Hey, its Amy.
I think it's interesting how both Bradstreet and Taylor show examples of modesty and relation to the audience in their poems. Taylor, as we discussed in class, put himself close to the same level as those he was preaching to. "Lord, clear my misted sight that I may hence view Thy divinity..." In the second stanza of "Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold) Taylor uses "I" to show that he, too, has no way of knowing if he is one of the elite who are predestined to go to heaven. He, too, is in search of enlightenment and relates to the problems that everyone in Puritan society faces. We see another example of this as he writes, "Till I enravished climb into the Godhead on this ladder do, where all my pipes inspired upraise and heavenly music furred with praise." The demonstrations of some modesty allow him to become closer to his audience and their issues.
Bradstreet accomplishes similar things as in her prologue to her book she summarizes that there are many areas open to criticism in her work and that she is not a poet; she simply wrote her thoughts and didn't edit to make sure that they were gramatically correct or pleasant for the reader. This idea of modesty and her view that her work is nowhere near perfect is evident in the first stanza as she writes, "To sing of Wars, of Captains, and of Kings, Of Cities founded, Common-wealths 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." The use of words such as mean and obscure show her thoughts that her poems are not even close to the superiority of the work of true poets and historians. This humbling also brings Bradstreet closer to her audience as it did for Taylor, showing that she is not just an author, but she is just another citizen who can relate to everyone's problems and issues.
Although Taylor's work was meant for public ears, and Bradstreets poems were thoughts that were not formed for the purpose of being published, the ability of both authors to find ways to relate to the audience is what makes these works of Puritan literature such interesting and insightful documents.
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3 comments:
Hey, it's Erin.
I agree with Amy that their modesty makes their works much more relatable. In each work, their expressions of self-deprecation serve purpose; Taylor shows his audience that he, too, is in the same predicament of uncertainty as the rest of his congregation and Bradstreet uses modesty as a defense for her being a woman poet. I think that ideas like modesty and self-deprecation would be in line with Puritan ideals (which would make those same feelings relatable to their Puritan audience) because Puritans believed that people were essentially undeserving, corrupt and fallen, and here on earth to be punished. Then there was the idea that they were the chosen (which they were unworthy of being) and a "city on a hill" and example to the world, so I guess that understanding of things would make one modest and consider yourself unworthy. I think that as a whole the Puritan poetry we received displays their ideals and tensions.
I realize that Bradstreet needed to humble herself in order to evade public criticism, but the way she apologizes in her prologue almost makes me not want to read her work. She herself admits that it isn't very well-written. If I was living in her era, when money was scarce and time precious, why would I bother paying for a copy of it and reading it? Why not spend my hard-earned money on a work written by a better author? Bradstreet's poetry reflects her desire to express her individuality in a society that only value pious works. Her poems detail trite domestic activities like caring for her children - I wouldn't think too many males would care to read about that.
Ok, this is AMy Z.
In response to the last blogger, caring for children is not "trite". If you've never done it before, then you should try it out some time.
Anyway, also in response to the fact that she's owning to the flaws in her work,it's not exactly that she's saying that her work is not very well written. She's exposing the flaws before the poems are read.
It seems similar in idea to me as if someone asks you on a date after a five minute conversation and he/she seems like a really nice person. While you're on the date you then learn that he was arrested a while back for breaking into a house, failed math last year, and likes your least favorite sports team. Yes, that person does have flaws and if you were not prepared that night you went out then you might not know how to respond to that kind of shock.
However, if they told you all of this in that five minute conversation before hand and you still wanted to give him/her a try, then you know what to expect and it isn't as much of a surprise.
Also, as far as I'm aware of (I could be wrong), but I don't think that the Puritans were that big on entertainment, they were mainly focusing on survival.It's not like there was a plethora of poetry, so maybe men would want to diverge from the collection of sermons or poetry of male life style and read about lift from another perspective.
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