Horn English 227
marcihorn
105
Through out the era that we have studied this semester men have been the most common writers. Due to the lack of number and credit, women writers of all genres were less prevalent. The topics and ideas women chose to write about were greatly different from that of men. My inspiration for this project comes from a quote from Anne Bradstreet's Prologue, "To sing of wars, of captains, and of kings, Of cities founded, commonweaths begun, For my mean pen are to 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." She is explaining that her topics won't be the same as mens, rather she will write about important topics to women. Each author I have chosen has done the same as Bradstreet in writing about a topic important to women. They are written by women for women.
Keeping house and housekeeping : a story of domestic life
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In the section "Hiring a Housekeeper" the owner of the house, Ms. Harper describes what it was like find a new worker. All the accomidations and specifications were left up to her, the lady of the house. The only time a man was mentioned was when discussing what the prospective housekeepers salary would be. This situations as well as most situations pertaining to the house, its upkeep, and its staff were subjects for women because they took care of them personally.
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In this text there is a poem called "To Love". The author compares all sides of love, good and bad, to flowers and plants.
O Love! thou sunny flower of bliss, Thou rose of earthly happiness, Why lurks beneath thy bosom fair, The sting of pain, the thorn of care? Love is beautiful but hidden in all love, there are thorns. She is aware of the hardships that are faced during love and is warning other women not to be completely blinded by its initial beauty. There is no rose without thorns and the same is true for love. The woman's prospective on the issue of love is vital. A mans warning wouldn't hold nearly as much weight since they are the ones being warned against. A man would not commonly write about love and if he did it wouldnt involve such an intricate comparison to plants. |
The mamluk: A poem
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Epistles on women, exemplifying their character and condition in various ages and nations. With miscellaneous poems
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Grief can be expressed in many different ways, especially between genders. In the poem "To the Memory of the late Rev. Gilbert Wakefield" the author describes her sadness in the loss of a friend as well as putting down concerns that his name will be slandered.
"For you, who o'er the sacred marble bend To weep the husband, brother, father, friend, And, mutely eloquent, in anguish raise Of keen regrets his monument of praise, May Faith, may Friendship dry your streaming eyes, And Virtue mingle comfort with your sighs" Those close to the reverend are having a hard time coping with the loss, but the author reminds the men to not be sad. To remember him as he was and have the fond memories dry their eyes. A poem about grief and how to handle it most likely comes from a woman. Since they are more likely to be writing about emotions and how to handle them. A man might write about remembering a friend but the woman finds a way of advising how to handle grief in the same rememberance. |
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The poem, "The Dawn" provides a different look at nature than traditional views. Instead of seeing dawn as a fresh start to a new day the author sees it as an abrupt ending to a peaceful, cool, star filled night.
"Joys that once were all my bliss, Fading into nothingness, Take them wings, and pass away, Lost in everlasting day." The author prefers the simplicity of night to the extravagance of daytime, a view you might expect more from a woman. Men tend to be more fascinated with the big grand things, the mountains, the sun, but woman's poetry about nature looks deeper into each miracle created by God. This woman is impressed by the amount of stars in the sky that still manages to remain dark. Each gender provides a completely different manner of looking at the world around us. |
Serious poetry
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The introduction into the poem "Triumphs of Religion" feels a lot like Bradstreet's prologue in that it brushes away critics without care.
"Teach but one sorrowing heart, by grief opprest, To turn for refuge to a Saviour's breast; Or the examples of repentance giv'n, Recall one erring soul the path to Heav'n; Then let the Critics satirize, or rail, And all thy want of classic taste assail" The author doesn't seem to care what people think of her work because to her, the only critic that matters is Jesus. The poem is about religion and God so it can be seen as a testimony or personal conversation with God. Although it is published its words are meant to inspire faith, not criticism from men about her abilities. Men didn't deal with as much opposition in writing as women did. Some women used this to their advantage and wrote a prologue like this to further state their positions. |
The triumphs of religion; a sacred poem, in four parts
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ON THE ABOLITION OF THE AFRICAN SLAVE-TRADE
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Finally, in the collection containing "On the Abolition of the Slave-Trade" is a poem called "On The Cruelty of Animals". The author looks at how man interacts with animals and how in each case they abuse their power over them.
"Nor these alone their claims assert; Each guiltless creature we oppress Appeals to ev'ry feeling heart For pity and redress." Humans may be the higher species but that means man should look after their subordinates, not take advantage of them. God put these animals into mans hands to love but man overworks the ox in the field, or rides the horse long after it is tired. A man most likely wouldn't think about animals in this way. They use them every day to get chores and necessities done. They hunt to provide food for their families. Women would be the ones to see the over use of animals and become concerned about their mistreatment and then go on to write about it. |
Each woman I have chosen wrote about a subject either different from a mans, or took a different spin on a normal one. Woman's insight to a different side of life provide a great deal of variety of literature. It allowed for a whole other aspect of society to be established. Luckily their credit was established and more woman became published through the twentieth century.
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