Phillis Wheatley And Freneau

496 Words2 Pages
Phillis Wheatley and Phillip Freneau are two amazing poets. Both poets emerged around the time of the American Revolution. Phillis was the first African American poet, on top of that she was also female and a slave. Phillip was a teacher as well as a soldier, Phillis and Phillip came from two very diverse backgrounds, on two different sides of the earth. Even their poems had different views on the same idea. Slavery was a big source of conflict back then, and both Wheatley and Freneau had plenty to say on that particular topic. Phillis Wheatley was the first African American to publish a book of poetry. Even though she was very well educated, she was a slave. Phillis was taken from African and brought to Boston, she was sold to John Wheatley, and given to his wife, Susannah. Once they realized she was a fast learner they taught her English and Latin literature. The Wheatley’s were the driving force behind the publishing of her book.…show more content…
Any reader can tell that although she was kidnapped she was greatly appreciative. At one point Phillis says “[Mercy] taught my benighted soul to understand that there’s a God, that there’s a Saviour too.” Wheatley is basically speaking on how they introduced her to Christianity. An assumption could also be made that she took that belief and embraced it because she called it the “angelic train.” If the reader analyzed the tone and words she used they would infer that her auspicious encounter with slavery made her okay with
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    Wheatley and Freneau both held a deep hatred for slavery. The two poems, On Being Brought from Africa to America, and On the Emigration to America and Peopling the Western Country were based on this hatred. There are, however, differences in these two poems, such as the forms of immigration. Phillis Wheatley was opposed to the ideas and actions of slavery. However, she believed that those who were kidnapped and taken from their homes in Africa, were saved from living a Pagan life, “ ’Twas mercy brought

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