Phillips Whitley Essay “The challenge isn’t to read white or read black; it is to read. If Phillips Whitley stood for anything, it was the creed that culture was, could be, the equal possession of all humanity. ” In this quote Henry Gates explains that people criticizing the work of Whitley are missing the whole point of her work. The bias critics only see a black slave who should not be writing the way she is writing. Her critics overlook the beauty and the amount that her poems inspire people of all color. Throughout Phillips
Hatless works she expresses herself and in doing so she writes her way to freedom and becomes the first African American to publish a book of poems in English. Henry Gates is on point when saying that Phillips Whitley believed in the equality of all people. Whitley shows her desire for equality by her word choices, faith, and personality. The diction Whitley uses in her works explains her belief on equal opportunity. Whitley is more intelligent than some of the “educated whites” of her time. Imagery is used often in her works to persuade her readers.
Whitley uses auditory and visual imagery for example in “Hymn to the Evening” when she writes, “soft purl the streams, the birds renew their notes, and through the air their mingled music floats. ” She also has a way of comparing things indirectly. “Thy various works, imperial queen, we see how bright their forms! How deck with pomp by thee! ” In this quote from “On Imagination” Whitley talks about an elaborate queen, and implies that the queen is imagination. By using her advanced knowledge Phillips Whitley proves that she is Just as intelligent as whites. Phillips Whitley believes that God wanted equality between black and whites.
Christians were hypocritical, so Whitley tells them “Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, may be refined, and Join the’ Anglican train. ” In “On being brought from Africa to America” she is rhetorically asking the white Christians that if Africans are Christians why aren’t the able to live their life freely. Wheaten also describes her personal experiences with god in “A Hymn to Humanity’ she states “For when pitying eye did see, the languid muse in low degree, then, then at my desire descended the electrical nine; o’er me method they deigned to shine, and deigned to string my lyre. Phillips Whitley is describing god looking at her with pity and then helping her with her art and poetry. Whitley is stating the fact that even though she is black God came down to help her. Whitley knows that God does not care about race and she knows that God protects her. For example she says “See in the east the’ illustrious king of day! His rising radiance drives the shades away! ” In this quote from her poem “Hymn to the Morning” she is explaining that god is her protector and he is driving way her critics that steal her light.
Phillips Whitley has God on her side and questions her readers that if he does not dwell on the color of skin then why does everyone else. Phillips Hatless morals are shown through her personality and attitude that she applies to her writing. Hatless personality shows that she believes in equality. In near poem “On Revolution” Whitley exclaims, “And so you, however dares disgrace the land of freedom’s heaven-defended race. ” Phillips Whitley is implying that she loves her country and it is full of freedom.
She says this so the reader will question whether or not it is a country full of freedom if blacks are not free. While some writers write under a pseudonym, Whitley is the type of person who is not ashamed of herself and wants people to know that. When Phillips Whitley wrote “taught my benighted soul to understand… ” She referred to her soul as black and acknowledges that she is African American. Phillips Whitley is proud of her race because her opinion is that they should receive equal opportunity. Phillips Whitley is an amazing poet today and still was in her time.
Some people’s pinion lies on the fact that critics are supposed to give constructive criticism to writers. This view is awry because the key word is constructive. Phillips Hatless critics had no idea what she was all about, and did not care. The critics do not give her a practical assessment because they were to focused on her race. Phillips Whitley stands for equality and we can see this throughout her poems. Whitley stood for equality of humanity and through her usage of words, description of her faith, and writing relating to her own personality it proves to readers her opinion.
