18 pages 36 minutes read

On Friendship

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1769

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Summary and Study Guide

Overview

“On Friendship” is a lyrical poem written in 1769 by African American poet Phillis Wheatley. The poem exemplifies Wheatley’s common use of personification of abstract subjects and the heroic couplet, showcasing her education in Latin and English poems. Over the years, critics have varied in their interpretations and impressions of Wheatley’s poems, although there is now a renewed interest in reexamining her work in its time period and from a contemporary perspective.

Poet Biography

Phillis Wheatley’s birth name and date are unknown, yet scholars estimate around the year 1753 for her birth in West Africa, most likely modern-day Senegal or Gambia. In 1761, a local chief kidnapped and sold her into slavery, and she traveled to Boston, Massachusetts, via an enslavement ship coincidentally called The Phillis. Here, well-known tailor John Wheatley purchased a sickly, frail Phillis, whom he estimated to be about seven years old, for his wife Susanna, and they gave her the first name “Phillis” and their last name “Wheatley,” by which she is known today.

While doing her assigned chores, she was also able to receive an education and support from the Wheatley’s teenage children Mary and Nathaniel, which was rare for slaves and women at the time.

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