When first young Maro in his boundless mind
A work t' outlast Immortal Rome designe'd,
Perhaps he seem'd above the Critick's Law
And but from Nature Fountains scorn'd to draw:
But when t' examine ev'ry Part he came,
Nature and Homer were, he found, the same. (Robinson, 178)
Wheatley also had a remarkable fascination with Greek mythology and Latin authors. Her admiration of Pope shines through in her work when she, too, uses examples of classical allusions and Greek mythology. For example, in "To Maecenas," Wheatley refers to Homer, Patroclus, Achilles, Virgil, and Maro by writing,
While Homer paints lo! Circumfus'd in air
Celestial Gods in Mortal forms appear;
Swift as they move hear each recess rebound,
Heav'n quakes, earth trembles, and the shores resound.(NAAL, 169)
Wheatley's poems also tend to embody images of gods, fairies, fates, and myths which display Pope's influence towards her writing style.
Alexander Pope's influence on the writing style of Phillis Wheatley is lastly shown by examining Wheatley's objectivity, which plays a major role in her work. Both Pope and Wheatley were greatly concerned with exact representations of values in their poems. That is, both authors wanted to be sure that both sides of any situation were discussed. For example, in Wheatley's "Liberty and Peace," Wheatley welcomed freedom but also recognized the aftermaths of war, death, and hostility towards the enemy. Pope's way of giving exact representations in his work was one of his biggest concerns. Pope believed that without proper values, facts, and objectivity, a piece is not worth writing. Wheatley also admired this trait and carried it over to her works as well.
Alexander Pope was first recognized as being an influence in Phillis Wheatley's work when Wheatley first read his translation of Homer. It quickly became one of her favorite pieces of literature. The comparisons between Pope and Wheatley's works are brought into the light when one examines each author's work. The influence Pope had on a young Phillis Wheatley is seen in her use of Greek Mythology and Latin tones, her use of real persons in her work, and her dedication to objectivity. Phillis Wheatley not only used Pope's work as a tool to draw ideas from, she redefined the whole genre of literature by absorbing Pope's knowledge, style, and ideas.
Brawley, Benjamin Early Negro American Writers New York: Books for Libraries press 1968.
Gates, Henry Louis and Nellie McKay, editors, Norton Anthology of African American Literature New York: Norton, 1997.
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