stars, even though some of the topics aren’t my taste. Her words are intentional, moving, and emotional. She was incredibly gifted.
However, I found the “memoir” at the end to be cringey and distasteful. It’s not a memoir, and was not written by Phillis, but was written by a descendant of Phillis’s oppressors, Margaretta Matilda Odell, who claims to have “been familiar with the name and fame of Phillis from her childhood.” Seems like Odell tried her best to put a “white savior” spin on what happened, portraying the family to have taken Phillis in, that they did her a favor and gave her all sorts of opportunities: “…had Phillis fallen into less generous and affectionate hands, she would speedily have perished under the privations and exertions of common servitude.” Mr. John Wheatley is described as a “respectable citizen of Boston, a gentleman. …oh yeah, and a slave owner. That fact is slipped in as if it doesn’t matter. She was taken from her homeland and bought by this white family when she was 7. This family enslaved Phillis. They shouldn’t get to tell her story from their privileged and oppressive stance.
mrspenningalovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful poetry and a lovely memoir at the end, written by Wheatley’s great-nieces. What a legacy she left them, living a life filled with grand experienced, but also devastating trauma. Coming in a slave ship at 7, she writes poetry about life, death, faith, religion, and America/England/ Africa. Her poetry will be a beautiful addition to AP LIT as the first African-American poet to be published.
“Indulgent Muse! my groveling mind inspire, and fill me bosom with celestial fore.”
“Overwhelming sorrow now demands my song: From death the overwhelming sorrow sprung.”
“Indulgent Muse! my groveling mind inspire, and fill me bosom with celestial fore.”
“Overwhelming sorrow now demands my song: From death the overwhelming sorrow sprung.”
ciaran_chaos's review against another edition
3.0
To be fair, I every other poem at some point. I picked this poetry book, to have some diversity in what I read, the same reason as to why I read The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches by Bashō Matsuo. As expected, this gave me a new and different insight to poetry, a different kind of style and topic area to find something to write about. Similar to Matsuo, Wheatley writes about events I had not really considered writing about.
kiramke's review against another edition
4.0
I looked this up many years ago after learning the brief history of one of our public schools (obviously named Phillis Wheatley. While her poems are very much in a certain style of the time, they are as good or better than any others in that genre and should be lauded just for that, on top of her activism and story.
kaylamichelledean1234's review against another edition
4.0
This was absolutely fantastic, though heartbreaking, poetry. Phillis Wheatley was so gifted. And so mistreated. The biography at the back (which was was written quite some time ago) was chock full of prejudiced, undermining language. A wonderful read, for the poetry, but also an eye-opening one which gives the perspective of the horrific impact of slavery.
lukerik's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
The first book ever published by an African American. Wheatley’s technically brilliant, but considering the appalling state of 18th Century English poetry, is ham-strung by her models. The book’s more interesting as a historical document than as poetry. The 1834 edition (and its reprints) has a very useful memoir of her.
Briefly, she was stolen in Africa and exported to New England where she was bought by the Wheatleys. When they realised she was clever, Mrs Wheatley had her educated and kept as a sort of pet. She appears to have used Wheatley’s poetic ability for social clout, taking her round to peoples parties and having her perform her tricks. The son appears to have used her in a similar way, taking her to England with him when he was looking for a wife.
Reading around a bit online I found the suggestion that because she was kept segregated from the other slaves she may not have understood the true nature of the situation she was in. I’m not convinced by this theory. I think the poetry reveals a very clever young lady who knew her audience very well and know how to tell them what they wanted to hear. See for example the opening line of ‘On Being Brought From Africa to America’: “’T was mercy brought me from my pagan land”. Most of the poems have a religious element to them and she hardly ever tells us anything personal about herself. Though I might point out that one of the longest poems is a retelling of David and Goliath, the triumph of the underdog. Her stock-in-trade is elegies on the recently deceased, presumably written on request. In these she frequently presents herself as some sort of psychopomp. The Europeans must have thought there to be something unnatural about her, and many did not believe her existence to be within the bounds of reality. I think that she tried to use these poems to secure her position in white society as some sort of psychic figure. She didn’t have a good hand, but she played it as well as she could.
