Does Phillis Wheatley’s Poetry Deserve Notoriety?

Even though Phillis Wheatley was captured into slavery during her childhood, she became a notable influence on American literature. Wheatley is known for being the first African American to publish a book of poems. Her literary accomplishments proved that African Americans were equally capable which led to the start of the abolitionist movement. Despite the contributions Wheatley made to American literature, she receives negative criticism about her writing because she rejects aspects of her culture. Other critics feel that Wheatley’s writing does not deserve negative criticism because she defended racial equality and showed pride in her culture. Although some critics claim that Phillis Wheatley’s poetry deserves to be reviled for rejecting her own culture as a slave, other critics feel that Wheatley’s writing deserves to be honored because she rejects the idea of white superiority by defending racial equality and is aware of how her race is treated by others. 

There are those who assert that Wheatley’s writing deserves to be reviled because she does not accept slavery the way it is but instead thinks of slavery as a way to embrace Christianity which rejects her own heritage. In Wheatley’s poem “On Being Brought From Africa to America,” she writes that “mercy brought [her] from [her] Pagan land” (Wheatley 1). Because Wheatley feels that “mercy” brought her to America, Wheatley perceives her enslavement as a way to embrace Christianity and is blessed and saved that she is sent from Africa to America. This does not follow her African culture because she does not endorse physical slavery which proves that she rejects her heritage and any pride in her culture. Therefore, this poem deserves to be reviled because Wheatley is grateful about her capture in Africa rather explaining that she was forcibly captured from her homeland. Critics such as Henry Louis Gates illustrate Wheatley as denying her culture by writing that she “was now given a new role: race traitor" instead of “the great paragon of Negro achievement” (Gates). By Wheatley becoming a traitor to her race, this emphasizes how she rejects her culture, attesting to the idea that her writing deserves to be harshly criticized. Gates considered Wheatley as being an example of Negro achievement for her writing, but he opposes Wheatley for writing against her race and not accepting slavery as part of her culture by instead admiring Christian beliefs. For these reasons, opponents claim that Wheatley’s writing deserves criticism because Wheatley does not take slavery the way it is by becoming a hypocrite to her race and not accepting the reality of slavery. Though it is a valid point that Wheatley rejects her own culture, Wheatley does not entirely deny her culture because she defends her own race and takes pride in it. In “The Defense of Phillis Wheatley,” Marilyn Walker emphasizes Wheatley’s pride in her culture by mentioning that with Wheatley’s  “artistic representation of hybrid cultural experiences in Africa” she surpasses “the limitations of her social position” (Walker). Since Wheatley represents the cultural experiences in Africa in her writing, this illustrates the pride she has in her culture. She also defends her race by surpassing the limitations of her position in society to prove that African Americans are capable of having a position in society similar to other races and can overcome societal constraints. Thus, Wheatley’s representation of cultural experiences and overcoming societal position contradicts the idea that her writing deserves notoriety. Critic Henry Louis Gates writes that Wheatley “was the first among black writers to accept the images and symbols of degradation passed down from the South's most intellectual lights" (Gates). By Wheatley recognizing the “images and symbols of degradation,” this proves that she does not deny her culture and is aware about how her culture is looked down upon by others. Wheatley understands the reality of how her race is treated based on Gates’ word choice of “degradation”. Since Wheatley was the first amongst among African American writers to recognize this treatment of her race, this further emphasizes that she does not reject her own culture. Consequently, this disproves the idea that Wheatley’s writing deserves notoriety since she does not entirely forget her culture but instead takes pride in it by proving the point that African Americans can surpass social limitations in society and understands the treatment of her race. 

Wheatley advocates for racial equality by rejecting the idea of white superiority demonstrating that her poems do not deserve notoriety. In her poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” she explains that “Christians, Negros, black as Cain/May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train” (Wheatley 7-8). Critics claim that Wheatley’s indication of African American people needing refinement explains the idea that Wheatley “expects her soul to be whitewashed in heaven” (Kaplan). However, Wheatley states that any race whether they are Christians, Negroes, or as sinful as Cain has access to heaven and can be converted to Christianity. Wheatley thus makes a claim that non-Christians of any race have equal opportunity to redeem their sins by converting to Christianity which emphasizes the idea of racial equality and goes against the idea of white superiority contrasting the idea that Wheatley’s writing deserves harsh criticism. According to the literary criticism by Kaplan, it mentions that Wheatley “defend[s] our sable race against a scornful eye” which “is rightfully stored in the mind” (Kaplan). Based on the word choice of “sable” and “scornful” this proves how the African Americans are looked down upon by others because of their race. Sable is used to describe their skin color which hints that their skin color appears unnatural by others. Since Wheatley is defending her race against the “scornful eye” or the white race, this illustrates how she is doing what is right for her race by advocating for equality and going against superiority of the white race. Therefore, Wheatley’s writing does not deserve notoriety because she is pursuing equality for her race and defending it against any oppressors. 

Wheatley’s poems do not deserve negative criticism because she recognizes the struggles that her race endures and is aware about the institution of slavery which proves that she does not entirely reject her own culture. Wheatley describes her struggles about being captured by explaining that “by seeming cruel fate/ [she] was snatched from Africa's fancy'd happy seat” (Wheatley). Based on Wheatley’s diction of “cruel fate” an “snatched” this portrays Wheatley’s true and more recent feelings on her kidnapping and enslavement which is different from her word choice of “mercy” and “brought” from her poem “On Being Brought from Africa to America”. The different word choice proves that Wheatley has an ironic tone rather than a grateful tone. Wheatley does not explain her enslavement and kidnapping in terms of mercy and being saved from her pagan land of Africa, but instead she is aware about the truth of the institution of slavery. Therefore, this undeniably challenges any argument that her poetry should be reviled.  In Wheatley’s poem “ To the Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth,” she explains about the physical conditions of slavery by describing it as "No longer shalt thou dread the iron chain” (Wheatley). Based on her word choice of “iron chain,” she is connecting the iron chain to the real chain that bound slaves and prevented them from their freedom. This also contradicts her tone from “On Being Brought from Africa to America” because Wheatley is not sincere about her enslavement but has an ironic tone. This shows her actual feelings towards being enslaved because she explains about being bound by the “iron chain” which disproves the idea that her writing deserves notoriety for rejecting her culture. According to Marilyn Walker, she explains that Wheatley recognizes the concerns brought on by the enslavement of Africans by explaining that her “Poetics of Liberation, archival research giv[e] voice to the diurnal concerns for enslaved Africans” (Walker). Wheatley is aware about the concerns for the enslaved Africans when Walker mentions the “diurnal concerns” for them. Wheatley is not rejecting her culture but instead is concerned and defending her race. Therefore, this challenges the argument that Wheatley’s writing deserves negative criticism and that she is denying her own culture. 

Even though Phillis Wheatley receives criticism for rejecting her own culture, Wheatley’s writing is recognized for her advocacy of racial equality and awareness of the treatment of her race. Wheatley dismisses her own culture because she does not endorse the physical aspects of slavery but instead embodies Christain beliefs. Her writing portrays her pride in her culture by defending her race from oppressors and also implies the idea of racial equality. Despite the negative criticism Wheatley may receive for her writing, she should still be remembered for her influences and contributions she made for American literature.