Anne Bradstreet, a woman who lived in the early 15th century.
What circumstances gave rise to the poem?
She published a book of poetry and this is its prologue. She is addressing the reader.
Who or what is the audience?
While she would
logically be addressing
anyone reading her
poems, she is speaking
directly to the men and
indirectly to women.
What is the tone?
Humble and ironic
What form, if any, does the poem take?
It is divided into 8 numbered stanzas, six lines each.
How is form related to content?
She makes many
references to ancient
Greeks and their myths.
Perhaps this traditional
form is meant to
emphasize that, which in
turn highlights the
non-traditional nature of a
female writer at the time?
Feminism
Is sound an important, active
element in the poem?
It rhymes.
Does the poem spring from
an identifiable, historical
moment?
It was obviously before
any major women's
movement, at a point in
time that women were
considered inferior to
men in every way.
Does the poem use imagery to achieve a particular effect?
What figurative language, if any, does the poem use?
She refers to the
ancient Greek myth of
the Muses many times,
as a personification of
inspiration and
creativity.
In the last stanza, she uses imagery to
compare other contemporary poets to
birds of prey.
If the poem is an answer, what is the question?
She seems to be answering the
question, "What do you, the poet, expect
of your work?"
What does the title suggest?
An introduction
Does the poem use unusual words or use words in an unusual way?
Some of the words
and spelling are
unusual today, but
were probably more
commonplace at the
time of writing.