Simone Sutton

9/03/09

AP English III

“Anne Bradstreet’s Poems”

The Author to Her Book

Being an author to a book is synonymous with being a mother, but not in a positive way. The “child” is ill-formed. The child is flawed. Now all normal children aren’t perfect but books meant for publishing have to be flawless. The tone of the poem seems to be disappointment. She doesn’t seem to be proud of her book, she calls it a brat, she points out an endless stream of mistakes and typos that were impossible to correct. “I washed thy face, but more defects I saw”, it would seem frustration to keep fixing something only to have it fall apart in your hands, or the more you wash something the filthier it gets.

But in the end the book is not a real child. It doesn’t have a father, because it’s just a book. “If for thy father asked, say thou hadst none”. This line could mean it has no father or it could mean that is someone asks if you have a father, if you were written by a man, say that you were written by a woman. This could be significant because the author of the poem is obviously a woman even though women in colonial time were not always respected in intellectual fields, and the book is sold or published so the author of the book can make some money because she is poor. The last two lines of the poem would be similar to having a child grow up, even though far less than your expectations, and sending it out on its own to work and make money or the family.

Before the Birth of One of Her Children

A woman is about to give birth and this is the letter she wrote expressing her feelings. From the tone of the whole poem is seems like the woman wholeheartedly believes she is going to die giving birth to her child. She says things like “The many faults that well you know I have let be interred in my oblivious grave, if any worth of value were in me let that live freshly in thy memory” ,That mean remember all of the good things about me and forget the bad.

Even though she thinks she is going to die she wants the kids she has already had to e taken care of while she is gone. She doesn’t want her kids to have to deal with any evil stepmothers.

The woman cries as she writes this letter as indicated by the last line of the poem which means she has practically given up hope. I can only imagine how happy she might feel if she survives the child birth.

To My Dear and Loving Husband

This poem could be a love letter from the author to her husband. She explains in great detail how the two of them are a match made in heaven. How they were meant to be together. If any woman were to be married to her husband it would be her, and if any man were to love her it would be her husband. “Compare with me, ye women, if you can” she challenges her husband to find another woman like her.

The last line of this poem reminds me of a song called (Don’t Fear) The Reaper. That song basically says not to fear death because there is closure and you will soon be reunited with the people that you love. “That when we live no more, we may live ever”, as long as they are together they will live on forever in their hearts.

Anne Bradstreet 1612-1672

Anne Bradstreet was an iconic figure in the history of American Literature. Some even say the she was the first American poet. She was the first woman to write and publish a book. Her works not only detail the hardships for Puritan women. She was sickly but faithful and loving, and very intelligent.

"Anne Bradstreet." Anne Bradstreet. Web. 04 Sept. 2009. .