Phillis Wheatley as a Writer for the People In an era when African American writers, as well as women, would be greatly oppressed, Phillis Wheatley stood out as an anomaly in the late 18th century panorama. His work represented a middle ground between the white oppressors and the black oppressed, courageously covering political topics that others had already dared to write about. Through her poems, To the King's Most Excellent Majesty and On Being Brought from Africa to America, Wheatley presents herself as the middle one through the use of rhythm and subtle shifts in tone, telling her stories in a way that allowed her to obtain available information. to the public and appeal to all different types of people in the social hierarchy of which he was an integral part at that time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of the most surprising things about Wheatley is often what he chose to write about. She considered herself a writer of the people, and it is continually evident in her poetry that she thought poetry was the greatest medium through which to express herself and her ideas. She was a writer in times before the conflict between Britain and America had really come to a head. One would think that, as a slave, she would not have supported the British government due to her lower circumstantial status in society brought about by the slave trade. Wheatley actually took the opposite approach in his work, praising people like General George Washington or King George. His poem, To the Most Excellent Majesty of the King, is a fine example of such praise. She speaks directly to those who were above her in status: “In memory of your past favors, the meanest peasants admire most the last May George, beloved of all nations around, live with the choicest and constant Blessings of heaven crowned! ” (Wheatley, page 16, lines 8-11) His choice of words, “beloved by” and “crowned blessings” are indicative of the idea that King George and all he does for his country, and consequently for the Americas, are the best decisions that could be made. Although his poem focuses on King George, he also addresses God, asking him to “direct and guard [King George] from above” (Wheatley, page 16, line 12) To speak of both so highly demonstrates high praise for what they represent, but Wheatley refers to King George only as “George,” dismissing his formal title and emphasizing a comfort and familiarity with the name and title. idea of ​​him, even though he is a king and far above his social status (Wheatley, pg16, line 10). He uses poetry as a method of leveling his status and, to some extent, the status of everyone African Americans Much of the reason Wheatley was able to use poetry as an outlet for political conversation was because she was educated. She has been taught to have an educational level equal to that of the white oppressors around her, but she still continues to be considered a person of lower status in society. Poetry has leveled the playing field. Addressing King George, in addition to speaking well of the practice of Christianity, is befitting of whites who call themselves his superiors. It validates her writing because if she had chosen to be more radical, her chances of getting published would have plummeted incredibly quickly. The one line that stands out in the poem, showing that he may not be as complacent as his readers at the time would have thought, is the first line of the poem: "Thy subjects hope, dread sire—" (Wheatley, pg16, line 1 ). While the entire poem is in iambic pentameter, as is commonin Wheatley's poetry, this line stands out in iambic trimeter. He is calling attention, subtly, to the fact that the king is perhaps not as good as the rest of his poetry might seem. She believes in him and what he is doing, as well as the idea that it is God's will that dominates him and his decisions, but this particular line exudes foreboding. The use of the word “terror,” which is not normally used in the context of pleasant things, does not paint the king in a wonderful light to be around. The caesura at the end of the line also leaves the words very open-ended, as if Wheatley is giving his readers a pause to think before launching into the meat of his poem. Rhythm also plays a key role in how Wheatley presents his poetry. William Butler Yeats, an early/mid-19th century Irish poet, wrote an article on symbolism that narrowed down some ideas of rhythm: "The purpose of rhythm, it has always seemed to me, is to prolong the moment of contemplation, the moment in which we they are both asleep and awake, which is the only moment of creation, silencing us with a seductive monotony, while keeping us awake with variety, to keep us in that perhaps real state of trance, in which the mind freed from the pressure of the will unfolds into symbols." (Yeats) This, it seems, is what Wheatley does with the change between the first line of To the Kings Most Excellent Majesty and the rest of the poem. He changes pace and tone beautifully suggesting the need to take his religious hymn to King George a little less seriously than one might originally have. She believed in the power of King George and the subsequent power of Christianity, but she was also still aware of her place in society, a slave with very few rights, and the reason she got to where she was was through education and good fortune in the way of his masters. To take what Yeats says a little further, his analysis of rhythm in the poem, which can symbolize “the time when we are both asleep and awake,” is on par with racism in Wheatley's time. People who read his poetry had the option of being asleep or awake, blind to his message or grasping its subtleties. Wheatley's poem On Being Brought from Africa to America highlights the dualities which she subtly inserts into her poetry. She begins by talking about being brought from a “pagan land” (Wheatley, pg17, line 1). This phrase grants power to America, that a black woman would renounce her origins and openly admit that she has better opportunities in the new land. However, at the end of the poem, he reminds his white readers that people of color are just as equally human beings, that Negroes can “be refined and join the angelic train” (Wheatley, p. 17, line 8). This is a good example of how Wheatley sees herself as a midfielder. She believes that, as a good Christian, she is equal to the white people who enslaved her since they will all end up in the same place after death. Yet on the other hand, she still praises them highly, wanting to be like them, because she is indebted because they gave her the opportunity for a little better education and life. In many ways, Phillis Wheatley was a brilliant woman and poet. . She understood her place, was grateful for what she had, but also pushed back to try to change the social order in which she lived. Because of this, his situation could only be described as incredibly complex. If he had avoided that hierarchy and taken a deliberate and outspoken stance, he would never have published his work, much less would any part of his voice have been heard. For her, writing was the most important job and one that she was eager to master and successfully and stealthily deliver to the world. She presented herself as a woman of, 1903.