Resumo de Unprecendented Liberties:re-reading By Phillis Wheatley

?Unprecedented liberties: re-reading Phillis Wheatley ? Poetry and Poetics? By: Hilene Flanzbaum

Hilene Flanzbaum essay was about the misunderstood career of Phillis Wheatley, and the content of her literary works. Ms. Flanzbaum and other authors alike set out to justify Ms. Wheatley as a key figure in literary history. It was to be proven that Ms. Wheatley earned her rightful place in history as a ?remarkable? writer.
Phillis Wheatley?s work was always a subject of immense speculation.
Benjamin Brawley wrote that he considered Phillis Wheatley as a ?shining example of Negro genius.? He really admired, and respected Ms. Wheatley?s work. Mr. Brawley also solidified her position as a historical figure. Phillis Wheatley had many critics as well as loyal supporters. Julian Mason was one of the critics that questioned her status as a ?key historical figure.? He sought out to damage her reputation by saying that; Ms. Wheatley?s work was not of ?exceptional? quality.
I did not agree with Hilene Flanzbaum, Gayle, and Mason to name a few. Hilene Flanzbaum started out as if she was trying to prove that Phillis Wheatley deserved to be considered a ?historical figure?. However, later on Ms. Flanzbaum begin to criticize Ms. Wheatley. The little that I read about Ms. Wheatley made me think that she was a talented writer. It is as if the critics are attacking Ms. Wheatley?s character and not her work. Julian Mason said, ?It is quite clear she is not a great poet. These poems are of little interest, except historically...? That to me sounded like a personal barb towards Ms. Wheatley.
As I read on though the essay I saw an example of Ms. Wheatley?s work titled ?To Maecenas? which I thought was very good. ?Great Sire of Verse, before my mortal eyes. The lightning blaze across the vaulted skies?? If that excerpt does not prove that Phillis Wheatley was a good writer, then I do not know what will. I know everyone has his or her own opinions, but you should read all of the author?s literary work before you label the author?s work as non-effective or non-essential in history.
I just figured that Black authors should support each other no matter what. It is not as if we do not have enough critics discrediting Black penmanship. I just think that Ms. Wheatley deserve more praise than criticism simply, because she defied the odds, and became an accomplished writer. I do not think it matters whether Ms. Wheatley?s work was of historical relevance. What should have mattered was the facts that Ms. Wheatley did not let being a slave hinder her from success, but instead you have some critics that will not give her the credit that she deserves. I do not think it matters if you like the author or not, but you should respect their work. I found that remarkable that a female slave could produce poems when her people during that time were illiterate and not even allowed learning how to read. Ms. Wheatley defied many odds to become a great author. Phillis Wheatley is to be admired not criticized.

Works Cited

Allen, William G. Wheatley, Banneker and Horton. Boston: P of Daniel Lang, 1849.

Brawley, Benjamin. The Negro Genius: A New Appraisal of the Achievement of the
American Negro in the Fine Arts. New York: Norton P, Biblo and Tannen, 1972.
Baym, Gottesman, Holland, Kalstone, Murphy, et al., Norton Anthology of American Literature 1. ?Introduction to Phillis Wheatley.? New York: Norton P, 1984.
Brown, Sterling. Negro Poetry and Drama and the Negro in American Fiction. New York: Athenaenum, 1972.
Emmauel, James, and Theodore Gross.eds. Dark Symphony. New York: Free P, 1968.
Errika, Betsy. ?Revolutionary Women. ?Tulsa Studies in Women?s Literature. Fall 1987.
6.2: 189-223.
Gates, Henry Louis Jr. ?Phillis Wheatley and the Nature of the Negro? in Critical Essays on Phillis Wheatley, Ed. William H. Robinson. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1982_. ?Criticism in the jungle? and ?The Signifyin? Monkey? in Black Literature and Literary Theory. Ed. Heenry Louis Gates, Jr. New York: Methuen P, 1984.
Gayle, Addison, Jr. ?The Function of Black Literature at the Present Time,? in the Black
Aesthetic Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1971.
Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. Shakespeare?s Sisters: Feminist Essays on Women Poets. Bloomington: Indiana U P, 1979.
Mason, Julian. The Poems of Phillis Wheatley: Revised and Enlarged. Chapel Hill: U of
North Carolina P, 1989.
Matson, R. Lynn. ?Phillis Wheatley?Soul Sister?? in Critical Essays of Phillis Wheatley. Ed. William Robinson. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1982.
McQuade, Atwan, Banta, Kaplan, Minter, Tichi and Vendler. Harper American Literature. New York: Harper and Row, 1987.
Perkins, Bradley, Beatty and Long. The American Tradition in Literature, Seventh Edition. New York: Random House, 1990.
Redding, J. Saunders. To Make a Poet Black. Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina P, 1939.
Richmond, Merle. Bid the Vassal Soar. Washington D.C.: Howard U P, 1974.
Robinson, William, ed. Critical Essays on Phillis Wheatley. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1974.--. Phillis Wheatley in the Black American Beginnings. Detroit: Broadside P, 1975.
Wheatley, Phillis. The Poems of Phillis Wheatley. Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina P, 1989.

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