"Enlightenment" is a poem by American writer Natasha Trethewey that links the story of Thomas Jefferson's life to her relationship with her father. The poem was originally published as part of her 2012 poetry collection, Thrall. Trethewey was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, to a biracial family. She attended college at the University of Georgia and received advanced degrees in creative writing and English from Hollins University and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is the author of five books of poetry: Domestic Work (2000), Bellocq's Ophelia (2002), Native Guard (2006), Thrall (2012), and Monument (2018). She also received a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and served as the 19th US Poet Laureate from 2012 to 2014. Her work deals with the legacy of race and discrimination in the United States, with a particular focus on individuals of mixed ancestry. In this poem, she reckons with the historical narrative surrounding Thomas Jefferson and makes a connection to her own complicated relationship with her white father.
The poem begins with the speaker looking at a portrait of Thomas Jefferson. She remarks that when he had this portrait made, he was in the middle of having an affair with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings. She also describes her father's defense of Jefferson's affair, downplaying the immorality of his actions. She says that she argued with him about this for a long time before eventually realizing he agreed with some of Jefferson's racist views. Finally, she describes how their relationship progressed to the point that this topic becomes a private joke between them, even as she notes that this conversation still marks her separation from her father. The poem is written in eighteen tercets of free verse with italicized quotes. Trethewey integrates quotes into the text to show contrasting points of view about history, comparing her distrust of Jefferson to her father's admiration. The poem is interested in exploring how the historical past informs and complicates their relationship.
