Why did Anna Seward portray James Cook as a national hero?

Anna Seward portrayed James Cook as a national hero in her 1780 poem, Elegy on Captain Cook, to help shape a narrative of patriotic heroism during a period of British national identity crisis.1

By framing the lives and deaths of figures like Cook and John André as heroic, Seward established her own reputation as a "British muse" and a spokeswoman for national pride and resolve. Her work resonated with contemporary audiences, helping to solidify her status as a prominent intellectual and the most famous woman poet in England at the time.12