Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral · Question
How does Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral develop the theme of Divine Providence and Nature?
Answer
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley develops Divine Providence and Nature across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The natural world is portrayed as a reflection of God's wisdom, power, and goodness, with poems like 'Thoughts on the Works of Providence' celebrating creation as evidence of divine order and benevolence.
The poem invokes God's guidance and protection for the king, linking earthly rule to divine will.
David's victory is attributed to Jehovah's power, emphasizing divine intervention over human strength.
The entire poem is a meditation on God's providence as revealed through the natural world—the sun, seasons, sleep, and growth—all pointing to divine wisdom and goodness.
Evidence in the book
- To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty. 1768
The poem invokes God's guidance and protection for the king, linking earthly rule to divine will.
- Goliath of Gath
David's victory is attributed to Jehovah's power, emphasizing divine intervention over human strength.
- Thoughts on the Works of Providence
The entire poem is a meditation on God's providence as revealed through the natural world—the sun, seasons, sleep, and growth—all pointing to divine wisdom and goodness.
- An Hymn to the Morning
The poem celebrates the natural beauty of dawn as a manifestation of divine order, with Aurora's progress and the awakening of the world reflecting providential design.
- An Hymn to the Evening
The evening landscape is portrayed as a manifestation of God's grandeur and care, inspiring virtue and worship.
- Isaiah 63:1–8
God's omnipotence is displayed in the battle, and Zion's security reflects divine protection over the faithful.
- On Imagination
Imagination is portrayed as a divine gift that allows the mind to transcend nature's limitations, yet nature's harshness (winter) ultimately reasserts its authority.
- To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth, His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for North-America, etc.
Imagery of morning light, the owl fleeing to night, and fiery coursers sweeping to heaven suggest divine order and reward.
