Tuesday, November 18, 2014

What words in the closing lines of the poem "His Excellency General Washington" suggest Americans at the time viewed Washington in terms of English customs?

There were many American colonists who viewed Washington in monarchial and knightly terms. In Phillis Wheatley's poem "His Excellency General Washington," the speaker describes Washington as if he were a king—specifically, a king guided by the divine. While Washington actually spoke against this type of thinking, many of his supporters viewed him in the way that was customary for English folks to view monarchial rulers. In this poem, the speaker wishes gifts of gold, a crown, a mansion, and a throne for Washington. Again, the speaker is praising Washington as royalty and wishing royal and divine gifts upon him. There was a clear distinction amongst the colonists between those who despised English royalty and those who sought to continue English customs of supporting monarchial rule.

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