Maintaining Memory

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Maintaining Memory Phillis Wheatley was an American poet who should be remembered as the first AfricanAmerican to author a published book of poetry. Despite her shortcomings in slavery and lack of background in the English language, she was able to write poems at the age of 12 (Shields, 1999). As an enslaved person, she was supposed to enjoy limited freedoms and rights, but her special talent in writing saw the slave master allowing her time to read and write. Her life paints a picture of a person who rises against all odds to achieve a milestone in poetry (Shields, 1999).

Ms. Wheatley is a figure worthy of celebrating in the history of poetry as the first woman and African American ever to write and get her poems published.

Ms. Wheatley is an illustration of determination and focus. Although enslaved, she invested her time in reading, learning, and writing. Her story is an inspiration to all those who feel marginalized that they can overcome the odds and leave behind an indelible mark of their contribution to various sectors of society.

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Although Ms. Wheatley died on December 5, 1784, many centuries ago, we should celebrate her today as an inspiration not only to African Americans but all those who may be hopeless (Shields, 1999). The talent that one has can shine anywhere, regardless of the situation, as seen in the case of Ms. Wheatley. Despite the doubts about her capability, which led to her subjection to a verification process to determine whether she was the actual author of the poems under her name, Ms. Wheatley remained focused and honest about her calling.

Moreover, Ms. Wheatley's writing is evidence that Africans did not have an inferior intelligence as advocated by pro-slavery and colonialism. Her ability to write and communicate in English, Greek, and Latino without proper training in those languages underpin her superior intelligence, demystifying the notion of variance in intelligence according to one's race (Shields, 1999). It was Ms. Wheatley's intellectual insight that led to her master giving her support to study and publish poems. Her life tells about how talents can open doors to the otherwise enslaved. It is imperative to note that on October 8, 1772, Ms. Wheatley was interrogated by 18 gentlemen publicly picked to ascertain the authenticity of her work, mainly because the white majority would not imagine a black girl with no background in English would write poems (Shields, 1999). In essence, Ms. Wheatley should be celebrated for proving that, given an opportunity, the marginalized can add value to society.

Ms. Wheatley should be remembered today for her contribution to writing among African Americans. As the first African American to get her work published, she opened the space for people of color who may have felt that it was impossible to make inroads in areas that were then considered predominantly white (Shields, 1999). She may not have been a good poet, but her determination to live her dream, and write, opened a new chapter for people of African ancestry.

The value of her breakthrough underlines the praise and attention it received from great figures

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such as King George II, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson (Shields, 1999). In a nutshell, Ms. Wheatley should be celebrated for pioneering the publication of poetry authored by people of African ancestry.

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Reference Shields, J.C. (1999). Wheatley, Phillis (1753-1784), poet and cultivator of the epistolary writing style. https://www.anb.org/search? q=Phillis+Wheatley&searchBtn=Search&isQuickSearch=true.