Anne Bradstreet 's The Prologue

A Puritan woman in the 1600’s who devoted herself to care for her family. Anne Bradstreet was a mother and a writer. Writing became a hobby when Bradstreet decided to give it a try because she had read much of poetry in so many styles and languages. Most of her pieces were written for teaching purposes in a small school where she served. The author kept most of the poems private for the following reasons: Bradstreet believed her work was unexceptional and at the time it was peculiar for a woman to be writing poetry. In the back of her mind, the author’s principal obligation was raising her children when writing was completed in her unused time. Through the use of metaphors, Anne Bradstreet connected among the

There are several poems of Bradstreet that demonstrate this conflict. There is “Upon the Burning of Our House July 10th, 1666” and the ones written

Anne Bradstreet was America's first noteworthy poet in spite of the fact that she was a woman. Both the daughter and wife of Massachusetts governors, Bradstreet suffered all of the hardships of colonial life, was a mother, and still found time to write. Her poem, "The Author to Her Book," is an example of Bradstreet's excellent use of literary techniques while expressing genuine emotion and using domestic subject matter.

In “The Author to Her Book,” Bradstreet is inundated in indecision and internal struggles over the virtues and shortfalls of her abilities and the book that she produced. As human beings we associate and sympathize with each other through similar experiences. It is difficult to sympathize with someone when you don’t know where they are coming from and don’t know what they are dealing with. Similar experiences and common bonds are what allow us to extend our sincere appreciation and understanding for another human being’s situation. In this poem an elaborate struggle between pride and shame manifests itself through an extended metaphor in which she equates her book to her own child.

Anne Bradstreet was not the typical Puritan author. She wrote sweet and loving poems that greatly contrasted from other writers of her time. She did not write the ever so popular sermons that told people that they were going to hell and there was nothing they could do about it. Bradstreet was a rarity in Puritan times, she was a very educated woman that worked on something other than being a woman in the household. She was one of a kind and the beginning of an era. Using literary criticism when reading Anne Bradstreet’s poems adds a deeper understanding of her character and difficulties in life.

Anne Bradstreet's poem, To My Dear and Loving Husband, shows her profound love and undying affection for her husband. For a Puritan woman who is supposed to be reserved, Bradstreet makes it her obligation to enlighten her husband of her devotion. She conveys this message through her figurative language and declarative tone by using imagery, repetition, and paradoxes.

The status of women in American society underwent some changes in the early days of American history. As time progressed, society’s views on women became more positive. Women were originally viewed as wretched individuals during the Puritan era, then becoming viewed as weak and sensitive individuals during the Revolutionary era, and finally becoming deemed capable of forming individual opinions by the early 19th century. American women were looked down upon the most during the Puritan era of American history because the were viewed as being tainted by Eve’s original sin, and this is sin made them inferior to their male counterparts. This Puritan view that women are inferior is seen in Anne Bradstreet’s poem, “Prolouge” where she acknowledges this inferiority.

In addition, Bradstreet expressed a need for equality. She wanted people to take a step back and glimpse back to history, “Let Greeks be Greeks, and women what they are;” (240). In Greece, women were equal among men, as were the Gods and Goddesses. In the seventh stanza of “The Prologue,” Bradstreet gives her most strong cry out for recognition, still however, it is subtle, “Men have precedeny and still excel,/ It is but vain unjustly to wage war;/men can do best, and women know it well/ Preeminence in all and each is yours;/ Yet grant some small acknowledgement of ours” (240). Also in this quote is Bradstreet’s observance of men in their natural state. She sees men as war hungry, vain and powerful. Consequently, Anne Bradstreet faced a double bind. If she voiced her thoughts, opinions, and beliefs, she would have put herself in danger, and by not saying anything, she would force herself to go on living in a patriarchy.

Anne Bradstreet’s poetry resembles a quiet pond. Her quiet puritan thinking acts as the calm surface that bears a resemblance to her natural values and religious beliefs. Underneath the pond there is an abundance of activity comparable to her becoming the first notable poet in American Literature. Anne Bradstreet did not obtain the first notable poet’s title very easily; she endured sickness, lack of food, and primitive living conditions during her time in the New World. Despite these misfortunes she used her emotions and strong educational background to write extraordinarily well for a woman in that time.

