Anne Bradstreet Research Paper

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Recommended: The role of women in ancient civilizations

Emily Oncale
Professor J. James
American Literature
18 September 2015
Early Feminism in the 1600s Men have always been considered the superior gender, especially back in the days of Anne Bradstreet. Bradstreet, however, was determined to show that she was not going to be held back by the standards of women set by society. Canadian author Margaret Atwood perfectly put in to perspective how men and women are viewed in society when she said, “We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly.” Why is it that women are taught that they have to prove themselves worthy to live in a man’s world? I believe Anne Bradstreet, like many women today, wanted equality of the genders. Bradstreet, unknowingly, contributed to an important movement that is still around today, the feminist movement. Unlike many of the young women of her time, Anne Bradstreet had the privilege of receiving a superior education. Her father, Thomas Dudley, made it a priority to teach her how to read and write. As Anne grew up she continued her studies and married Simon Bradstreet at the age of sixteen. Shortly after she was married, her husband was assigned to help prepare the Massachusetts Bay Company. Anne, along with her husband and parents, set sail with …show more content…

It really puts in perspective how many women feel today. So many intelligent women, in a way, have to prove themselves in ways that men will never experience. Women have come along way since the 1600s in regard to things such as voting, education, and job equality. However, women still have ways to go in terms of overall equality. Bradstreet’s writings are unique in a way that she talked about how men viewed her, but she also wrote about how it would not affect her choice to write. Their offenses meant nothing to her because she took pride in what she did, she did not need her work justified by men for her to believe in herself and her

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