Phillis Wheatley lit response

Markeia Scruggs
September 15, 2009
2 page lit response
Phillis Wheatley, an African American poet, lived an interesting life. Her life and accomplishments is a story of irony. “In an age in which even few white women were given an education, Wheatley was taught to read and write, and in a short time began to read Latin writers.” the text states. Education for a black girl is judged as wrong during this time in history. The passage states, “Her literary gifts, intelligence, and piety were a striking example to her English and American admirers of the triumph of the human spirit over the circumstances of birth.” This is extremely ironic because putting a woman on a pedestal is rare, but putting a black woman above that is ever more extreme. Because she was stuck within a time period of inequality and racism, her works are valued even more today. Because she broke through the racial and gender barriers, she is deemed as a powerful and talented woman.
Wheatley shows sarcasm when she states, “Some view our sable race with scornful eye. Their color is a diabolic dye.” She puts herself in the place of the whites when she says this because she shows us how they view black people. She uses sarcasm to ease the pain, but it’s obviously there, hidden within the text. Wheatley sarcastically tells how it’s basically a hopeless to have black skin in America. She appeals to pathos in this quote. She does it by giving the reader the feeling of how sad and unfortunate it is to be a black person in such a situation. The text also states, “ Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land, taught my benighted soul to understand that there’s a God, that there’s a Savior too.” In this quote, Wheatley uses strong diction and appeals to pathos in order to make the reader feel the pain and misery she has felt once before, but to also give the reader the sense of security that she has found through God.
In the last poem, Wheatley explains how she has found joy and happiness through achieving freedom. The text says, “Hail, happy day, when, smiling like the morn, fair freedom rose New England to adorn…” Through this quote in particular, she uses similes and extravagant diction to paint a picture of her feelings toward her new found freedom. They are better explained in this quote, “Elate with hope her race no longer mourns, each soul expands, each grateful bosom burns, while in thing had with pleasure we behold…” She is so overwhelmed with happiness and her feelings are transmitted to the reader through pathos. She uses pathos to brighten up the lives of her readers.
Phillis Wheatley, an extremely important contributor to American literature, was a strong black woman who beat the odds. Through her poems she expressed the struggles of her life as a slave and servant. Because she received the opportunity of an education, she became a wonderful poet. She used great diction, figurative language and word choice to express her feelings. She also appealed to pathos to transmit her feelings right into the reader.