Anne Bradstreet's The Author To Her Book

Every writer expects to achieve one day that his or her compositions get released to the world as well as a mother patiently waits for the tremendous milestone of her baby’s first word. Composers after some time are apt to achieve their ambitions to disclose their work and the world to distinguish their unique piece of writing. Bradstreet exposes in the poem the immense moment of the mother experiencing the first time her baby said a word, and the author shared “my rambling brat (in print) should mother call.” The metaphors refer to the author’s book being announced with her name on it. Bradstreet exposes in

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 only the first English-speaking, North American poet, but she was also the first American, woman poet to have her works published. In 1650, without her knowledge, Bradstreet’s brother-in-law had many of her poems published in a collection called The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up In America. Although these poems did not reflect what would be her best work, they did emulate what would be the greatest influence on all of her writing. Anne Bradstreet’s Puritan life was the strongest, and the most obvious influence on her work. Whether it was her reason for writing, how she wrote, or what she wrote about, Bradstreet’s poems would reflect the influence of Puritan life and doctrine.

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.

In the opening line of “The Author to Her Book”, Bradstreet makes use of a metaphor, in which the “ill-form offspring” (1) emblematizes her book, “The Tenth Muse”, and to create a mother-child relationship between her and the book. The child metaphor allows readers to know that she is not satisfied with her writing skills, but has a devotional bond with it. She points out that her book should never be read by a literature expert due to the wide amount of errors that can be found in her work “made in raggs” (5). She expresses she “wash´d thy face” (13), trying to improve her work, but fails to observe any changes in it and fails in the process. These serve as examples to expose how Puritan women underrated and depreciated their skills, making Puritan community believe that they are inferior to

Anne Bradstreet wasn’t always her name, It was Anne Dudley. Daughter of Thomas Dudley a former nonconformist of Queen Elizabeth and Dorothy Yorke. She became a Bradstreet when her and her father met Simon Bradstreet. Also like her father a very high in class man. She ended up marrying Simon in 1630 and they had 8 children. She met him in in Northampton, where many people were Puritan.

In “The Author to Her Book,” Bradstreet is awash in indecision and internal conflicts over the merits and shortfalls of her creative abilities and the book that she produced. This elaborate internal struggle between pride and shame is manifested through a painstaking conceit in which she likens her book to her own child.

Another poem titled “The Author to Her Book” gives the reader the image of a baby being born. Bradstreet critics her works again and again seemingly portraying her works are not good enough. She refers to the “child” having blemishes and crippling handicaps that represents the deep faults and shortcomings in her work. Washing the child, rubbing off a blemish, and stretching its joints but failing to improve his imperfections all contribute to an image of Bradstreet rewriting her book. Dreadfully trying to increase the quality and standards in her work, the more imperfections she found. Towards the end of the poem Bradstreet talks about how she would give her ugly “child” new clothes and it just appears that her real life actions contradict her poem. She is actually very poor in life and could not afford new clothes thus sending her children away from the house.

Bradstreet's poems reveal that she values her relationship with God, her husband, and children. Despite teetering between questioning the existence of God to fully believing in His existence, she ultimately arranges her life around her belief in God. While her family is important to her, the power she has in words to depict her emotions, questions, family, and God seem to hold a higher importance to her. Bradstreet's back and forth examination between God's existence or lack of would not excessively burden her without her Puritan upbringing. While Godly living dominated this time, but strict Puritan standards probably led to the occasional question of God's existence. However it is unlikely that many Puritans were plagued by God's existence to the extent Bradstreet was. What was most unusual in Bradstreet's writings was her awareness of Puritanism instituting women as second class citizens. Puritan women probably accepted the role of dutiful wife and mother as God's will, but Bradstreet seems to be more aware of the disadvantages that come with being a woman. What surprised me was in Bradstreet's “Prologue”, she writes “Men can do best, and women know it well,”

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 Anne Bradstreet’s “In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet”, she writes about the loss of her newborn granddaughter. Letting her emotions flow into her work, a reader can feel the anger and heartbreak of Anne mourning her

Bradstreet wanted her poetry to remain private. She accepted her poetry unconditionally, like a mother accepts her child, because if she tried to correct the poem's flaws more flaws appeared. A distinct expression of Bradstreet true love to her

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

Through works of different time periods, a change can be noted by several eminent authors in literature. The way a man carried the importance of life over their wives through social and political issues was something that no one would question further back in history because that was the way things were. As soon as women began to formulate their own perspectives and realize that their own thoughts were just as important, a change in literature began. This was not just a notion of feminist opinion, but equality of every individual regardless of gender and race. For authors such as Anne Bradstreet, Emily Dickinson, and Louisa May Alcott, change was illustrated through their writing and strengthened feminism.