Final answer:
Phillis Wheatley's 'An Hymn to the Evening' encompasses a theme of nature intertwined with her Christian beliefs and complex views on slavery. Scholars interpret her poetry as both an accolade to her religious fervor and a veiled critique of the injustices of slavery, utilizing literary devices to suggest subversive meanings and allusions to her African heritage.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 'An Hymn to the Evening', Phillis Wheatley conveys a theme of nature that reflects her deep Christian beliefs and possibly her views on slavery. Numerous scholars have debated over Wheatley's intentions with her work, some suggesting that her poetry contains a subtle critique of slavery and acknowledges her African heritage, while others see it simply as an expression of an Anglo-American literary idiom. Her use of contrast in colors and metaphors, as well as her elegiac style which often portrays spiritual ascendency over water, emphasize the word's power to mean, implicitly suggesting a connection between the transatlantic slave trade, her personal experiences, and her Christian faith.
Although Wheatley primarily used her poetry to explore Christian themes, she also infused her work with diacritical marks and poetic structures that hinted at her African past and her experiences as a slave. This includes the nuanced mention of "native Shore" in relation to spiritual ascendency, which can be interpreted as an allegorical reference to Africa, and a critique of the separation caused by slavery. Scholars like Antonio T. Bly recognize that Wheatley's employment of diacritical marks underscores not only the power of words to convey multiple meanings but also suggests a form of resistance to her conditions through the subversive interpretation of her poetry.
Wheatley's integration of her religion and life experiences reveal that her views on Christianity and slavery are not mutually exclusive. Her spiritual depictions and the voice she employs in her poems can be seen as a means to explore and critique the dehumanizing aspects of slavery, using her faith as a vehicle for subtle protest and expression of longing for freedom.