Verified Document

Anne Bradstreet, Phillis Whatley, Emily Dickinson Part Essay

Anne Bradstreet, Phillis Whatley, Emily Dickinson part a developing tradition American women poets. Discuss significant differences similarities . N.B.: The sources provided writing. One thing I'd simple original. Anne Bradstreet, Phillis Whatley, and Emily Dickinson are some of the most representative female American writers that have had a significant contribution to American literature as we know it today. Despite their undisputed role in American literature, the three writers are bound by similarities as well as divided by differences in terms of style of writing, themes discussed, and means through which they dealt with their emotions and beliefs.

In terms of similarities, all three writers were well-educatedwomen, which for their time represented a great achievement. In this sense, Anne Bradstreet was educated in the spirit of the first feminist poetry and determined a wave of writing that reflected the first attempts of women writings. More precisely, "Bradstreet's refined verse conforms to and perfects many of the...

Similarly, the next century, Phillis Whatley was the first African-American woman to ever publish a book at the end of the 18th century (Gates, ?). The significance of this second poetess was that she wrote in an era where most African-American women were enslaved and rarely set free to pursue an independent life from their master. Therefore, her contribution as the first African-American woman to actually achieve notoriety in such an era was most significant. Even more, "As a black woman writer, Phillis Wheatley was a phenomenon in her day; people from all walks of life used her work for their own ends." (Schlotterbeck, 2002) Finally, Emily Dickinson is to this day considered to be one of the most influential writers of her era and among the first to bring themes such as death and sadness into women's poetry. Despite…

Sources used in this document:
References

Gates, Henry Louis.The trials of Phillis Wheatley: America's First Black Poet and Her Encounters with the Founding Fathers. Perseus Books: New York, 2003.

Schlotterbeck, Marian. Modestly Appropriating Conventions:Anne Bradstreet, Phillis Wheatley and the Literary Sphere of Early America. 2002. Available online at http://www.oberlin.edu/library/friends/research.awards/m.schlotterbeck.pdf
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Women Poets Throughout American History, the Work
Words: 580 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Women Poets Throughout American history, the work of American literary artists has helped shape how people think about America and its values. In the modern moment, American literary artists and those involved in other media tend to represent ideals of freedom, autonomy, and individuality. However, this is a perception which has only developed through centuries of artists trying to speak with a unique American voice. Artists who have been oppressed are

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now