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Mohamed Elgendi
Doctor Ryan Furlong
English 201: American Literature
18 June 2023
Two Prominent Female Poets
Who were the first two American women poets? Anne Bradstreet came first, followed by
Phillis Wheatley. This essay examines two American women poets of distinct eras, Anne
Bradstreet in the 1600s and Phillis Wheatley in the 1700s, and how their historical periods and
circumstances affected the reception of their poetry. (“Bradstreet and Wheatley: A Discussion of
Two Distinct American Women Poets from the 17th and 18th Centuries”) When white males
dominated the written world, women's voices were suppressed or restricted, resulting in an
asymmetric portrayal of experiences and values. Writers outside these boundaries must infuse
their work with a sense of diversity, and there must be an inherent discussion of race and gender.
(“Healing the Fracture: How the Poetry of Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley initiated a Tide
of Representation and Visibility in America”) This thesis examines and contrasts the works of
Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley, two prominent female poets.
Anne Bradstreet, a Puritan lady who sailed to the New World on John Winthrop's vessel,
was one of these writers active in the mid-1600s. Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved African
American who was transported to Boston in 1761, was another poet who challenged the notion
of what a writer should be by defying gender and ethnic constraints. In the poems "Upon the
Burning of Our House" and "To the Right Honorable William, Earl of Dartmouth, His Majesty's
Principal Secretary of State for North America" by Bradstreet and Wheatley, their internal and
external conflicts emerge in an astonishingly forthright manner. These works assert that the
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authors' existence is a form of resistance to the normative standards disseminated by a
repressive regime. (“Healing the Fracture: How the Poetry of Anne Bradstreet and Phillis
Wheatley
initiated a Tide of Representation and Visibility in America”)
The religious beliefs of Bradstreet and Wheatley are deeply engrained in their writings
and lives. In early America, religion was a prerequisite for survival. In the face of natural
disasters and the need to establish a new nation, many individuals turned to religion as a
support or foundation for their lives. Wheatley and Bradstreet were no exception.
Wheatley believes that the significance of religion and education are intrinsically linked.
She argues that faith and education are among the most valuable and unrestricted
assets. Wheatley contends in the introduction to "To the Right Honorable William, Earl of
Dartmouth..." Wheatley asserts that "Fair Freedom rose to adorn New England" and
concludes the poem by extolling God and looking forward to time on the "ethereal plain."
These two concepts are juxtaposed with a severe explanation of her removal from her
homeland, suggesting a conflict between what she has learned as a Christian and the
hardships she has endured. One of her main influences was Reverend George Whitefield,
a minister who proclaimed a savior for all ethnicities and genders. Keeping these ideas in
mind, she must negotiate a white patriarchal culture while believing she has a place in
religion, posing, "Can I then only pray / That others may never feel tyrannical sway?" In
this manner, Wheatley and Bradstreet's poetry focuses primarily on reconciling
otherness and faith. The sonnet by Bradstreet portrays her struggle to find peace after
losing her house and all her possessions, proclaiming that she "blessed His name that
gave and took" while expressing profound and ubiquitous agony. Wheatley's "pleasant
things in ashes lie" as her previous existence is stripped away. They have both lost a past
and a sense of self, and they must struggle within themselves to embrace or reject a
religion that professes to offer solace for their
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suffering. (“Healing the Fracture: How the Poetry of Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley
initiated a Tide of Representation and Visibility in America”)
However, the prefaces to both compositions were written by males in their lives.
Consequently, their poems are subject to the prevalent censorship of the period. In Bradstreet's
"The Prologue," she boldly remarks, "Whoever says my hand is better suited for a needle, [...] /
Although they have a cast of female wits" It is evident that she is aware of the opposition she
will face as a woman author, so she combines her resistance with self-deprecation by stating,
"My foolish, broken, blemished Muse so sings." In the case of Wheatley, her introductory
materials depict her as someone to be admired rather than taken seriously. Thomas Jefferson's
"Notes on the State of Virginia" states that her entire body of work is graded lower than a B. In
"Notes on the State of Virginia," Thomas Jefferson writes that her writing is entirely beneath a
standard he could condemn. In her ode to the Earl of Dartmouth, she continues, "For favors past,
great Sir, our thanks are due" after describing the "iron chain" her people must endure due to
men like the subject of the ode. Therefore, both women must tread cautiously in public protests
to not be suppressed or discredited. Moreover, in several of her compositions, Wheatley
acknowledges the gifts of faith and education that whites have bestowed upon her. As a result of
the persecution she has endured, these gifts are tainted, but they still enable her to write. The
oppressed classes at the time were bound between society's expectations and their own emotions,
conformity, and rebellion. (“Healing the Fracture: How the Poetry of Anne Bradstreet and Phillis
Wheatley initiated a Tide of Representation and Visibility in America”)
Nevertheless, as indicated previously, whether conclusions are reached, this textual
conflict provides crucial insight into the actuality of the conflict. By placing stylus to paper,
these women achieved what they could not see: they became female writers. Even if Bradstreet's
religious dispute appears outdated or thematically irrelevant today, it would be a grave error to
undervalue these texts as historical beginnings. These women established literary traditions for
African Americans and women alike. These texts congratulate one another on their refusal to
accept defeat in their struggle for survival. Representation is one of the most essential tools for
combating ignorance and oppression. Today, literature, film, television, and music should all
strive to continue the legacy established by Bradstreet and Wheatley. Individuals and society
must advocate for all individuals' voices and strive to make invisible people visible. A
subsequent exponential expansion of representation will query the necessity of conventions and
ethnic or gender divisions. Existence is a form of resistance, and visibility is the first step in
eradicating the negative aspects of a human experience divided by classes, stereotypes, and
traditions. (“Healing the Fracture: How the Poetry of Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley
initiated a Tide of Representation and Visibility in America”)
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Works Cited
“Bradstreet and Wheatley: A Discussion of Two Distinct American Women Poets from the 17th
and 18th Centuries.” Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita, 2 December 2015,
https://scho larly commons.obu.edu /cgi /viewcon tent.c gi? articl e=1016&con text= english_c l
ass_publications. Accessed 18 June 2023.
“Healing the Fracture: How the Poetry of Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley initiated a Tide
of Representation and Visibility in America.” Denison Digital Commons,
https://d igit alco mmons.denison.edu /cgi /viewcon tent. cgi? artic le=1026& contex t=prologue
. Accessed 18 June 2023.
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