Anne Bradstreet and Phyllis Wheatley are, respectively, the first and third published female writers in America. The surprise to those unfamiliar with these writers comes upon discovery that Anne Bradstreet was also the first published poet in the New World, and that Phyllis Wheatley was an African slave. These two women not only overcame the difficulties of producing and publishing quality work, but overcame gender and racial difficulties as well. In both cases, the women wrote brilliant poetry while also gingerly testing the boundaries of what was acceptable.
Bradstreet writes about safe, acceptable topics such as Queen Elizabeth and the death of a pastor. However, she also writes about the physical aspects of her relationship with her husband, a topic which was surely taboo in strict Puritan society. In a poem concerning her husband’s absence, she writes that while she misses him, and her “chilled limbs now lie forlorn,” (AL, p264) she can do nothing but “view those fruits which through thy heat I bore.” (AL, p264) Her only recourse, then, is to look at their children, and by them be reminded of him. This clashes with the Puritan idea that one must shun all earthly pleasures for the joy of Heaven
Bradstreet’s struggles with religion are often apparent in her poetry. Though she demonstrates a great amount of faith, she is not above feeling resentment, confusion, and betrayal when things have gone badly for her. When three grandchildren die in a short period, Bradstreet writes that “More fool then I to look on that was lent / As if mine own.” (AL, p268) Bradstreet wrestles with the desire to feel anger during a loss, though she knows the loss is the will of God.
Phyllis Wheatley, writing over a hundred years later, faced an entirely different set of problems. Wheatley was an African slave, and though she did have a better life than some slaves, this did not mean her life was easy. In addition to being female and a slave, Wheatley had in her thoughts the growing unrest of the colonies with Mother England. Because she had been given an education, Wheatley was able to express her thoughts, concerns, and hopes through poetry.
Wheatley was greatly influenced by the Bible, Pope, and Milton, to name a few. This is obvious in her work, and is certainly one of the reasons her writing was well accepted. Wheatley’s frequent use of allusions means that the footnotes in her section of this text are far greater than almost any other section. An intelligent and well-read woman was much more likely to be respected at this time, even if that woman was an African slave. She also had the support of the Wheatley family and various local residents, which was in some ways even more vital.
Despite this slight cushion, Wheatley was careful to write largely on topics that were widely accepted and non-controversial. However, in an early poem about the plight of the slave, Wheatley expresses her unhappiness with the bigotry of Christians. She is pleased that she has been introduced to the Christian faith, but unhappy that there is one set of rules for treating whites, and another for Africans. Wheatley’s most blatant displays of such feelings appear in the line “some view our sable race with a scornful eye” (AL, p 810) and in the ordering of the title, which mentions first Africa and then America.
Both Bradstreet and Wheatley overcame great obstacles in becoming published and in gaining a readership for their work. In the process of doing so, both were able to smuggle in some of their personal beliefs, however controversial those beliefs may have been. In both cases, education allowed these women to do things they otherwise would have been incapable of doing. To one looking back from a later day, these women could be said to have been the seeds from which the Equal Rights movements began their slow growth.
