Anne Bradstreet expresses humility throughout her poems, which emphasize the gender inequality that women face in the 17th century Puritan America into which she was born. Bradstreet writes poems during a time when women are not treated equal as writers or academics, and her writing displays how she faces discrimination on a regular basis. Edward Taylor, a male poet during the same period as Bradstreet, displays humility and self-effacement in his poems, like Bradstreet; however, the difference between the poetry of Taylor and Bradstreet is Taylor’s humility is towards God where Bradstreet’s is towards men. The differences between Bradstreet and Taylor’s writing style further depict the gender inequality of their time being that Taylor did
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Both poets humble themselves and even insult their own ability as writers, but the reason Bradstreet refers to her lack of ability to write anything of worth is simply because she is a woman. Bradstreet expresses how even if she could happen to produce something worthy, “…it won’t advance, / They’ll say it’s stol’n, or else it was by chance,” (29-30). It is sad how Bradstreet feels that the men of her time will not accept her writing, and even if they consider her work to be well-written, they might accuse her of plagiarism. She further expresses her feelings of inferiority when she refers to her “weak or wounded brain” (24), which further accentuates the way women feel about themselves in her culture. Bradstreet is very clear that she believes her work will be ridiculed simply because she is a woman, and for no other reason, when she claims, “My foolish, broken, blemished Muse so sings, / And this to mend, alas, no art is able, / ‘Cause nature made it so irreparable.” (16-18). Bradstreet expresses that it does not matter that she is smart, educated, and well-read because the only thing that people will think about when they read her poems is that she is a woman, and there is nothing that she can do to change that. A big difference with Taylor is he insults himself as being lesser than God in his poem, “The Prologue” from Preparatory Meditations when he
Both poets humble themselves and even insult their own ability as writers, but the reason Bradstreet refers to her lack of ability to write anything of worth is simply because she is a woman. Bradstreet expresses how even if she could happen to produce something worthy, “…it won’t advance, / They’ll say it’s stol’n, or else it was by chance,” (29-30). It is sad how Bradstreet feels that the men of her time will not accept her writing, and even if they consider her work to be well-written, they might accuse her of plagiarism. She further expresses her feelings of inferiority when she refers to her “weak or wounded brain” (24), which further accentuates the way women feel about themselves in her culture. Bradstreet is very clear that she believes her work will be ridiculed simply because she is a woman, and for no other reason, when she claims, “My foolish, broken, blemished Muse so sings, / And this to mend, alas, no art is able, / ‘Cause nature made it so irreparable.” (16-18). Bradstreet expresses that it does not matter that she is smart, educated, and well-read because the only thing that people will think about when they read her poems is that she is a woman, and there is nothing that she can do to change that. A big difference with Taylor is he insults himself as being lesser than God in his poem, “The Prologue” from Preparatory Meditations when he