Why Phyllis Wheatley is a conundrum Literature & Language Essay (Essay Sample)

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Why Phyllis Wheatley is a conundrum
Phyllis Whitley, born in 1753 and passed away in 1784, is one of the pioneer black writers in the United States. Whitney was the first black literary artist to write and publish a book on imaginative writing. Phyllis was also the first person to introduce the African American literary tradition. In most of her poems, Phyllis mostly illustrated her love for religion and particularly Christianity.. However, Whitley was also considered a conundrum by most critics of her literary works. Her controversial writing style where she would express her love for the American society and the Christian religion, and at the same time condemn slavery is among the reasons she is considered a controversial artist. It is therefore essential to asses various aspects of her literary pieces to find out why she is considered a conundrum.
One of the main reasons why it is difficult to understand Whitley’s poems and other literary works is that she never seemed to condemn what she disliked openly. Phyllis never expressed her lamentation towards slavery in a confounding manner, in most cases she mostly seemed to praise the Whites rather than condemn their acts of slavery (Wheatley, Phillis). On the other hand, her works also appeared to talk about how the Whites used Christianity religion as a means of brainwashing Africans into slavery. In the poem being brought from Africa to America, Whitney says that she was grateful that the whites brought her from Africa to America, saving her from the pagan life.