Anne Bradstreet – The Prologue | Summary, Analysis & Themes

Anne Bradstreet – The Prologue

Anne Bradstreet’s “The Prologue” is a deeply reflective poem that introduces her 1650 collection The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America. It explores her awareness of the limitations placed upon women in the 17th century, especially in the field of writing. Through modesty and irony, Bradstreet defends her right to write poetry while acknowledging society’s bias that denied women intellectual authority. The poem becomes both an act of humility and a quiet assertion of genius — a pioneering statement in **early feminist literature**.

About the Poet

• Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672) – the first published poet of the American colonies and a leading figure in early Puritan literature.
• Her works often combine religious devotion with reflections on womanhood, family, and personal talent.
• “The Prologue” was written as an introduction to her poetry collection and expresses both humility and frustration with male-dominated literary culture.

Text of the Poem (Extract)

To sing of wars, of captains, and of kings,
Of cities founded, commonwealths 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.

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.

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Summary (Stanza by Stanza)

Stanza 1: Awareness of Literary Hierarchy

Bradstreet opens with humility, declaring that topics like wars, kings, and empires are “too superior” for her “mean pen.” This is an ironic gesture — by pretending modesty, she cleverly highlights the gendered division in literature: **men write of history and heroism, women are confined to domestic themes.**

Stanza 2: Self-Restraint and Gender Expectations

She claims her muse is “foolish, broken, and uneven,” suggesting she is aware of her “inferior” status. Yet the irony beneath her tone suggests **a protest against the forced modesty imposed on women writers.**

Stanza 3: The Critics’ Scorn

She anticipates criticism — that people will say her “hand a needle better fits.” This line encapsulates the social attitude that **women belong to domestic work, not literature.** Bradstreet’s acknowledgment of such prejudice exposes its injustice.

Stanza 4: Defense of Women’s Talent

She asserts that even if a woman’s work is good, men will claim she “stol’n” it or achieved it by “chance.” Bradstreet thus voices the frustration of every talented woman dismissed by patriarchal authority. Her tone here shifts from humility to quiet defiance.

Stanza 5: Historical Allusion and Irony

She refers to the **Greek poet Corinna**, who once defeated **Pindar**, a male poet — an example of women’s literary power. By citing such figures, Bradstreet shows that **female excellence is not new**, only undervalued.

Stanza 6: Conclusion – A Call for Recognition

Bradstreet ends by asking men not to give her a laurel (symbol of poetic greatness) but at least a **“thyme or parsley wreath”** — modest herbs symbolizing recognition. Through this modest metaphor, she both **respects male tradition** and asserts **women’s right to creative space**.

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Key Themes

• Gender and Creativity: Challenges patriarchal limits on women’s intellectual and artistic freedom.
• Humility and Irony: Uses modesty as a rhetorical strategy to voice strength.
• Feminist Assertion: Early expression of female empowerment in Puritan culture.
• Art and Identity: Poetry as self-expression and spiritual calling.

Symbols and Images

• Needle: Represents domestic expectation and women’s confinement to household roles.
• Pen: Symbol of intellectual freedom and creativity.
• Thyme/Parsley Wreath: Symbol of modest recognition — a humble substitute for men’s laurel crown.

Poetic Devices

• Irony: Modest tone conceals bold criticism of patriarchy.
• Allusion: References to Greek poets like Corinna and Pindar.
• Metaphor: Needle vs. Pen symbolizes gender division in art.
• Rhyme Scheme: ABABCC – classical heroic couplet variation.
• Personification: Critics’ “carping tongues” symbolize social voices of misogyny.

Structure and Tone

• Form: 6 stanzas, iambic pentameter (rhymed couplets)
• Tone: Humble yet assertive, ironic, intellectual
• Volta: Midway shift from apology to resistance

Critical Interpretation

• Bradstreet stands as a **proto-feminist voice** in early American Puritan society.
• She redefines humility as a weapon — turning expected modesty into subtle defiance.
• Her poem is both a personal introduction and a **political statement** about women’s equality in art.
• It paved the way for later women poets like Emily Dickinson and Adrienne Rich.

Quick Revision Table

Aspect	Details
Poet	Anne Bradstreet
Poem	The Prologue
Year of Publication	1650
Form	Rhymed iambic pentameter (ABABCC)
Main Themes	Gender bias, humility, creative identity, early feminism
Symbols	Needle, Pen, Wreath (Thyme/Parsley)
Tone	Modest, Ironic, Assertive
Famous Line	“I am obnoxious to each carping tongue / Who says my hand a needle better fits.”
Message	Bradstreet asserts women’s right to poetic creation and intellectual respect.

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