Saturday, May 22, 2010
Anne Bradstreet and Phyllis Wheatley
I just read the Anne Bradstreet and Phyllis Wheatley articles this weekend. They were both respected writers in America. Anne Bradstreet was also the first published poet in the New World. Phyllis Wheatley, an African slave, was the third published poet in America. Both women not only overcame the difficulties of writing and publishing quality work-they also overcame gender and racial difficulties as well. In both cases, the women were educated and successful in writing poetry, while testing the boundaries of what was acceptable.
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I highly agree. I read the article about Phyllis Wheatley and I was very impressed at what she could do. The most impressive part was that she learned to write and speak English in 16 months. I thought that if the children that come to our classroom could learn English that quickly, then they would be able to improve quicker than normal. I was impressed at all the things that she was able to do, and places that she was able to go. The only thing that I felt bad about, was that she still had to make sure that she stayed in her place. I think I would have a hard time being that educated, learned, priveleged, and still have to worry about acting like an appropriate slave should.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments about both poets. Phyllis Wheatley was an impressive lady with a difficult life. Ann Rinaldi wrote a biography about her - Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons - that is very interesting. The article we had to read just reinforced some of the things Rinaldi mentioned in her book.
ReplyDeleteIt is frustrating that Bradstreet and Wheatley are often treated more as interesting anomalies than as poets in their own right. Part of the curiosity about Wheatley in her time was that a black woman could write poetry, much like their amazement that a bear could be taught to ride a bicycle. Both women struggled with expressing themselves in genuine voice while observing the expectations and encumbrances placed upon them by the authority figures of their respective societies. They reveal much about the times in which they lived in addition to the very real contributions they make to poetry.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mrs. D. I just bought Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons. When I have time I will read it.
ReplyDeleteReading Bradstreet, especially the prologue, reminded me of how intelligent women who wanted a voice had to be. Bradstreet had to play the part of ignorance in order to write her poems. Her husband and Puritan leaders allowed her to write because she was not thinking too much when in reality, she out-thought them and feigned ignorance to get what she wanted. Good for her and all the other women throughout history who have competed and won in a man's world.
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