John Greenleaf Whittier was a poet remembered mostly for his antislavery writings and his book Snow-Bound. He was an American Quaker and was mainly influenced by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Whittier was an advocate of the abolishment of slavery in the United States. Whittier was born in Massachusetts on December 17, 1807. He grew up in a farm with his parents a brother, two sisters, a paternal uncle and a maternal aunt. It was discovered that Whittier was color blind after he couldn't tell the difference between ripe and unripe strawberries. Their farm was not very profitable and they only had enough money to get by. Whittier suffered from physical issues and was not cut out for the farm work. He received little education but…show more content… In 1833 he published The Song of the Vermonter, 1779. The poem was erroneously attributed to Ethan Allen for nearly sixty years. He used his poetry to express his political views often, he was best known for it in his book Poems Written During the Progress of the Abolition Question. Whittier was highly thought of during his life and for a period after it. He is mainly remembered for his anti-slavery writings, patriotic poem Barbara Frietchie, and for his book Snow-Bound. A number of his poems have been turned into hymns including Dear Lord and the Father of Mankind taken from his poem The Brewing of Soma. The last part of the poem was set to the tune of Reton by English composer, Hubert Parry. The “Song of the Negro Boatman” was one of the more widely printed poems inspired by the civil war. Even though Whittier never actually visited Port Royal, an abolitionist working there said it was “wonderfully applicable as we were being rowed across Hilton Head Harbor among United States gunboats.” Whittier was also very supportive of women writers during the time. He had a lot of influence on Sarah Orne Jewett, they shared a belief in moral quality of literature and an interest in New England folklore. She eventually dedicated one of her books to
