Essay - Being Brought from Africa Introduction the Purpose of This Paper...

BEING BROUGHT FROM AFRICA

INTRODUCTION

***** purpose of this paper is to introduce and discuss the poem "Being Brought From Africa," by Phillis Wheatley.

PHILLIS WHEATLEY

Phillis ***** came to America as a slave when she w***** a young girl; ***** w*****s probably about eight-years-old when Mr. ***** Mrs. Wheatley purchased her. She lived in Boston with ***** family, serving as a comp*****nion and helper to Mrs. Wheatley. They encouraged ***** education, "Indeed, she gained as good an ***** ***** (*****d probably a better one than) most Bos*****n women had, and her learning and abilities gradually gained the interest ***** a wider ***** ***** segment of the community, especially after ***** began writing poetry at about the age of twelve, ***** having been in Boston only ***** four years" (Mason 3-4).

***** Wooldridge wrote of *****, "While in Boston, I heard of a very Extraordinary female Slave, who ***** made verses on our mutually dear deceased Friend [Whitefield]: ***** visited her mistress, and found by c*****versing with the African, that she was no Impostor;" (Isani 152). Her first book ***** poems ***** published in England, with the title "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral."

Interest*****gly enough, many people thought a slave could not possibly write the work, ***** the introduction to ***** published volume included the signatures of sixteen prominent Bos*****nians, confirming Wheatley did indeed pen the poems. "WE *****se Names are under-written, do assure ***** World, that the POEMS specified in ***** following P*****,* were (as we verily believe) written by Phillis, a young Negro Girl, who w***** but a fe***** Ye*****rs since, brought an uncultivated Barbarian from Africa, and has ever since been, and now is, under the Disadvantage of serving as a Slave in a Family in this Town. She has ***** examined by some of the best Judges, and is ***** qualified to ***** them" (*****).

***** before her ***** died, the Wheatley's granted ***** freedom, but remained in Bos*****n ***** the Wheatley household, where she continued to write. "My old master's generous behaviour in grant*****g me my freedom, and still so kind to me I delight to acknowledge my great obligations to him. This he did about 3 months before the death ***** my dear mistress & at her desire, as well as his own humanity" (Silverman 268).

***** married John Peters on April 1, 1778, and had three children with him. The marriage was not a happy one, and they had severe money troubles. During ***** ti*****, she published only one or two poems, ***** it seemed she ***** s*****pped wri*****ng for the most part. One of ***** last poems she wrote appeared shortly before her ***** and the topic itself was death. She had always suffered ***** poor health and asthma, ***** ***** ***** ***** she was only *****1.

The reports of her circumstances in ***** period ***** her death on Sunday, December 5, 1784, seem to agree that her life was then at least one of hardships, personal, financial, and familial.