'For My Mean Pen Are Too Superior Things'

Poetry for Students. Ed. Ira Mark Milne. Vol. 9. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Literature Resource Center. Web. 13 Aug. 2013. Galloway Blackstock, Carrie. “Anne Bradstreet and Performativity: Self-Cultivation, Self- Deployment.” Early American Literature 32.3 (1997): 222-248. ProQuest. Web. 13 Aug. 2013. Johnson, Jeannine. “Overview of ‘Annabel Lee’.” Poetry for Students. Ed. Ira Mark Milne. Vol. 9. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Literature Resource Center. Web. 13 Aug. 2013. Kelly, David. "Critical Essay on 'To My Dear and Loving Husband'." Poetry for Students. Ed.

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

The opening lines of the poem show how strong her feelings are for her husband. Bradstreet shows this by the use of a great example of a paradox, “if two were one, then surely we.” This shows that the magnitude of her love and affection is so deep that she’s comparing two beings as one. She praises her love for her husband so much

"The Author to Her Book" shows Bradstreet's feelings about the unauthorized printing of her work. She expresses her modesty about her ability to write by comparing her work to "homespun cloth" meaning that is was coarse and unrefined. Bradstreet also uses humor to express her feelings about the publication of her work without corrections, but there is still some genuine discomfort. "At thy return my blushing was not small" shows that she was a bit embarrassed about the world reading her rough drafts, but she amends her view towards the book as the poem continues. "Yet being mine own, at length affection would Thy blemishes amend…" illustrates that she truly loves her poetry, and after it is "cleaned" she takes pride in it. She show her delight in her work with the admonition "If for thy Father asked, say thou had'st none." Bradstreet wanted everyone to recognize her for the talented woman writer that she was, but requested this acknowledgment in a humble way.

Literary Theory and Anne Bradstreet’s Poems 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

“The Author to Her Book” by Anne Bradstreet 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.

There are many aspects of the poem To my Dear and Loving Husband which set it apart from most of Bradstreet's other poetry. The poem begins with one solid, short and concise sentence, this is far different than most of her poems which begin with a vague idea or a much longer complex statement. This shows a change in writing

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

2) What is the conclusion of each article? The conclusion from the “Common Core” perspective Anything that prevents someone from objectively drawing a conclusion is a bias. 7) What biases did you observe in each article? Why do you think they are biases?

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

Bradstreet makes a point to show her thought process of returning to the Puritan mindset when she begins to question herself in her poem. The following is an example: “The straight I ‘gin my heart to chide,/And did they wealth on earth abide?/Didst fix thy hope on mold’ring dust?/The arm of flesh didst make they trust?” (37-40). The repetitive notion of the author questioning herself allows the reader to see into her thought process regarding her current struggle with her beliefs. The author includes this process in the poem to enable the reader to fully understand her way of thinking and ultimately makes her writing more relatable. Bradstreet develops the content of the poem to show her external struggle to release her material possessions and focus on the process of regaining her Puritan beliefs, however, the form of the poem speaks louder to her unwavering internal faith.

Even though, she will not be able to repay him with money as materialistic things are not of value, Bradstreet will write about him in her poetry, to show him her gratitude and express her love for him. I feel that Bradstreet wrote her poems about her father to impress him and make sure he knew that she was doing everything she could to repay him and show him her gratefulness for life. Bradstreet never discredits her father or places any blame on him for anything happening in her life, which was true of Puritan beliefs at that time.

Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain, Who after birth did'st by my side remain, Till snatched from thence by friends, less wise than true, Who thee abroad, exposed to public view, Made thee in rags, halting to th' press to trudge, These errors were not lessened (all may judge). At thy return my blushing was not small, my rambling brat in (in print) should mother call, I cast thee by as one unfit for light, My visage was so irksome in my sight; Yet being mine own, at length affection would thy blemishes amend, if so I could: I washed thy face, but defects I saw, And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw...(Meridian 33.1-14) 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

(Know Yourself: Emotional Literacy and Recognise Patterns) After analysing each article, we came to a conclusion that the articles all of us found were not good enough and that we need to start finding the suitable articles again. I felt disappointed as all of us spent one week to find the articles and yet we could not find two

SAAD ALDAKHEEL 10/19/2017 American literature How Anne Bradstreet confronts puritan view of gender 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