She puts me in mind of a real life version of Pamphila from Terence’s play The Eunuch. Of course, this is a tragedy. Despite professing to like her so much, when Mrs Wheatley died she had not taken the opportunity to formally manumit her and had made absolutely no provision for her in her will. What kind of a person buys a trafficked child, uses them like that and then abandons them? Without an owner to take her into white peoples homes she no longer had access to her market. Wheatley died a few years later in squalor and poverty, having seen the death of her children.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Kidnapping, Slavery, Trafficking, Racism, and Death
shuly's review against another edition
5.0
I'm new to Phillis Wheatley—I had heard of her in passing a number of times as a historical footnote but this is only my first time reading her work. Her life story and the mythology around her is fascinating, and I get the impression that just reading her poems is only scratching the surface.
It sounds, just from what little I've read about her, like she was an incredibly complex figure. Her work (which is beautiful and deserving of celebration) was tokenized by the white literary world of the late 18th century, then tossed aside in the aftermath of the American Revolution. Her only book of poetry was published when she was 20, and her life was tragically cut short at only 31. Although she left behind plenty of writing, she never wrote an autobiography. Up until recently, the definitive biography on her life was written by a white woman (in the mid-1800s!) who described her life as a white savior narrative and downplayed her anti-slavery views.
In any case, I really enjoyed reading her poems. There are a lot of poems written to honor dead people I've never heard of (I'll be honest that I skimmed through these) but my favorite poems were the biblical and classical ones. “Goliath of Gath. 1 Samuel, Chap. xvii” is absolutely incredible. Even reading it some 200+ years later, her language is so evocative, visual, and visceral! I just love the way her poetry flows (read this entire collection out loud!!)
My favorite poem overall, though, was "Thoughts on the Works of Providence":
I'm definitely going to memorize this one!
Reading these poems was a wonderful experience and it's given me a lot to think about. Clearly, there's still a lot for me to learn. I especially can't wait to get my hands on [b:The Age of Phillis|51805158|The Age of Phillis|Honorée Fanonne Jeffers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579198241l/51805158._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73392240] by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, which seems like the perfect starting point for delving into Phillis Wheatley studies.
I leave this book inspired and curious, blessed by Virtue through Phillis' pen.
It sounds, just from what little I've read about her, like she was an incredibly complex figure. Her work (which is beautiful and deserving of celebration) was tokenized by the white literary world of the late 18th century, then tossed aside in the aftermath of the American Revolution. Her only book of poetry was published when she was 20, and her life was tragically cut short at only 31. Although she left behind plenty of writing, she never wrote an autobiography. Up until recently, the definitive biography on her life was written by a white woman (in the mid-1800s!) who described her life as a white savior narrative and downplayed her anti-slavery views.
In any case, I really enjoyed reading her poems. There are a lot of poems written to honor dead people I've never heard of (I'll be honest that I skimmed through these) but my favorite poems were the biblical and classical ones. “Goliath of Gath. 1 Samuel, Chap. xvii” is absolutely incredible. Even reading it some 200+ years later, her language is so evocative, visual, and visceral! I just love the way her poetry flows (read this entire collection out loud!!)
My favorite poem overall, though, was "Thoughts on the Works of Providence":
ARISE, my soul, on wings enraptur’d, rise
To praise the monarch of the earth and skies,
Whose goodness and beneficence appear
As round its centre moves the rolling year,
Or when the morning glows with rosy charms,
Or the sun slumbers in the ocean’s arms:
Of light divine be a rich portion lent
To guide my soul, and favour my intend.
Celestial muse, my arduous flight sustain
And raise my mind to a seraphic strain!
I'm definitely going to memorize this one!
Reading these poems was a wonderful experience and it's given me a lot to think about. Clearly, there's still a lot for me to learn. I especially can't wait to get my hands on [b:The Age of Phillis|51805158|The Age of Phillis|Honorée Fanonne Jeffers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579198241l/51805158._SX50_SY75_.jpg|73392240] by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, which seems like the perfect starting point for delving into Phillis Wheatley studies.
I leave this book inspired and curious, blessed by Virtue through Phillis' pen.
"On Virtue"
Attend me, Virtue, thro’ my youthful years!
O leave me not to the false joys of time!
But guide my steps to endless life and bliss.
Greatness, or Goodness, say what I shall call thee,
To give me an higher appellation still,
Teach me a better strain, a nobler lay,
O thou, enthron’d with Cherubs in the realms of day.