What is the Main Idea of Wheatley’s Letter?
The main idea of Phillis Wheatley’s letter is to express her thoughts on freedom and slavery, highlighting the contradiction between the colonists’ demands for freedom from Britain and their determination to uphold slavery. She also compares enslaved people in the American colonies to the Israelites, who will be freed by God “in his own way and time,” as the Israelites were, and describes enslavers as “modern Egyptians”.
Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
- What was the purpose of Phillis Wheatley’s letter? The purpose of Phillis Wheatley’s letter was to point out the contradiction between the colonists’ demands for freedom from Britain and their determination to uphold slavery.
- Why did Phillis Wheatley write to George Washington? Phillis Wheatley composed the poem with hopes that Washington would apply the Revolution’s principles of equality and liberty to enslaved persons.
- Who does Phillis Wheatley refer to as modern Egyptians in her letter to Samson Occom? She compares enslaved people in the American colonies to the Israelites, who will be freed by God “in his own way and time,” as the Israelites were, and describes enslavers as “modern Egyptians”.
Biography and Writing
- What is the most important thing about Phillis Wheatley? In 1773, Phillis Wheatley accomplished something that no other woman of her status had done, becoming the first American slave, the first person of African descent, and only the third colonial American woman to have her work published.
- Who was Phillis Wheatley’s intended audience? Both commercially and politically, her intended audience is very much the educated, wealthy, and powerful of England and the British colonies.
- What type of writing did Phillis Wheatley write? Phillis Wheatley’s favorite poetic form was the couplet, both iambic pentameter and heroic, and more than one-third of her canon is composed of elegies, poems on the deaths of noted persons, friends, or even strangers whose loved ones employed the poet.
Historical Context
- How did Phillis Wheatley feel about slavery? Although she supported the American Revolution, she believed that slavery was the issue that prevented the colonists from achieving true heroism.
- How did Phillis Wheatley escape slavery? Phillis Wheatley was freed from slavery upon Susanna’s death in 1774, a process called ‘manumission’.
- Who freed Phillis Wheatley from slavery? Phillis Wheatley was emancipated by the Wheatleys shortly after the publication of her book of poems.
Personal Life
- Who did Phillis Wheatley marry? In 1778, Wheatley married John Peters, a free Black man from Boston with whom she had three children, though none survived.
- How old was Phillis Wheatley when she died? Phillis Wheatley died on December 5, 1784, at the age of 31, after giving birth to a daughter, who died the same day as her.
- What are three things about Phillis Wheatley? She was enslaved by a tailor, John Wheatley, and his wife, Susanna, received an education in the Wheatley household, and was taught to read and write, which was unusual for an enslaved person.
Legacy and Impact
- What is the truth about Phillis Wheatley? She was enslaved by a tailor, John Wheatley, and his wife, Susanna, received an education in the Wheatley household, and was taught to read and write, which was unusual for an enslaved person.
- What is the main message of an address to Miss Phillis Wheatley? This poem is a message directed towards every reader to get their lives in order, saying that we should repent our sins and ask God for forgiveness, in which He would do so.
- What are 10 facts about Phillis Wheatley? Phillis Wheatley was named for the slave ship on which she was taken to America, the Wheatleys’ daughter Mary taught Phillis to read and write, and she started writing poetry at about age 12 and published her first poem at 14.