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Phillis
Phillis Wheatley was the first African American to publish a book of poetry. In 1773, her book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, was published to international acclaim. Wheatley was presented in London as "the African genius," and her writing was published in New England and England alike. Phillis Wheatley's name was known in households throughout literate North America. Yet Phillis Wheatley was a slave.
In Phillis, Alison Clarke reaches through time to tell the story of this remarkable woman. Through a series of poems and prose-poems, Clarke presents Wheatley's world with depth and liveliness, reimagining the past for a modern audience while bringing sensibility and passion to the story of Wheatley's life. Wheatley's story is told in first-person poetry that illuminates significant chapters of her life, capturing the brilliant heights of her writing career along with the inevitable, brutal injustices she faced as an enslaved Black person in North America.
Interspersed with poems written from the viewpoint of Black intellectuals and entrepreneurs who were themselves inspired by Wheatley, this is a collection of poetry that celebrates the resilience and accomplishments of Black History in general and one remarkable woman in particular.
In Phillis, Alison Clarke reaches through time to tell the story of this remarkable woman. Through a series of poems and prose-poems, Clarke presents Wheatley's world with depth and liveliness, reimagining the past for a modern audience while bringing sensibility and passion to the story of Wheatley's life. Wheatley's story is told in first-person poetry that illuminates significant chapters of her life, capturing the brilliant heights of her writing career along with the inevitable, brutal injustices she faced as an enslaved Black person in North America.
Interspersed with poems written from the viewpoint of Black intellectuals and entrepreneurs who were themselves inspired by Wheatley, this is a collection of poetry that celebrates the resilience and accomplishments of Black History in general and one remarkable woman in particular.
96 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 25, 2020
First things first: I don’t read much poetry. I like it and I believe in it as an art form, but I don’t get around to reading much of it in my everyday life. Second: I throughly enjoyed and learned from reading this collection by Alison Clarke.
Phillis Wheatley was the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry in 1773 (she was twenty) and was a slave at the time. An amazing and tragic story of how, at about eight years old, she was sold into slavery and brought to America.
She was bought by the Wheatley family. It seems that it may have been as a possible replacement for the loss of one of Susan Wheatley’s daughters who had died recently before the purchase. Because from that early age Phillis started to show an aptitude towards writing, Mrs. Wheatley instructed her eldest daughter, Mary, to teach Phillis how to read and write. At such a young age, the child learned English, Greek and Latin.
She remained a slave until after the Wheatley’s were able to get a sort of “sponsorship” to get her book of poetry published in the UK. After that, the family emancipated her. Unfortunately, despite gaining freedom and marrying, Phillis wasn’t able to sell the idea to a second book and remained in poverty until her death in 1784 at the age of thirty-one. Ironically, the Revolutionary War, which was a symbol of freedom, only increased the poverty and the decline of her life.
Alison Clarke’s attempt at bringing a fuller picture of this, not only Black icon, but an American one at that, story to fruition must have been a challenge. Many contemporary historians have cited that Phillis’ poetry doesn’t go far enough in giving the reader a better understanding of the struggles that she went through as a slave. However, from my own research (which was prompted from the reading of this book) and by Clarke’s own writing, I’ve come to agree with her that Phillis did in fact attack in her own way the idea of slavery and how it was a terrible institution.
Like I first stated, I’m not one to read much poetry, so I cannot attest to what kind of style these particular poems are. Even so, it worked. I loved that Clarke was able to tell a strong narrative/short story about Phillis. While this is a reimagining in some ways of Phillis’ life, it felt like it could have actually been hers. From the small spaces between some words to the bigger separation of others, it brought a style that furthered the energy of each poem.
What I found interesting was the choice of colors throughout the whole collection. When Phillis would see the ancestors of the African people when she closed her eyes or even had them opened, they were described in blue, gold, and many other vibrant colors that helped me see a picture being drawn.
Speaking of ancestors, the fact that Phillis became Christian because of her upbringing, the combination of both African and Christian ideas was a great point to show by Clarke. It was a fantastic way to illustrate how, no matter where one is born or the color of skin, we are all children of Earth. Clarke also shows this by punctuating the Ancient Greek stories of the gods that Phillis was well aware of.
Besides the story of Phillis, we are also treated to poems featuring some well known people that came after her and up to today that were inspired by her dream and fight to be free. It gives a well rounded image of, not only the struggles of a race of people, but the idea of freedom.
