Literature Analysis

Noah Serna

Western Governors University

Humanities C100

January 15, 2016

Personal Observations of the Work

The work of literature that I chose to do my initial observations on is a poem written by Phillis Wheatley, called “To S.M., a Young African Painter, on Seeing his Works.” This poem was written during the enlightenment period. I particularly chose this poem because I always had an interest in reading about African literature and how over time equal rights for everyone became a success. Upon reading this poem, which was slightly difficult to understand, Wheatley communicates about how powerful imagination can be. She mentions how imagination can give an artist the ability to go beyond their limits to the point were there are no longer any more limitations. She points out a painter several times which I am not sure who she is referring to yet. I am assuming it is an African painter at that time. The one aspect of the work that really sparked my interest was when Wheatley said, “But when these shades of time are chas’d away, and darkness ends in everlasting day” (To S.M., A Young Painter, n.d., para. 2),which I think she implies that when this era of slavery and racism passes the darkness (harsh times) will end and there will be daylight or good times.

Analysis of the Work

Phillis Wheatley was a writer who greatly differed from other writers in American literature mostly because of her word choice she chose in her writing. She was originally born in Africa and brought to England where she was sold and raised into slavery during the enlightenment period. She was brought to America as a slave and the owners that bought her took great interest in her education. She learned to read and write and became familiar with the Bible, Greek, and British literature during the