On Friendship

“Eloisa to Abelard” by Alexander Pope (1717)

In this poem, English poet Alexander Pope exemplifies the heroic couplet form found in Phillis Wheatley’s “On Friendship.” The first line sets the meter and the pensive tone of the poem: “In these deep solitudes and awful cells” (Line 1). The poem addresses a relationship, much like “On Friendship,” except Pope’s is of a romantic nature, and he is embodying the persona of a female speaker, not himself. Like Wheatley’s poem, Pope’s also incorporates the theme of spirituality. However, divinity and the earthly elements do not intertwine here, as the speaker Eloisa feels conflicted between romantic and spiritual love: “And make my soul quit Abelard for God” (Line 128).

“On Being Brought from Africa to America” by Phillis Wheatley (1773)

In this famous poem from her first collection of poems published in 1773, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, Wheatley refers to her origins in Africa as “pagan” (Line 1) and describes herself as initially in need of conversion. At the end of the poem, she addresses “Christians” by saying that all people (Line 7), regardless of race, are capable of salvation. Like “On Friendship,” this poem is one stanza with rhyming couplets, specifically the heroic couplet, and a brief but poignant message on a particular subject.