Prologue 1650 by Anne Bradstr

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you think the poem would have been written differently in Bradstreet grew up in a non-Puritan society; or even if she grew up today in a modern household with a religious upbringing?
2. Do you think Bradstreet personally felt more grief than she let on? In other words, do you think her poetry might’ve been more emotional without the limitations/ strict religious parameters of expression back then?
3. Who are some other female poets you can think of that remind you of Bradstreet? Dickinson is one example that comes to mind for me, she became a recluse later in life due to the pressures of her religious community and the personal loss she faced. Are there any other historical female figures who remind you of the struggles women face due to society, upbringing and expectations (religious or otherwise)? 

Bradstreet, “Prologue” (1650)

reply 50 words to this one please

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this week’s reading!

It seems like you’re discussing Bradstreet, right? In the future please make it clear who you are discussing right from the start so your reader is able to easily follow along.

You might want to look up the word “obnoxious” in the Oxford English Dictionary and see how it was used during Bradstreet’s time. It doesn’t necessarily have the same meaning as it does today. In 2021, if you were to call someone obnoxious, you are likely calling them rude or annoying. But when Bradstreet was writing in the mid- to late-1600s, obnoxious (according to the OED) meant to be liable or open to something, usually something harmful or some sort of punishment or opposition. So, basically, in this line, Bradstreet is stating that she is putting herself out there and making herself open to people who will insult her by saying (as you note) that, as a woman, she would be much better suited to something like sewing than writing poetry.

Just a reminder – your blog post should respond to the prompts that I left on that module’s VoiceThread, not prompts created on your peers’ blogs. Also, you should focus on the text you signed up for this week (which in your case included two removes from Rowlandson’s captivity narrative).