18 pages • 36 minutes read
On Friendship
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Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“Eloisa to Abelard” by Alexander Pope (1717)
In this poem, English poet Alexander Pope exemplifies the heroic couplet form found in Phillis Wheatley’s “On Friendship.” The first line sets the meter and the pensive tone of the poem: “In these deep solitudes and awful cells” (Line 1). The poem addresses a relationship, much like “On Friendship,” except Pope’s is of a romantic nature, and he is embodying the persona of a female speaker, not himself. Like Wheatley’s poem, Pope’s also incorporates the theme of spirituality. However, divinity and the earthly elements do not intertwine here, as the speaker Eloisa feels conflicted between romantic and spiritual love: “And make my soul quit Abelard for God” (Line 128).
“On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley (1773)
In this famous poem from her first collection of poems published in 1773, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, Wheatley refers to her origins in Africa as “pagan” (Line 1) and describes herself as initially in need of conversion. At the end of the poem, she addresses “Christians” by saying that all people (Line 7), regardless of race, are capable of salvation. Like “On Friendship,” this poem is one stanza with rhyming couplets, specifically the heroic couplet, and a brief but poignant message on a particular subject.
“On Virtue” by Phillis Wheatley (1773)
In this poem, also from her first collection of poems published in 1773, Wheatley compares virtue to an “auspicious queen” (Line 11). In “On Friendship,” Wheatley implies friendship’s queenliness with reference to “her ample reign” (Line 1). In both poems, she inserts a first-person speaker who is filled with awe at the personified beings, whether virtue or friendship. While both poems follow iambic pentameter, “On Virtue” is unrhymed, otherwise known as blank verse.
“His Excellency General Washington” by Phillis Wheatley (1775)
In this poem that Wheatley wrote and sent to General George Washington during the start of the Revolutionary War, she brings in the word “celestial” (Line 1), evoking a heavenly feel as she does in “On Friendship.” She continues with “enthron’d” to create the image of a kingdom (Line 1), similar to the use of the word “reign” in “On Friendship” (Line 1). Both poems create this sense of loftiness as she personifies freedom in this poem and friendship in the other.
“An Address to Miss Phillis Wheatley” by Jupiter Hammon (1787)
A contemporary of Wheatley and also an enslaved person, Jupiter Hammon wrote this poem to Wheatley several years after her death. It calls on Jesus and Christian faith to bring her peace and freedom in heaven. In 21 four-line stanzas, or quatrains, Hammon evokes a tone of benevolence that seems to exemplify how Wheatley views friendship in her own poem.
Further Literary Resources
Phillis Wheatley (Phillis Peters): A Critical Attempt and a Bibliography of Her Writings by Charles Heartman (1915)
In this work from Charles Heartman (translated to English from German), the author attempts to collect and organize Wheatley’s work, including facsimiles of the newspapers that published her poetry as well as her letters, including the letters to and from George Washington, along with Heartman’s biography of Wheatley in order to contextualize her writings.
“Unprecedented Liberties: Re-reading Phillis Wheatley” by Hilene Flanzbaum (1993)
In this peer-reviewed article from MELUS, Flanzbaum discusses how critics have misunderstood Wheatley’s poetry over the years, having focused on her compelling life story but questioning or not knowing how to analyze her work. The author takes another read of the poet’s works and searches for literary themes that warrant attention beyond Wheatley’s race and enslaved circumstances.
No More, America by Peter Gailson (2017)
This 14-minute film written and co-directed by Professor Peter Gailson reimagines the real-life 1773 debate, whose transcript remains extant, with two Harvard University seniors discussing before the public whether slavery was part of “natural law” or not. In this film, Gailson includes Phillis Wheatley in the debate due to her themes on morality and religion in her first collection of poems, which was published in the same year as the men’s debate. This film was presented at the Harvard Art Museum in the fall of 2017.
The Age of Phillis by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers (2020)
In this biography of Wheatley in verse, poet Honoree Fanonne Jeffers attempts to imagine Wheatley’s life pre-slavery, during slavery, and post-slavery based on 15 years in the Massachusetts library archives, combining fiction with research. The story grounds Wheatley in her time and also includes “lost letters” that Jeffers creates to help fill in any gaps about Wheatley’s existence. Jeffers also uses this publication to “redo” the 19th-century biography of Wheatley written by Margaretta Matilda Odell—presumably a white descendant of the Wheatley family—that seemed to sentimentalize Wheatley’s life as an enslaved Black woman.
The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley by David Waldstreicher (2023)
In this updated biography, David Waldstreicher addresses myths about Wheatley’s life, American political figures’ reactions to her, and how she used her poetry to comment on the times, notably the American Revolution and its connection to slavery. The biography combines historical details with literary analysis of her works.
Listen to Poem
In this recitation, Jordan Harling offers a clear and measured reading of Wheatley’s poem. The reader can follow along with the text, as each line is featured in the video in time to Harling’s reading.
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By Phillis Wheatley
