Anne Bradstreet was one of the greatest female poets of her time, but because of her religion and gender, Bradstreet had to overcome many obstacles to become a writer in the oppressive patriarchal Puritan society that she lived in. Bradstreet is known for belittling her work and her lack of self-confidence, especially in her earlier writings. However, as she grew older, her style became stronger and more comfortable. Bradstreet’s evolution from timid housewife to self- assured poet is what has made her a literary inspiration for generations. Over the course of her life, Anne Bradstreet went from a woman oppressed by religion and sexism, to a world renowned author known for pushing the boundaries that were set for her by society.
It can be assumed that Bradstreet’s apologetic and somewhat self- deprecating tone came from her compliance to her oppressive society. In the seventeenth century, men were primarily considered to be writers, and Bradstreet was in the minority as it was not very common to have a female poet. And …show more content…
This is seen throughout Bradstreet’s first book of poetry especially in her poem, The Prologue, when she writes lines such as “I am obnoxious to each carping tongue” (25) and makes remarks about her muse being “foolish, broken, [and] blemished” (16). It is also seen all through her poem The Author to Her Book when she calls her work the “ill-formed offspring of [her] feeble brain” (1), in line ten when she writes that she cannot bear the sight of her own work, and in line thirteen when she wrote “I washed thy face, but more defects I saw”. It is evident that Bradstreet’s oppressive society heavily influenced her earlier writing and “the issue of power and powerlessness is the central concern of Bradstreet’s first volume of poetry” (qtd. in Schweitzer
It can be assumed that Bradstreet’s apologetic and somewhat self- deprecating tone came from her compliance to her oppressive society. In the seventeenth century, men were primarily considered to be writers, and Bradstreet was in the minority as it was not very common to have a female poet. And …show more content…
This is seen throughout Bradstreet’s first book of poetry especially in her poem, The Prologue, when she writes lines such as “I am obnoxious to each carping tongue” (25) and makes remarks about her muse being “foolish, broken, [and] blemished” (16). It is also seen all through her poem The Author to Her Book when she calls her work the “ill-formed offspring of [her] feeble brain” (1), in line ten when she writes that she cannot bear the sight of her own work, and in line thirteen when she wrote “I washed thy face, but more defects I saw”. It is evident that Bradstreet’s oppressive society heavily influenced her earlier writing and “the issue of power and powerlessness is the central concern of Bradstreet’s first volume of poetry” (qtd. in Schweitzer