The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers by Henry Louis Gates Jr.

The Trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers Reviews

• 
  Alison

  This book made a nice companion to Phillis Wheatley's writings, though in the end I found it unsatisfying. It's an expanded lecture, which I didn't realize going in, and it's just too short to really make a proper impact. I definitely enjoyed the beginning, where Gates discusses the "trial" Wheatley underwent to determine whether she had in fact written her poems - most did not believe she could have due to her race. There is a rather large, in my opinion, digression on Thomas Jefferson and his views of race after that - at least, while it fits due to his role in opinion on Wheatley's work, it's not what I expected from the book and I would have preferred more emphasis on Wheatley herself. He then moved to reception of Wheatley's work, and how she has been heavily dismissed due to her poem "On Being Brought From Africa to America", which, admittedly, has troublesome implications about slavery (though I think the religiosity of the time should be kept in mind when reading it). While his examination of this was interesting, the book suddenly wraps up at the end very quickly by Gates "welcoming home" Wheatley to the fold of African-American writers and pioneers...without ever explaining why, exactly. I agree on the whole that her life, times, and efforts earn her a place in the pantheon, but I had that preconceived notion from reading her biography and poems - not really from anything Gates told me in his work. So, overall, an odd little piece, but worth reading.
• 
  Eddie

  You will make quick work of Henry Louis Gates, Jr’s essay expanded to book form; the hardback is less than 100 pages. However, don’t be mislead by its brevity. It is overflowing with information on Phillis Wheatley, the tribunal gathered to validate her authorship of published poems, an assessment of the attitude of the time (late 18th century), and a more current assessment of Phillis Wheatley’s place in the African-American literary community.
  
  Gates sets the stage with a review of the eighteen member panel selected to determine whether recent publications of poetry was indeed written by a slave girl. No doubt that the panel members possessed a discerning palate when it came to poetry and/or were skeptical of the artistic and intellectual capabilities of people of color.
  
  Regarding Wheatley, “She is on trial and so is her race.” p.6
  
  Regarding the eighteen member panel, “What they were not, however, was an association for the advancement of colored people.” p.15
  
  Gates continues with his analysis; providing an exposition on the impact of Wheatley’s poetry, then and now:
  
  “And so, against the greatest odds, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral became the first book of poetry published by a person of African descent in the English language, marking the beginning of an African-American literary tradition.” p.31
  
  “...the overwhelming tendency in Wheatley criticism has been to upbraid her for ‘not being black enough.’” p.81
• 
  Catherine Blass

  I picked up this book at a used bookstore months and months ago because it is mentioned at length in an essay on Phillis Wheatley included in *The Fire Next Time* (edited by Jesmyn Ward). I have always been intrigued and confused by Wheatley because all I really knew of her writing was the often anthologized (and troubling) "On Being Brought from Africa to America." Gates's book provided me with a bigger, more complex perspective on and understanding of Wheatley, which I wanted and expected. What I did not expect was Gates's nuanced perspective on Jefferson and on the connection between Jefferson/Wheatley and the evolution of African American literature. Highly recommend.
• 
  smil

  3.5*
  
  short and sweet, and much more enjoyable than the good wives, my god. guess who will ACTUALLY be able to write an essay on this book!! :)
• 
  Svitlana

  I have to say that the excerpt I have read for my English class may not be the most interesting and exciting piece of writing but it is important for everyone to know about the past. What I have learned from this piece of writing was that the past was emphasized around race and clearly people were viewed differently according to race and religion. Phillis Wheatley was a talented poet, who despite her hardships of being a clave was taught how to read and write ever since her childhood. According to Thomas Jefferson, Phillis Wheatley's works lacked originality as her works was based on the Bible, almost as replicas. Of course, there were people who supported her, such as her master and mistress who witnessed her educational process and who were highly convinced that Ms. Wheatley was highly intelligent woman who was capable of creating advanced and authentic poetry. Equality and othering were two major themes. Due to lack of equality before the law and within the nation, the controversy of Wheatley's works being authentic or replicas arose. WHY? This is where othering comes into play, as the reason for such controversy wasn't Wheatley's work at all, but rather her race. It was white men's fear of losing control over the rigid social structure and admitting that blacks do have an equal mind to whites and are capable of creating distinct and complex original works. The bottom line is that Phillis was put on trial not because she was guilty, but rather because others felt unsafe as Phillis symbolized the proof of black men being intelligent and highly motivated to contribute to the world of literature and academics.
• 
  Aziza

  This book gave information about Phillis Wheatley and about her poetry. I learn so many things about her and about her poetry and especially about the people who were against and were supporting her poetry. Before I didn’t know anything about her, neither I ever heard about her or her poetry. There were many people who disapproved of her poetry and many who admired her poetry. One thing that I really hated was that people were thinking that she didn’t write the poetry, she copied the white people. Also, those people think that she is not that smart or knowledgeable to write such good quality poetry. People were saying that she was copying white people because she was taught by the white people. That was just so weird, how could you think something like this is in it really hilarious.
  
  I think the people who were against her were jealous of her and that’s why those people were saying that she was imitating others such as white people. Which is not true because she was very highly educated woman, it shows through out her writing. Overall, all it was nice to know different people special point of view through out her story.
  