Anne Bradstreet, as a poet, wrote as both a Puritan woman in her time and as a woman ahead of her time. Zach Hutchins analyzed this tension in “The Wisdom of Anne Bradstreet: Eschewing Eve and Emulating Elizabeth”, and makes a primary argument that three of Bradstreet’s poems provide evidence that Bradstreet rejects the Puritan views of a woman while keeping her own personal faith. Hutchins fither his argument by declaring that readers should not view Bradstreet as a symbol of rebellion or submission, instead as a symbol of wisdom.

In the 1600’s, Puritans living in both England and New England held their views on God rather tightly and lived their lives as good Christians. Puritans were selfless individuals who had escaped and came to America in search of religious freedom and peace. In literature during that time period, it is made very clear that everything the Puritans had accomplished or acquired was a result of God, and that they were forever in his debt. One of the great poets from this time era was Anne Bradstreet who wrote about her children, husband, and parents. Anne Bradstreet blended her domestic life with theological imagery in every poem she did, explaining that her grandchildren were merely lent to her but

Many may ask “if Bradstreet is a female poet, why would she devalue her skills and her sex when trying to advocate for women?”. I believe she does this to get her point across. Bradstreet devalues herself and her sex to grab attention. Why would a male read her poems if all she is doing is disparaging men? She takes a twist on it and sarcastically puts down women to pursue a feminist approach from a different angle. For example, in Bradstreet’s seventh stanza she declares “Men do it best, and Women know it well”. I read this line informally as if Bradstreet is speaking on the behalf of all women looking at their husbands saying “yes honey, you sure can do it best. You have told me this time and time again”. What can get under someone’s skin more than a sarcastic attitude? However, some would question this viewpoint and say that rather than Bradstreet being snide in “Prologue”, she is earnest with her statements and truly

Anna Bradstreet grows up in a healthy family. She was the daughter of Thomas Dudley who is the manager of the country estate of the Puritan Earl of Lincoln. Anna Bradstreet got married at the age of 16 to the young Simon Bradstreet who was working with Anna father. Anna Bradstreet never went to school but her father always taught her and gave her an education. It that time many women didn’t have an education. Anna considers one of the best and most important American poets. When Bradstreet was a little girl, she writes poems to honor and please her father. After she got married, she kept writing and it marriage didn’t stop her. Her brother in law, John Woodbridge, pastor of the Andover Church, brought with him to London a manuscripts collection of her poetry in 1650. It was her first book, The Tenth Muse was the first published volume of poems written by an American resident and it was widely read. Anne Bradstreet was a very religious and Godly woman. Anne Bradstreet always tried to live life in a perfect way. Anne Bradstreet was a woman of God and she always wrote about her faith in her poetry. She always talked about the Puritan and their believes and views on salvation and reclamation in her poetry. Anna seems to believe that God has punished her through her sicknesses. The Puritans believed suffering was God’s plan of preparing the soul and heart for accepting his mercy

This helps her to subtly show her feminist side while maintaining her puritan goodness. As a female in a highly patriarchal society, Anne Bradstreet uses this technique to prove the point of her belief of unfair and unequal treatment of women in her community. She does so to express her opinion in a sarcastic tone by stating, “Men have precedence and still excel”. As the poem continues, Bradstreet reveals that the topic of discussion is war waging, and “Men can do best, and women know it well”. These lines are presented as an under-handed compliment because although Bradstreet professes male superiority on the subject of war, she suggests that perhaps this is not a subject at which one should excel. By utilising a humble tone interspersed with sarcastic wit, Bradstreet is able to communicate her intended message to the

Anne Bradstreet’s poem, “The Prologue”, is about the struggle of women in a Puritan Society. In the Puritan Society, women are held to a certain standard. Women were not able to speak their mind, openly show they were educated, or express themselves freely, because it was looked down on. “The Prologue”, is titled to mark the beginning of her work. In this poem, Bradstreet acknowledges her role as a woman in a Puritan society, but also makes a brave attempt to achieve freedom from the Puritan Society. Bradstreet is on a mission to prove to the Puritan society that women are worthy enough to do what men do. Bradstreet fights for feminism.