Phillis Wheatley: Black Or White Poet?

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to America. She lived as a domestic slave to a wealthy family in Boston where she was educated and made into a better person. In the poem, her use of such words like “scornful eye” and “refined” suggests acknowledgement on the part of the poet in regards to racial injustice. “Scornful eye” as Wheatley uses the phrase refers to the racial discrimination that exists towards blacks. Similarly, the description “refined” suggests that if you improve yourself you can better endure prejudices. The poet seems to say that one way of protesting captivity is to overcome the dehumanizing system of slavery by educating oneself. The critic Arthur P. Davis agrees with the assessment. He writes that,”…she is definitely race conscious.”(94) On the other hand, Vernon Loggins, author of The Negro Author, argues that, “she neglected almost her own state of slavery and the miserable oppression of thousands of her race.” (113) He then states that
one looks in vain for some outburst or even complaint ...

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