1. “To His Excellency, General Washington”
Phillis Wheatley
“To His Excellency, General Washington”
Before we begin, write down any object you can think of; just one object, whatever comes to mind first.

2. Personification
The attribution of human qualities to something that is not human, usually an inanimate object. The wind grabbed hold of the tree and hurled it violently across the yard.
The wind is personified as having the ability to grab hold of another object and throw it in a way that is characteristic of a human action.
Look back at the object you wrote down. Create a sentence in which that object does something only a human could do.

3. Personification, continued
Find a partner.
Combine your sentences into one complete thought; use transitional words and phrases.

4. Phillis Wheatley
(1753?-1784)
Technically, the first female American poet (since America became independent during her lifetime)
Definitely the first African American female poet in the US
Brought from West Africa (8 yrs. old); purchased by a Boston merchant (John Wheatley)
The Wheatley’s recognized that she was intellectually gifted; they taught her to read and write.
Became famous in 1770 with a poem about an English preacher. Her early work was published in the US by British patrons.
Until she died, her work was appreciated more in London than in the US.
She had to constantly prove to others that she was capable of writing such eloquent poetry.
She was freed in 1773, but died in poverty (all of her children had died in infancy and her husband was in debtor’s prison).
One of her most famous works was a poem dedicated to George Washington.

5. Write the questions, and answer them in complete sentences
Write the questions, and answer them in complete sentences. Most questions require more than one sentence.
(Introduction in italics) When was this poem written and what were the circumstances? Do not give a date.
(Introduction in italics) Who is “Columbia”?
What is the cause Columbia fights for?
What is going on in lines 3-6?
Who are mother earth’s offspring?
Who comes to help, and what is she like?
Explain the use of “apostrophe” in line 12.
Summarize lines in 2-3 sentences.
Line 23 contains a rhetorical question. Copy the question, paraphrase it, and explain why it’s rhetorical.
What qualities, according to Wheatley, in Washington known for?
Lines refer to the French (Gallic) and Indian War, which had taken place decades before. (France teamed up with Native American tribes to compete for land against the British.) Look at the next two lines, and explain why she alludes to this conflict. What is her point?
Who is on America’s side (4th stanza, more than one answer)?
How and why is Britain punished in this poem?
How do the last four lines reflect Wheatley’s feelings for Washington? (3-4 sentences, provide textual evidence)