Phillis Wheatley’s “Complete Writings”
Write no more than 750 words in response to the following prompt: Critics and readers often note the presence of irony, ambiguity, ambivalence, and/or sly rhetoric in the work of Phillis Wheatley. Choose one to two of Wheatley’s poems we have read for class, and consider how these elements might be at play in Wheatley’s poetry. What is the result of Wheatley’s slyness, irony, etc.?
Keep your essay specific, focused, debatable, and argumentative. Your job is to write about the texts we have discussed in class. The texts will be in the uploaded files and include the readings: “A Hymn to Humanity” pg. 50-51, “To S.M. a young African Painter on Seeing His Works” pg. 59-60, “Farewel to America pg. 62-64, “Lucy Terry Prince” pg. 199-200, “Jupiter Hammon” pg. 201-216, and “Francis Williams” pg. 217-224.
DO NOT SIMPLY SUMMARIZE THE TEXTS. DO NOT FILL YOUR ESSAY WITH OVERLY GENERALIZED COMMENTS. OFFER STRONG ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE TEXTS.
Your essay will include a brief introductory paragraph and thesis statement; approximately three body paragraphs with strong topic sentences, examples from the text, and explanations and analysis; and a brief conclusion that gives your reader something notable to walk away with. Do not simply repeat yourself in the conclusion paragraph. Your body paragraphs must contain quotations from the text you are writing about. Submit the essay as a Word document ending with .doc or .docx
Your essay must include:
– an introductory paragraph that catches the reader’s attention and states a clear, debatable thesis statement
– approx. 3 body paragraphs that logically support your argument. Use direct quotations in each body paragraph to support your argument. Introduce quotations with signal phrases. Avoid dropped quotations (quotations which are not introduced with a signal phrase or integrated into a dramatically correct, complete sentence).
– a descriptive, creative, and relevant title
– Times New Roman or similar 12-pt. font, double spaced, and 1″ margins
– MLA-style formatting: heading, title, page numbers, in-text citations, and works cited
– an MLA-style works cited page
