Phillis Wheatley – Comprehensive Study Notes

Phillis Wheatley: Comprehensive Notes on Writing, Diction, and Style

Biographical context and timeline

  • Phillis Wheatley was born in Senegal, West Africa.

  • She arrived in Boston in 1761 on the ship named Phillis.

  • John Wheatley purchased her to be his wife’s personal servant; she took the Wheatley surname, as was customary for slaves.

  • John Wheatley educated Phillis in Latin, Greek, theology, history, and mythology.

  • She began writing poetry in 1767 with the Wheatleys’ approval.

  • Susanna Wheatley helped Phillis publish her first collection: Poems on Various Subjects, Religious, and Moral in September 1773.

  • After Wheatley’s success as a poet, her owners emancipated (freed) her in 1773.

Key diction to note (word list and implications)

  • Diction: the choice of words shapes tone, perspective, and audience response, especially in poetry.

  • Word list highlighted for close reading:

    • Mercy

    • Savior

    • Benighted

    • Sable

    • Pagan

    • Diabolical

    • Black

    • Dye

  • The presence of religious terms (Mercy, Savior) alongside racialized terms (Sable, Black) and moralizing descriptors (Pagan, Diabolical) invites critical reading of how race, religion, and morality are framed in Wheatley’s language.

  • Practical note: when reading Wheatley’s poems, pay attention to how these terms carry both spiritual and racialized connotations in 18th-century contexts.

Wheatley’s poetry style and techniques

  • Wheatley employed several rhetorical devices similar to those used by Anne Bradstreet:

    • Elevated style: language that aspires to grandeur and emotional impact through figurative language.

    • Figurative language and imagery: vivid pictures and comparisons to convey emotion and moral truths.

    • Allusions: references to classical, biblical, and historical sources to deepen meaning.

  • Contrast with Puritan plain style: Puritans favored plain, straightforward diction, but Wheatley (like Bradstreet) integrated figurative language and imagery where appropriate, signaling a shift toward more ornate poetic expression in American literature.

  • Meter and form:

    • Iambic pentameter: lines typically composed of five iambic feet per line, creating a rising-falling rhythm.

    • Iamb: a pair of syllables in an unstressed–stressed pattern, denoted as (U, S).

    • Heroic couplets: pairs of rhyming lines written in iambic pentameter (AA, BB, CC, …), a common device in her poetry.

  • How to recognize the devices:

    • Look for pairs of rhymed lines (couplets) in close succession.

    • Notice elevated diction, grand similes, and allusions that elevate the subject beyond everyday life.