Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral · Question
How does Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral develop the theme of Virtue and Moral Guidance?
Answer
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley develops Virtue and Moral Guidance across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
Wheatley repeatedly exhorts readers to pursue virtue, piety, and moral rectitude, warning against sin and temptation, as seen in 'On Virtue' and 'To the University of Cambridge,' where she urges students to shun evil.
The poem is a direct appeal to Virtue for moral guidance through youth and toward eternal life.
David's faith and courage serve as a moral example, contrasting with Goliath's pride and defiance.
The poem urges gratitude, prayer, and moral reflection, warning against neglecting the 'filial pray'r' and emphasizing the duty to praise God.
Evidence in the book
- On Virtue
The poem is a direct appeal to Virtue for moral guidance through youth and toward eternal life.
- Goliath of Gath
David's faith and courage serve as a moral example, contrasting with Goliath's pride and defiance.
- Thoughts on the Works of Providence
The poem urges gratitude, prayer, and moral reflection, warning against neglecting the 'filial pray'r' and emphasizing the duty to praise God.
- An Hymn to the Evening
The poem urges the heart to glow with virtue and seek purity, guarded from sin through divine grace.
- On Recollection
The poem contrasts the torment of vice with the peace of virtue, calling on Virtue to guide the poet's future days.
- To Captain H⸺d, of the 65th Regiment
Virtue is praised as a key attribute of the captain, alongside valor.
- To a Gentleman on His Voyage to Great-Britain for the Recovery of His Health
The speaker's concern for the gentleman's health and the appeal to divine aid reflect moral and virtuous care for another's well-being.
- To the Rev. Dr. Thomas Amory, on Reading His Sermons on Daily Devotion, in Which That Duty Is Recommended and Assisted
Amory's sermons are depicted as cultivating habitual grace and inspiring youthful minds to aspire to virtue.
