Anne Bradstreet Prologue

The Prologue

To sing of wars, of captains, and of kings, Of cities founded, commonwealth begun, For my mean pen are too superior things: Or how they all, or each their dates have run Let poets and historians set these forth, My obscure lines shall not so dim their worth.

2 But when my wond'ring eyes and envious heart Great Bartas sugared lines do but read o'er, Fool I do grudge the Muses did not part Twixt him and me that overfluent store; A Bartas can do what a Bartas will But simple I according to my skill.

3 From schoolboy's tongue no rhetoric we expect, Nor yet a sweet consort from broken strings, Nor perfect beauty where's a main defect; My foolish, broken, blemished Muse so sings, And this to mend, alas, no art is able, "Cause nature made it so irreparable.

4 Nor can I, like that fluent sweet tongued Greek Who lisped at first, in future times speak plain. By art he gladly found what he did seek, A full requital of his striving pain. Art can do much, but this maxim's most sure: A weak or wounded brain admits no cure.

5 I am obnoxious to each carping tongue Who says my hand a needle better fits, A poet's pen all scorn I should thus wrong, For such despite they cast on female wits; If what I do prove well, it won't advance, They'll say it's stol'n, or else it was by chance.

6 But sure the antique Greeks were far more mild Else of our sex, why feigned they those nine And poesy made Calliope's own child; So 'mongst the rest they placed the arts divine; But this weak knot they will full soon untie, The Greeks did nought, but play the fools and lie.

7 Let Greeks be Greeks, and women what they are Men have precedency and still excel, It is but vain unjustly to wage war; Men can do best, and women know it well. Preeminence in all and each is yours; Yet grant some small acknowledgement of ours.

8 And oh ye high flown quills that soar the skies, And ever with your prey still catch your praise, If e'er you deign these lowly lines your eyes, Give thyme or parsley wreath, I ask no bays; This mean and unrefined ore of mine Will make your glist'ring gold but more to shine. 1650

Reflection:

The reason why I pick this poem was because it has a lot of passion in it, I like the different metaphors and sayings which the author uses to describe his message. I like this poem because you have to think in different ways to understand how the author is expressing his feelings through the poem. This poem has the message of survival the author express this survival instant through the lives of a pen and the lives of the people. The speaker could be anyone expresses his feelings to only to those who will listen. This poem speaks of many different things but, it many talks about the hardships in which people endure to survive.

Dear Dairy:

As one sits to read this poem, many thoughts per into my mind. I have become puzzled between two worlds, one is the life of a poet and the other is the life of many individuals in which the poem speaks of. Both pieces of life are hard and difficult to live like, the life of a pen will always struggle to accomplish the page. While many individuals struggle through hardships in life with different kinds of tragedies. For me, my tragedy is coming over across the sea to the new land. What hardships I have experience, the loss of friends, and the sickness of the sea I have experience. I myself feel trap between two worlds. Sometimes I feel like turning back to France, to live in a more civil world. Then there are times were I am glad to live here. Like the painting above I see a beautiful bird trap inside a storm, will he be able to turn back and head home or will he be lost. I hope for his safety that he is able to return safetly to his home. For I have decided that even though time here is hard, I am still glad I came across the big sea and made this new solid ground my home.

-Jane

Essential Question Reflection:

The American Dream can mean many things but, the main one is to be happy and to live your life to the fullest. Even if you are going through a hard time right now, it doesn't mean it will last forever. To live your life to the fullest you just have to throw away your worry's and live your life care free but, if you throw all your worry's away you will never reach the true American Dream. The only way to reach the American Dream is to work hard by worrying and working hard through your hardships then maybe you will be able to reach your happiness.