Analyzing Anne Bradstreet's Poems

1. In the opening stanza, Anne Bradstreet as the speaker in the poem addresses the concern that her largely male audience is likely to have is that they might think that she does not have the ability to write and that she might insult other poets or historians. She also claims that it is outside of her scope of work to express epic events and tales.

2. In the second stanza, when Bradstreet says, “I do grudge the Muses did not part / Twixt [Great Bartas] and me that overfluent store” (ll. 9-10), she is trying to say that she is jealous that the muses gave Bartas so much talent. In the third stanza, Bradstreet characterizes her own talents by more or less saying that her Muse is to blame for giving her “broken, blemished” words and makes comparisons

I interpreted Bradstreet’s concluding lines in stanza 4: “Art can do much, but this maxim’s most sure:/ A weak or wounded brain admits no cure” (ll. 23-24) is that while someone may but a lot of effort into their work or art, that does not necessarily make it good.

4. In the fifth stanza, we are introduced into a shift in attitude. Unlike before, she is acknowledging that they might dislike her work from the fact that she is a woman. She gives examples of what they could possible say such as: “my hand a needle better fits”(ll.26) and “if what I do prove well, it won’t advance, they’ll say it’s stol’n, or else it was by chance.” (ll.29-30). Bradstreet in line 28, is referring to those who dislike her work because of her sex as “they.”

5. The point Bradstreet makes in stanzas 6 and 7 in her reference to “the antique Greeks” is that the Greeks while old fashioned had more respect for woman then the men in her time. However, she almost undermines her argument in line 40 where she writes, “Men can do best, and women know it well” but afterwards she asks if they can acknowledge the work of woman as well.

6. In the final stanza, Bradstreet asks for “thyme or parsley wreath” but “no bays” (ll.46) because she understands that she was able to have this opportunity by luck so she more or less is saying that she will take any praise that she can