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Name Instructor Course Date Biography of Phillis Wheatley Phillis Wheatley's capturing in the 18th century proved to be more beneficial to her than expected. She fell into the hands of a Bostonian family who helped her realize her talent and became the first Black woman to publish a poetry book. She was also among the first women in that century to do the same in the colonies. So who was Phillis Wheatley? In 1753 a poet was born in or around Senegal. The place of birth is not exactly clear, but it is believed that she was born somewhere around Senegal and Gambia (Carretta 7). Her early childhood life is not recorded, but it is known that she got captured when she was around seven years of age. She was taken to America via the route famously known as the Middle Passage aboard a slave ship named ‘Phillis'. The Middle Passage was among the routes used by the transatlantic slave traders. After eight months of day-and-night travel, they arrived in Boston on July 11, 1761(Carretta 8). It is reported that by the end of this journey, almost twenty-one slaves had already died. A famous tailor in Boston, John Wheatley, bought her hoping to get some domestic help for his wife, Susannah. Among the reasons why this little girl was chosen by the Wheatley family was that she reminded them of their daughter who died at around seven years old (Weidt & Maryann 74). The young slave was named after the ship that brought her, Phillis, and according to the traditions, she took the surname of her new home. Her lack of understanding of the English language forced her to use gestures as a way of communication. However, it took her a few months to understand the new language, and
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