The afterlife is a concept that has been much discussed over and over again, for as long
as religion itself, and probably even longer. It’s had many interpretations over the years, and
those of famous poets Phyllis Wheatley and Anne Bradstreet are good examples of the wide
variety. Two poems presenting a convincing contrast are Bradstreet’s Verses upon the Burning
of our House, July 10th, 1866 and Wheatley’s To a Gentleman and Lady on the Death of the
Lady’s Brother and Sister, and a Child of the Name Avis, Aged One Year, where both poets
allude to their views of the afterlife. While both see it as prosperity, Bradstreet sees eternal
material wealth while Wheatley appears to envision eternal bliss.
Bradstreet’s Verses, as stated before, touches on her view of the afterlife as a heaven
filled with riches and material pleasure, where she gets to relive her life before she’d moved
from England, in a house ornate enough to be admired by all and paid for “By Him who hath
enough to do” (48). She further shows her materialistic view of heaven as she goes on about
her dream home in the skies, along with her “hope and treasure [lying] above” (54). All in all,
while she sees prosperity like most other Christians, her view is very materialistic and almost
greedy in contrast to her new Puritan environment.
Wheatley’s To A Gentleman contrasts this view with a similar one of prosperity.
However, instead of specific wealth, it’s filled with “heavn'ly pleasure springs” (27) that
relieve one of their aches and pains. Her interpretation is uniquely Black in a way in that it’s
accessible to all who envision it, and ensures that those who earn it will experience “beatitude
among the skies” (34). Concentrating on the simple feeling of happiness, Wheatley created a
more ambiguous and flexible view of the reality of the afterlife. However, she also saw it as a
real place, and contemplated its flaws.
As mentioned before many times, the afterlife is often thought of as a source of eternal
happiness. Bradstreet and Wheatley have this as one of their only points of similarity. However,
something that comes with that mindset is an area of quiet debate: What does that happiness
actually entail? The English aristocrat and the enslaved African woman, despite sharing the
same general location (New England) and very slice-of-life-esque writing style, both produce
their own fascinating views on the topic of heaven’s ultimate meaning. The two perspectives
represent differing marks on the spectrum of interpretation, as differences in race, class, and
upbringing yield dramatically different imaginings of the lands beyond the pearly gates. This
has remained a constant throughout history; even almost three hundred years later, the range of
individuals’ pasts, especially when it comes to race and class, greatly influences the range of
outlooks on life and even what’s beyond it.