Anne Bradstreet Ap Prompt

Our poem takes place in the 1600’s Puritan era and the narrator Anne Bradstreet is a common women who has found a passion for writing. However she does not tell anyone about her work that she does because it wasn’t widely accepted that Puritan women write. Anne Bradstreet finds herself in the worst position she could imagine through her work being broadcasted to the public with no knowledge. Through this experience she finds comfort and clarity in writing again. She begins to tell us of the story of her work being published by a “friend”. Through this experience, she talks about how her work was not good enough for the public to see. She only wishes she could alter and fix it, but it’s too late. On the other hand, she realizes that she cares

too much about her work to not feel some pride for it. She feels a close connection to her work, like anyone would, and feels a sense of happiness in knowing that she created it.
Anne knows that her work is out there and feels worry and discontent that she can’t change what has happen not change the quality of it. We know how Anne feels towards her work as she describes it as her child. Anne tells us it is “ill-formed” and that it has “defects” (13). Jane Donahue Eberwein describes in “Legacy” the scenario as “Rather than withdrawing from literature, however, Bradstreet responded to editorial errors by revising printed poems and attempting unsuccessfully to complete her abortive "Roman Monarchy," the manuscript of which finally succumbed to the fire that burned her Andover house.” (pg 2). All of us will always feel our work is never at perfection, or that there is something missing. This is a normal feeling to have, especially when it comes to our own personal creations. Anne continues to bash her work as “unfit for the light” (9) and that the public people should never be able to see it. The thought of people judging her work and criticizing her work was, and she knew, inevitable. The way she feels that her work was “irksome” (10) in her eyes reveals an abundance of embarrassment. However, Anne never quite discusses what everyone thinks or if someone thought her work was brilliant. She plainly focuses on the critiques.
The lengths she would go to revise and change her work are shown when she describes the physical trial this situation put her through.

Every time she “wash’d” (13) her face and rubbed the spots off, but “more defects” she saw (13) and they “still made a flaw” (14). After having her work ripped from her, she attempted all sorts of things to fix and revise it. As she still relates her work as her child, she admits she “stretched thy joynts to make thee even feet, / Yet still thou run’st more hobling than is meet” (15-16). Like I referred to in the beginning, she always saw her work as something being off, and seeing a physical deformity. In her mind she sees the issues and the problems and when it came down to it, she could not change it. She describes it as “a better dress to trim thee was my mind, / But nought save home-spun Cloth, i’ th’ house I find” (17-18). Anne could not make it happen the way she saw. Robert Hilliker says in his article “Bradstreet's 'Author to her Book" brings out another meaning by insisting on her attempts to "amend" her book-child's "blemishes" before she returns it to public view, implying that she is not against her poems' publication, but against their appearing in public before they have been properly educated.” I believe that is a legitimate reason, to be afraid for your

child.
Once she can realize that she can’t change what has already been done, Anne feels she should come to amends to accept what is. Even though there are people who will judge, there are people who will lift you up and appreciate it. “In this array ‘mongst Vulgars mayst thou roam. / In Criticks hands, beware thou dost not come;” (19-20). Anne is very well aware of those kinds of people at stake. As the readers know, she feels a close knit relationship with her work and that is a child she has nearly lost. Of course when we look at her work as she describes it as her “offspring” (1), we think about why she so badly wants to change it. Looking at it from a human perspective, as people we should accept others for who they are. That goes for any mother struggling with her child having a disability and deformity. It is hard to deal with and difficult to come to amends with. Rather than pity her child it is a more smooth road if you accept it all. Anne will eventually overcome the bridge and begin to cherish her work and accept it for the fact that it is her very own.
A huge moment in the midst of the poem shows her willingly say that “Yet being mine own, at length affection would / Thy blemishes amend, it so I could” (11-12). As she has been ranting on in the pity of her child beginning of the poem and now has this break of a moment. The word “Yet” (11) reveals a shift in the poem. From that moment, Anne continues to say that she has continued to try but it is relentless. My second part of the thesis deals with the issue of acceptance. Not just dealing with Anne, but in an overall theme, dealing with people and their work. We are all our worst critic. That comes with creating things, and it comes with the territory of making and creating things for others. This poem shows wholesome acceptance of work and realization of the importance of its making.
Anne Bradstreet's work is truly able to reflect her personal life, more so on the side of her religion and her abundance of love as a mother.

Kimberly Latta reminds the readers that this poem was a bit of a game changer to Anne’s usual work. “Anne Bradstreet (1612-72) painstakingly investigated the nature of her "bonds"--her debts, duties, and loving connections to her mother, father, husband, children, and God.” (pg 1). Most of Anne’s work involved some kind of a lesson or optimism. The morale of her stories reminded humans to keep intact to their bonds. In the case of my particular poem, we understand that Anne reflects back on the events of her life that left her sometimes without hope or any kind of morale. Of course her poem ends with the lesson to love your work as you love

yourself.
“The Author To Her Book” by Anne Bradstreet is a poem that reflects an actual poets state of mind in a crisis. Our own work has the biggest impact on our lives. In Anne’s perspective she was not ready to be published nor felt that her work was worthy enough of the public eye. Dr. Louise Cowan explains (pg.7), “Thus lyric wants always to remind us of something forgotten and to conduct us to the “way we were,” the dazzlingly bright original blessedness and the way me our hearts still are in their innermost recesses.” Anne looks on the times when her work was private and she believed it should have stayed that way. Even though she felt a sense of anger and pity for her work, she takes a moment to truly reflect on the fact that it was her very own. Ange Mlinko adds in her article, “In “The Author to Her Book,” Bradstreet expresses dismay, acceptance, and finally affection for the book that launched her modest fame.” (pg 7). Anne Bradstreet uses personification throughout the poem to convey that her work felt like her child. Through organized lines of derogatory point of views, we as readers feel that same feeling she had. The amount of doubt, and regret was evident in the poem but as well the unconditional love and tenderness she carries for her pieces of literature.