Bradstreet the prologue. Literary Analysis Of The Prologue By Anne Bradstreet: [Essay Example], 1143 words GradesFixer 2022-11-02
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Anne Bradstreet's "The Prologue" is a poem that reflects on the role of the poet and the purpose of poetry in society. In the poem, Bradstreet grapples with the tension between her desire to write poetry and the expectations placed on her as a woman in a patriarchal society.
At the beginning of the poem, Bradstreet acknowledges that poetry is not seen as a worthy pursuit for a woman. She says, "I am obnoxious to each carping tongue / Who says my hand a needle better fits." Here, Bradstreet is acknowledging that many people think that a woman's place is in the home, sewing and doing other domestic tasks rather than writing poetry.
Despite this, Bradstreet persists in her desire to write. She explains that she writes because she is inspired by God and because she wants to leave a legacy for her children and future generations. She says, "I write, still seeking to please, / Yet pleasing not, but bending to my will." In these lines, Bradstreet is acknowledging that she is not writing to please others, but rather to fulfill her own desire to write.
Throughout the poem, Bradstreet grapples with the idea that her poetry may not be as good as the work of male poets. She says, "I am not so much idle, or so bold, / As may speak truth of dreams, so faint and frail, / But hold their tongue, who fear to touch the sail." Here, Bradstreet is expressing her doubt that her poetry is worthy enough to be compared to the work of male poets.
Despite these doubts, Bradstreet ultimately decides to embrace her role as a poet and to continue writing. She concludes the poem by saying, "And if some wealthy fool, or painted jade / Weep when they read, let them have leave to weep; / My tears must stop, for so my papers say." In these lines, Bradstreet is saying that she will continue to write, even if her poetry elicits tears from some readers. She is determined to follow her passion and to create a legacy through her writing.
In conclusion, "The Prologue" is a powerful reflection on the role of the poet and the purpose of poetry in society. It showcases Bradstreet's determination to write and to create a legacy through her poetry, despite the challenges and expectations placed upon her as a woman in a patriarchal society.
The Prologue Summary
Through usage of specific poetic structure to assert her writing knowledge despite her ironic language, sympathetic style to ridicule the stereotypes placed on women, symbolism to accentuate the way women are constantly being undermined in society, and repletion to clearly highlight her appeal for attention towards feminism, Bradstreet successfully professes her feministic philosophy against the common Puritan theory. . By breaking her previous pattern of assimilating with the sexist views on women, Bradstreet questions and ridicules this ideology and creates an even bigger impact on her argument, that women are just as capable as being academic. Bradstreet tries to change the view that women are or should be inferior by addressing it directly. Here, she is acknowledging her inferiority as a writer, giving readers the idea that she is not knowledgeable or intellectual enough to even write about such topics. Cite this page as follows: "The Prologue - Summary" eNotes Publishing Ed. The author brought forth the idea that women are qualified just like men and asks society to shift attention towards what women have to offer as well.
Literary Analysis Of The Prologue By Anne Bradstreet: [Essay Example], 1143 words GradesFixer
The importance of the needle emphasizes her main argument on why a woman was prejudiced to household chores and not allowed on the same playing field as men. By employing usage of symbolism in this stanza, she brings forth a different style in her words, and thus, a contrasting impression is brought forward to the meaning of her poem. Bradstreet does the unthinkable during her time as a female poet and challenges her male counterparts with her highly advanced skills as both a writer and as a woman. Schoolboys, she states, would never be expected to produce perfect rhetoric, nor a broken string instrument good music. See eNotes Ad-Free Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. The simple complexity of this writing technique allows for its message on feminism to be emphasized even more. The second is the date of publication online or last modification online.
The literary technique utilized is her first step into introducing the ideology that women are just as capable of achieving the level of intellect of most men and just as her work implies, she is quite aware of her poetic skills. The last date is today's date — the date you are citing the material. She goes on, however, to express her envy that her own skill is inadequate in comparison to that of others, such as the French poet Bartas. And by doing so, she is able to prove to readers that although she can achieve the greats, she will succumb to societal standards for now in order to highlight what women must go through on the daily. The Greeks must have been fools and liars, Bradstreet ironically suggests, to have written such things. However, here we see she turns towards a different sense of direction. The second date is today's date — the date you are citing the material.
Bradstreet does this in order to lay out the very simple request females ask for and for society to consider her feministic points, that women should not be superior to men but rather, be on the same level of respect and importance. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. . . .