• 
  Colin

  An excellent little book - more of a booklet, really, a libellus the Romans would have said, on Phillis Wheatley, the 18th century black poet who resided briefly in the city of Providence near my home. Her poetry first became of interest to me because of its Classical allusions - she was quite learned in Greek and Roman mythology, and did learn some Latin, I believe. She was examined by a panel to see if she really did write her own poems, thus proving that a black woman could write poetry - and was therefore a human being. Gates Jr. details the rise and fall of her fortunes in life and literary afterlife (the irony outstanding to me is that she was considered "too black" to be taken seriously by 19th century literary scholars, and 20th century African-American literary scholars consider her "too white" for her adoration of Western civilization over her own native culture. "If Wheatley stood for anything, it was the creed that culture was, could be, the equal possession of all humanity."
• 
  Sanum

  This speech was really honestly boring. In the beginning it was not bad, it talked about Phillis Wheatley and how she was being tried because of her poetry. There was many people who dissapproved of her poetry and many who admired her poetry. The main argument for the people who disliked it was because they thought she was copying white people, and didn't have the intelligence to write so good, since she was black. They said she was simply imitating white people , since she was taught by white people. I found that funny because don't we get educated by a variety of different teachers from different places, Does that make us imitators of them? No . This speech opened up my eyes to the ignorance of people back then. It also showed me how people can interpret things in different ways, because Phillis Wheatley's poem talked about Africa being a pagan land, and how she came to America and became a christian and earned salvation. This poem got the criticism of many people because she disrespected her own country.
• 
  Yomiuri

  The Trials of Phillis Wheatley by Henry Louis Gates, Jr was very informational. It was focused primarily on Phillis Wheatley an African born slave brought to America whom then turned out to be a poet. She did not live one could say a harsh life compared to other slaves because learned how to read and write and was not brutalized as many others. However, even though she wrote many poems and was famous for them many people criticized her and did not believe she herself wrote them. Thomas Jefferson was a primary example; he believed that her poems were simply phrases from the bible that she copied from. Despite this not only many white men criticized her but also her own people did. Many blacks believed that she was not a true advocate of the blacks because she did not experience the same treatment as the other slaves, that she did not share the same perspective of slavery as did many others. I would recommend this to someone that would want to have knowledge about Phillis Wheatley and the different perspectives of the people that were putting her on trial.
• 
  Muyiwa

  The Trials of Phillis Wheatley by Henry Louis Gates Jr is an informative writing that allows one to understand the viewpoints of high-in-society white men that were given the responsibility to represent their nation. It gives the opinion on the validity of Wheatley's work; and brings us to the understanding that not everyone credited her for her work. This book even reveals the beliefs of black people in the 1950s through the 1960s to show that many people probably gave her acknowledgment for her work, but found that it was in support of the white man. That is what I found most surprising in the book. I would recommend this book to people that are interested in learning more about African American history and significant black people who had breakthrough achievements during their time.
• 
  Robert

  Not all books are written for entertainment, and this is one of them. While reading "The Trials of Phillis Wheatley", I focused on historical context and opinions of Henry Louis Gates. This is a book written for learning purposes for people who wish to find out more about Phillis Wheatley. Many people think of Wheatley as a poet yet don't know any controversial facts concerning her. Before anyone reads this book, I would recommend reading a little about Jefferson and his "Notes on the State of Virginia". Then, I think everyone would have enough background information that would help them undertand what's going on. Major focal themes include racism, equality, and humanity. An argument debated throughout the book is whether or not a true poet. After reading this book, I definitely developed my own opinion on the topic and encourage others to do the same.
• 
  Laura

  THe Trials of Phillis Wheatley was very interesting to read. Phillis Wheatley was an African American woman who wrote poetry based on the bible, nature, and what she was going through. People neve rbelieved that an african american slave could write such poetry, so they put her on trial. They also thoght she was plagirising many things from the bible and other texts. Many people went against Phillis Wheatley, and people would only thing it was White men. There was also african americans going agaisnt her calling her "too white". You can see this book how much of a role racism plays in her trial, and you can see how people of her own kind go agaisnt her. Overall i give this book 3 out of 5 stars because it was pretty good but got a little boring at some parts.
• 
  Sabrina

  This book demonstrated the doubts and criticism expressed towards Phillis Wheatley, as she tried to publish her poetry. At every door step she faced a new obstacle, it which she had to prove her intelligence to men of high status. It was impossible to believe that a lsave is capable of writing poetry. I admire her courage, persisitance, and determination to keep going after each obstacle, even though many seemed quite redundant at times. Phillis Wheatley demonstrated to be an early remodel of what can be accomplished from giving blacks knowledge. It seems that she has surpassed standards set by critiques with ease, proving to be more than a mere house slave. I applaud Phillis Wheatley for her early achievements. I also understood both perspectives on which people critiqued
• 
  Regina

  Phillis Wheatley was born in 1753, somewhere in West Africa, most likely between present day Gambia. She was brought to Boston, Massachusetts on July 11, 1761. Trials began due to people's doubts that a black woman could write such fine pieces of literature. The influence of Phillis Wheatley’s work has grown throughout the years. During her life, Phillis Wheatley’s writings were read and praised across North America and parts of Europe. Even to this day Wheatley’s talent in composition and expression continue to be marveled, along with her incredible mastery of the English language, which occurred in such a short period of time.