Lauren Smith
April
ENGL 201-D02 LUO
Professor Christopher Robinson
The Age of Reason, which is also known as The Age of Enlightenment, was from the 17th
century to the 19th century. It was a rational and logical movement that conquered the world of
ideas in Europe during this time. The ideas during this time were more centered on sovereignty
of reason and proof of the senses as the primary sources of knowledge and advanced ideals that
include progress, liberty, constitutional government, toleration, separation of church and state,
and toleration. The Colonial Age and The Age of Reason or Enlightenment (also known as
Rationalism, Revolution, and Neoclassicism) were both two very different yet very similar time
periods that can be seen by comparing the writings, motivation, and upbringing of Phillis
Wheatley and Anne Bradstreet.
Phillis Wheatley was an African American poet during The Age of Reason born in 1753
that had just so happened to be a slave. When she was seven years old, she was brought to
America by John and Susanna Wheatley. In 1767 at around the age of fourteen, she published her
first poem in the Rhode Island Newspaper. By 1770 Wheatley began to earn fame. In 1775 she
wrote patriotic poetry by writing to Washington (Belasco, 2019). As stated by the Poetry
Foundation, Wheatley was an enslaved woman who was also known as one of the best-known
poets in pre-19th century America (2022). She wrote many impressive works of art and poems
during The Age of Reason. Phillis Wheatley died in 1784.
Anne Bradstreet was born in 1612 in Northampton, United Kingdom. Her father was a
nonconformist former soldier who in 1630 went with his family to America with the
Massachusetts Bay Company (Woodlief, 2018). Bradstreet was around the age of 18 when she
moved to America with her husband and parents in 1630. Bradstreet was one of the first poets at
the time to have written English verse in the American colonies. She was the first American poet
that was published. It was not until later during the mid-19th century that her work
“Contemplations” which was written for her family, finally got published. Later in the 20th
century, Bradstreet won critical acceptance as a writer of enduring verse (Britannica, 2021).
Anne Bradstreet died in 1672 in Andover, Massachusetts.
Phillis Wheatley and Anne Bradstreet have things in common, but they also have things
that make them different. One thing that made them different was that Anne Bradstreet was born
in England into a family that was wealthy and well provided for. Phillis Wheatley was born in
West Africa into a family that was poor and where she was enslaved. One thing that the two of
them had in common was that they had both moved to Massachusetts later on in their life.
Another thing that makes them similar is that they both learned to read and write and that they
both enjoyed poetry. Bradstreet would write poetry for her father when she was young while
Wheatley enjoyed poetry by poets John Milton. Another way that the two women were alike is
that both of them were religious. Although religious, one was a puritan and the other was a
Christian (Baym and Levine 207, 763). Something that the two had in common is something in
their works. The two women would use nature as proof that God exists and reason to give him
praise.
After talking about The Age of Reason or Enlightenment also known as Rationalism,
Revolution, and Neoclassicism, as well as Phillis Wheatley and Anne Bradstreet, we have come
to know a little about them. Although not a long story of either one, we talk about where the two
women came from and how their backstory is different from each other. Wheatley grew up
enslaved but had learned how to read and write leading to her writing poetry later down the road.
Bradstreet was born into a family that had money and was taken care of pretty well and would
write poetry for her father when she was little. The two women sharing a passion for poetry
would finally later down the road get published and become famous for their works. Their works
would leave a long-lasting impact on things that people will still read and study centuries later
after having been published. Overall, Phillis Wheatley and Anne Bradstreet had their differences,
but they also had their similarities. The Age of Reason or Enlightenment also known as
Rationalism, Revolution, and Neoclassicism gave a look into the lives of these two women, their
backstory, and how they became to be published poets.
References
Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine. Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. New York:
W. W. Norton, 2012. Print
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021, September 12). Anne Bradstreet. Encyclopedia
Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anne-Bradstreet
Foundation, P. (2022). Phillis Wheatley. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/phillis-wheatley
Susan, B. (2019). The Bedford Anthology American Literature, Volume 1, Second Edition,
Liberty University. [Liberty University Online Bookshelf]. Retrieved from
https://libertyonline.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781319324414/
Woodlief, A. (2018). Biography of Anne Bradstreet. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from
https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/Bradstreet/bradbio.htm