All of this was a long way of me simply saying: Alison Clarke has captured Phillis in a light that shines on the very essence of who she was. These poems help one to understand more about her. While I might not have been able to get every little detail the first time around (which is a good thing), I don’t feel like I missed on anything, but only gained in knowledge.
Phillis Wheatley was the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry in 1773 (she was twenty) and was a slave at the time. An amazing and tragic story of how, at about eight years old, she was sold into slavery and brought to America.
She was bought by the Wheatley family. It seems that it may have been as a possible replacement for the loss of one of Susan Wheatley’s daughters who had died recently before the purchase. Because from that early age Phillis started to show an aptitude towards writing, Mrs. Wheatley instructed her eldest daughter, Mary, to teach Phillis how to read and write. At such a young age, the child learned English, Greek and Latin.
She remained a slave until after the Wheatley’s were able to get a sort of “sponsorship” to get her book of poetry published in the UK. After that, the family emancipated her. Unfortunately, despite gaining freedom and marrying, Phillis wasn’t able to sell the idea to a second book and remained in poverty until her death in 1784 at the age of thirty-one. Ironically, the Revolutionary War, which was a symbol of freedom, only increased the poverty and the decline of her life.
Alison Clarke’s attempt at bringing a fuller picture of this, not only Black icon, but an American one at that, story to fruition must have been a challenge. Many contemporary historians have cited that Phillis’ poetry doesn’t go far enough in giving the reader a better understanding of the struggles that she went through as a slave. However, from my own research (which was prompted from the reading of this book) and by Clarke’s own writing, I’ve come to agree with her that Phillis did in fact attack in her own way the idea of slavery and how it was a terrible institution.
Like I first stated, I’m not one to read much poetry, so I cannot attest to what kind of style these particular poems are. Even so, it worked. I loved that Clarke was able to tell a strong narrative/short story about Phillis. While this is a reimagining in some ways of Phillis’ life, it felt like it could have actually been hers. From the small spaces between some words to the bigger separation of others, it brought a style that furthered the energy of each poem.
What I found interesting was the choice of colors throughout the whole collection. When Phillis would see the ancestors of the African people when she closed her eyes or even had them opened, they were described in blue, gold, and many other vibrant colors that helped me see a picture being drawn.
Speaking of ancestors, the fact that Phillis became Christian because of her upbringing, the combination of both African and Christian ideas was a great point to show by Clarke. It was a fantastic way to illustrate how, no matter where one is born or the color of skin, we are all children of Earth. Clarke also shows this by punctuating the Ancient Greek stories of the gods that Phillis was well aware of.
Besides the story of Phillis, we are also treated to poems featuring some well known people that came after her and up to today that were inspired by her dream and fight to be free. It gives a well rounded image of, not only the struggles of a race of people, but the idea of freedom.
All of this was a long way of me simply saying: Alison Clarke has captured Phillis in a light that shines on the very essence of who she was. These poems help one to understand more about her. While I might not have been able to get every little detail the first time around (which is a good thing), I don’t feel like I missed on anything, but only gained in knowledge.
April 24, 2021
The sheer creativity of this book is worth the four stars alone. That coupled with its focus on what was, to me, an untold story--the young slave prodigy poet--alone was worth the read. In fact, Phillis was inspiration to many. I only wish that there could have been more focus on her life growing up. To be cut off so young was indeed a tragedy. Thank you, Alison, for bringing this to life.
December 12, 2020
I was very impressed by this book and it left an impact on me. The style it was written in had a rhythm to it, which resonates with the reader. It helps you to understand what Phillis went through, and I believe her legacy lives through the writer Alison Clarke. A great read, and it makes you want to learn even more about Phillis. It is an inspiring book, that teaches people to fight for their freedom and to pursue their dreams, regardless of their circumstances.
June 1, 2021
"We cannot lose our moral compass.
Society needs an anchor: us, to stand up for each other."
I love this line.
Poetry isn't my jam, but this story is a jewel.
I'm so happy I learned about Phillis.
Looking forward to reading more from Alison Clarke.
Society needs an anchor: us, to stand up for each other."
I love this line.
Poetry isn't my jam, but this story is a jewel.
I'm so happy I learned about Phillis.
Looking forward to reading more from Alison Clarke.
July 27, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews