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Phillis Wheatley is central to Barbara Johnsons argument since Wheatley represents the exact phenomenon that Johnson describes, namely, the fact that African American poets were considered merely as ornaments in American society of the time, while the original, groundbreaking, and even revolutionary ideas in these poets works were ignored or swept under the rug despite being essential to the future progress of American literature. Namely, Whitleys phenomenon incorporates the typical markers of the described situation, including the presence of multiple works that resonated with her core audience, the lack of public awareness in the grand scheme of the American literature of the specified time period, and the overall philosophy of her work. Remarkably, Johnson notes that Of course, she is not a great American poet and in her day there were no great American poets but she is an important American poet (Johnson 206). Thus, by using the example of Wheatleys work, Johnson establishes the reality of American society of the slavery era, at the same time pointing out that art could blossom even in the darkest times of history and that the weight and impact of it shaped the future of American poetry, defining the themes that it would address. Therefore, while Wheatleys poetry is not discussed directly in Johnsons work, with a detailed analysis of themes and ideas that it purported, the general presence of Wheatleys art as the support for the central argument that Johnson makes bears huge significance since the life and the artistic journey of Whitley is used quite effectively to prove that the role of African American poets in the development of American literature as criminally underrated yet was, in fact, immense.
Work Cited
Johnson, Barbara E. Euphemism, Understatement, and the Passive Voice: A Genealogy of Afro-American Poetry. Reading Black, Reading Feminist: A Critical Anthology, edited by Henry Louis Gates, 1990, Meridian Books, pp. 204-211.
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