Anne Bradstreet Response

Anne Bradstreet

Suffering from paralysis, strong and persistent Anne Bradstreet did not allow for her illness to deprive her from living a happy life. She was a mother to eight children and a wife to Simon Bradstreet, whom she loved dearly. Anne was well-educated and a liberated thinker. She was very passionate about poetry and soon became a poet herself. Little did she know that her work would one day be open to the public. In her poem “The Author to Her Book” she degrades her work and herself.
In “The Author to Her Book,” Anne Bradstreet strongly criticizes herself and her work very unconstructively. “Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain.” (The Author to Her Book) This metaphor is describing her writings which are the offspring of her brain. She also has a great way of diction throughout her piece. When she views her writings as “ill-formed offspring,” one can see she doesn’t really think of her work as anything of importance or worth looking at. Anne uses diction by referring to her brain as “My feeble brain.” In this phrase she views her brain as something very week and not strong, lacking knowledge and intellect. Something one would question, since she was very well educated and clever. “Where errors were not lessened.” (The Author to Her Book) In this phrase, Anne is trying to say that her pieces of work still contained many imperfections and needed much work. Therefore, not prepared for being published or brought out to the open.
Not only does Anne pass judgment on her work, but also upon herself. “I cast thee by as one unfit for light.” (The Author to Her Book) Anne sees herself as “unfit for light.” She doesn’t feel worthy of being on the spot light or to even be given any attention. She goes on in her piece stating, “Thy visage was so irksome in my sight.” In this phrase, one can say that Anne views her appearance as something extremely irritating and annoying. “I washed thy face, but more defects I saw, And rubbing off a spot still made a flaw.” (The Author to Her Book) In Anne‘s frustration and disappointment towards viewing herself, she probably felt that washing her face would change her appearance, but facing sad reality that it did nothing. She then goes on mentioning her legs as a flaw, due to the paralysis. “I stretched thy joints to make thee even feet, Yet still thou run’st more hobbling than is meet.” (The Author to Her Book) Evidently, Anne is pointing out her imperfections and her defects. The fact that she is suffering from paralysis must hurt her deeply. Seeing that her feet are weak she is forced to limp. This probably is the result of her lack in self-esteem. “In better dress to trim was my mind, But nought save homespun cloth i’ th’ house I find. In this array mongst vulgars may‘st thou roam.” (The Author to Her Book) Anne is criticizing herself and the way she dresses. She uses the word “vulgars” depicting those characterized by ignorance that she must roam about with in the type of clothing she is in.
Overall, one can see in the many ways that Anne Bradstreet belittles herself and her work through out the poem. She probably resents the fact that her poems were published. “The Author to Her Book,” is a great piece of writing in which one can view the type of reaction Anne had towards the postings of her work without her consent. She has a great use of diction and metaphor throughout the entire poem. Anne used words like “irksome, blemishes, and hobbling,” to depict herself to the audience and for use of imagery. She used Pathos in a way for the audience to see where she is coming from with her thoughts and to get her point across that her writings nor herself were worthy of the public.