B. Anne Bradstreet

Poem~

In Reference to Her Children

I had eight birds hatched in one nest,
Four cocks there were, and hens the rest.
I nursed them up with pain and care,
Nor cost, nor labour did I spare,
Till at the last they felt their wing,
Mounted the trees, and learned to sing;
Chief of the brood then took his flight
To regions far and left me quite.
My mournful chirps I after send,
Till he return, or I do end:
Leave not thy nest, thy dam and sire,
Fly back and sing amidst this choir....

In Reference to Her Children is continued here:

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Bradstreet/reference.htm


Reflection~

A mother’s love towards her children will last a lifetime, and their bond is unbreakable. Bradstreet’s love towards her children is obviously seen in this poem, and as I read each verse, I continued to think about my mother and how strong our bond is. It is hard to imagine a life without a mothers love and kindness. Furthermore, although Anne Bradstreet wrote this poem in the 1600s it seems as if she wrote it in the 21 century because no matter what society, decade, or century we are in, mothers will continue to go above and beyond in order to give their children the best life possible. Also, Anne Bradstreet, just as all of the other mothers in today’s society all dread the day their children leave, and have a common goal of fending for their young. Mothers from all nationalities would give up their lives for their children no matter how old or young they are. This poem made me realize the importance of mothers and their strength as a human being. They endure and give so much of their life to us that it should be a duty for children that in return, we should give back to them. For we only have one special mother who we would give up our lives in a second to save.

Political Extension~

Women are regarded as deficient and are assumed to lack a certain characteristic which puts them at a lower level than males in society. This political cartoon portrays one woman, sitting amongst many males, which suggests how the female presence is in minority, and almost appears to be a token, thus reinforcing male dominance in government. Furthermore, the political cartoon is similar to Anne Bradstreet’s society because, although Anne wrote poetry, it was not the traditional role of women at this time. Moreover, this cartoon displays the woman stating that she “intend[s] to ask questions about your views on women’s rights…”’ and the man running for senator responds, “’Do you have your husband’s permission?”’ With this brutal comment the man is disparaging the woman because he not is acknowledging her intelligence, independence, or her equal rights, which disqualifies her authority. It is interesting to see that after all these years, the character of mankind has made so little improvements, in contrast to our many technological advancements.