Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773) is a poem written by Phillis Wheatley (c. 1753-1784). She was the first published African American poet. She was a slave to the Wheatleys, a successful merchant family led by the tailor John Wheatley. Brought to America by the transatlantic slave trade, she would adopt Christianity and become internationally famous for her poetry.
A portrait of Phillis Wheatley believed to have been created by Scipio Moorhead, a freedman and artist. Source: Wikimedia
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral: Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley was presumed to have been born in 1753. There was no official record of her birth. Coming to Boston through the transatlantic slave trade as a child, her age was deduced to be seven or eight at the time. She was named after the slave ship that brought her, The Phillis. Her last name comes from her masters' last name, John and Susanna Wheatley.
Phillis Wheatley was passed over during the first stops of the transatlantic slave trade due to her frailty. Wikimedia commons
Mary Wheatley, the eldest daughter, aspired to be a teacher and decided to teach Phillis Wheatley to read and write. Wheatley showed a precocious nature and within months learned to read and write English. The family encouraged her studies, and soon she was translating classics from Greek and Latin into English.
Her elegy to Reverend Whitefield became her second published poem. This would later provide a lead to publish Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.
Elegy - a poem dedicated to mourning the recently deceased.
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral: The Book
Phillis Wheatley published Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral when she was twenty years old. She received the news while she was crossing the Atlantic. She had been in London promoting the book, meeting influential people such as Benjamin Franklin, and hoping to escape the harsh Boston winter. She suffered from asthma and the Wheatleys felt the milder London winter would be better for her. She was also pursuing a publisher in London who agreed to print her poetry.
Wheatley's second poem to be published in a newspaper provided her a publishing lead. Written when she was sixteen, this poem jumpstarted Wheatley's popularity in colonial New England and Great Britain. She admired the famous preacher Reverend George Whitefield and wrote the elegy when he died suddenly. He preached a message of equality, which naturally struck a chord with the young Wheatley, who was still a slave despite her unusual level of autonomy. His preaching also inspired her to be baptized, which was uncommon for slaves.1
Phillis Wheatley had to overcome many barriers to publish her first book, Wikimedia Commons
Mrs. Wheatley knew that Rev Whitefield was the personal clergymen of Countess of Huntingdon in London. She wrote and sent her the letter, knowing she may appreciate this thoughtful elegy to him. Being wealthy, the Countess was known to donate and support religious institutions and abolitionism. The personal connection to Whitefield and the anti-slavery bent gained Wheatley an audience with the Countess. The Countess connected Phillis Wheatley to the foremost prominent publisher in London, Archibald Bell. He would only publish her book under the condition of providing an attestation.
Attestation - a formal certification of proof that something exists.
Phillis Wheatley was interviewed by over eighteen prominent community members, including John Hancock, later known for signing the "Declaration of Independence" with his famously large signature. All the men were impressed and eagerly signed a letter of attestation. Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral would be published as she voyaged back across the US to be with the recently ill Susanna Wheatley.
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral: Summary
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral features a variety of poetry with twenty-eight poems in all, mostly of religious and Christian moral content. In one of Wheatley's most famous poems, she reflects on her kidnapping from Africa to America. A terrible evil turned into a blessing for her through her acceptance of Christianity.
Other poems include previously published poems featured in newspapers. Several are elegies, like the one to Mr. Whitefield, where she honors the unexpected passing of one of her favorite preachers. Many poems are elegies intended to help the aggrieved.
One particular poem addresses the graduating class of Harvard University. Many expound upon the virtues of a good Christian moral life. Others are inspired by true tales from guests at the Wheatley house. One of her first poems ever written is included in this collection. She had her first poem inspired by two of John Wheatley's guests. They talked about surviving a terrible storm while at sea. “On Messrs [Misters] Hussey and Coffin” was written when she was just fourteen years old.
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral: Analysis
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was a political and moral statement. At the time, White westerners considered Africans to be subhuman. They also considered poetry as one of the highest forms of intellectual display. If enslaved black women could write poetry, such as Phillis Wheatley, the action itself was a challenge to the established dogma of the time. Phillis Wheatley's poetry directly challenged the institution of slavery and its justification of subjugation.
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral features poems that mostly follow the signature format of Phillis Wheatley, an AABB rhyming couplet format.
Rhyming couplet - two lines that end with a pair of words that sound the same
Each couplet ends in a rhyme and gives the reader the rhythm. Wheatley was inspired by the English poet Alexander Pope, who was known for his heroic couplets, a form of iambic pentameter used in epic and narrative poems.
Iambic pentameter - a line of poetry that contains ten syllables where each even-numbered syllable is stressed.
Wheatley used personification, alliteration, and allusion quite often in her poetry.
Personification - attributing human qualities to nonhuman things.
Alliteration - consecutive words starting with the same sound or letter.
Allusion - a reference to a previous work, story, or character.
The following quotes below are all examples of the techniques that she used.
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral: Quotes
There are twenty poems total in Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. Below are excerpts from three poems that represent the range of her subjects.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye,“Their colour is a diabolic die.”Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,May be refin’d, and join th’ angelic train."
-("On Being Brought from Africa to America", lines 4-8)
This poem addresses Wheatley's audience of mostly white Christians. For her, Christianity is about equality. She never felt a part of any community as a black enslaved poet. On one hand, white Christians saw her as an exceptional showpiece and never accepted her as equal despite her impressive intellect. On the other, the Wheatleys kept Phillis in her own room, separate from the rest of the slaves and therefore different from them. She hoped for Christians to follow through on their promise, which is to be inclusive and not deny anyone the grace of God.
Susannah mourns, nor can I bearTo see the crystal showerOr mark the tender falling tearAt sad departure’s hour;"
-A Farewell to America, lines 13-16
Wheatley wrote this about the experience of leaving the United States for the first time. Archibald Bell was publishing her book. She was boarding a ship for London. She would meet many famous people there, but her book would only get published while she was on her way back to America. Susanna Wheatley had fallen ill and felt Phillis Wheatley's presence would help her get better. This is an example of the close relationship between Susanna and Phillis. She was often regarded as her own child.
This known, ye parents, nor her loss deplore,She feels the iron hand of pain no more;The dispensations of unerring grace,Should turn your sorrows into grateful praise;"
-On the Death of a Young Lady of Five Years of Age, lines 5- 8
Many of Phillis Wheatley's poems are eulogies. Her second published poem about Whitefield's death created the circumstances that led to the publishing of her Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. In this particular poem, she turned the death of a young girl into something positive. She pointed out that life itself has its own hardships, and we should be grateful she no longer has to experience the painful burden of mortal life.
As a Christian, the mortal life is seen as a temporary passage to a preferred eternity. It's why many Christian denominations focus on using life as a means to assure ascendancy to heaven. Phillis Wheatley was no exception and cherished life and death. She encouraged the parents to be grateful that their daughter could enter the kingdom of God so early. If they're truly god-fearing Christians, they could see this as a blessing. To Phillis Wheatley, God had decided this child's time so early she must have been an angel in waiting.
Poems on Various Subjects Religious and Moral - Key takeaways
- Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral is a poetry collection by Phillis Wheatley.
- Phillis Wheatley was a black slave who received special treatment from her masters, who encouraged her to read and write.
- Phillis Wheatley had to overcome extra barriers as a black slave woman to get her book Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral published, such as an attestation.
- Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral is a collection of poems dealing with life and death, religion, and Christian morals.
- Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was an open challenge to the belief held by many Christians that Africans could not be saved and become Christians.
1. Salisbury, Cynthia. Phillis Wheatley: legendary African-American poet (2001).
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