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-Poem about her book, starts off referring to it as her offspring
-Tells readers the book is like a child that has stayed by her side
-Her friends have snatched the book and made it public (taken it to get published)
-Goes on to emphasize her percieved poor quality of the book by describing it in rags
-Tells readers of her embarassment due to the many errors and unrefined writings
-Author tries to improve the writings of her book/fix up her unfinished work, but becomes frustrated
-Expresses that she is ashamed of her poorly excecuted book that is not up to standards but still sent out into the world
Prompt: Read carefully the poem by the colonial American poet, Anne Bradstreet. Then write a well-organized essay in which you discuss how the poem's controlling metaphor expresses the complex attitude of the speaker
Thesis- Anne Bradstreet writes "The Author to Her Book" creating an extended metaphor, comparing her writing to a mother's child in order to convey the importance of her creation and critical attitude towards her work.
Paragraph 1- Talks about raising the 'child', conveyed how important the book is to her and how special it is
"offspring of my feeble brain"
Paragraph 2- Critisizes the book and highlights how flawed it is, attitude of embarassment
"at thy return my blushing was not small"
Paragraph 3- Acceptance of her work even though it was imperfect, since it was hers
"the visage was so irksome in my sight/yet being my own affection would,"
The Author to Her Book
Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain,
Who after birth did'st by my side remain,
Till snatcht from thence by friends, less wise than true,
Who thee abroad exposed to public view,
Made thee in rags, halting to th' press to trudge,
Where errors were not lessened (all may judge).
At thy return my blushing was not small,
My rambling brat (in print) should mother call.
I cast thee by as one unfit for light,
The visage was so irksome in my sight,
Yet being mine own, at length affection would
Thy blemishes amend, if so I could.
I washed thy face, but more defects I saw,
And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw.
I stretcht thy joints to make thee even feet,
Yet still thou run'st more hobbling than is meet.
In better dress to trim thee was my mind,
But nought save home-spun cloth, i' th' house I find.
In this array, 'mongst vulgars may'st thou roam.
In critic's hands, beware thou dost not come,
And take thy way where yet thou art not known.
If for thy father askt, say, thou hadst none;
And for thy mother, she alas is poor,
Which caused her thus to send thee out of door.
-Uses words relating to motherhood and home life
-This creates a more authentic sense of motherhood between the author and writing
-offspring
-birth
-rambling brat
-home-spun cloth
-Her book is her own child that she has given birth to
-Makes book seem personal and dear to her by making the choice to compare the book to something so important in a mother's life
-Metaphor extends to raising a child
-Author tries to make her 'offspring' presentable just as a mother would
-Talks about her book claiming her as it's mother ( My rambling brat should mother call)
-Dressing the book
-Washing the book's face
-Stretching thy joints
-Hobbling
Talking about the book as her child creates a more personal and urgent tone regarding her book, showing how important it is to her
-Heroic couplets
-Iambic pentameter
-ALL couplets
-Command of meter recognizable
-Ties in with critisizing her own writing