Phillis Wheatley Merch

Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley was an African American poet who was born in West Africa in 1753. She was kidnapped and brought to Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 7. She was enslaved by the Wheatley family, who taught her to read and write. Wheatley began writing poetry at a young age, and her first poem was published in 1767. In 1773, she published her first book of poems, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. This made her the first African American and the second woman in the United States to publish a book of poemsShuttle Endeavour in 1992, becoming the first African American woman in space.

Phillis Wheatley was a pioneering African American poet whose literary achievements challenged racial stereotypes and paved the way for future generations of Black writers. Despite being enslaved as a child, Wheatley's remarkable talent and perseverance led to her becoming the first published African American author, highlighting her enduring impact on American literature and the fight for equality.

Excerpts from three significant poems by American women are annotated with rhyme scheme and stress patterns. (Specifically, the poems are "To. S.M., A Young African Poet, On Seeing His Works" by Phillis Wheatley, "That she forgot me was the least" by Emily Dickinson, and "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus.)