Figurative Language In Anne Bradstreet's 'The Prologue'

As a woman born in the early 17th century, Anne Bradstreet was naturally destined to a life lived underneath the shadow of the men around her, as were most women of that era; however, Bradstreet had been born into a family that supported her education and learning. While at first glance Bradstreet’s work seems to portray a woman who is highly self-deprecating, her writing style and knowledge of literature and culture beg to differ. In the poem, “The Prologue,” Bradstreet uses literary devices and figurative language to combat the sea of masculine voices surrounding the women of that day. Throughout “The Prologue,” Bradstreet shows a mastery of figurative language and literary devices that contrasts her claims of inferiority, creating a poem that dares to ask for some small recognition of women writers as a whole.

The most noticeable use of literary device throughout the poem is her consistent allusion to Greek mythology. Bradstreet herself had a great appreciation of the arts. According to the Anthology of American Literature, her father’s station in life allowed her to be schooled in the Elizabethan

More specifically, she uses synecdoche in saying, “I am obnoxious to each carping tongue / Who says my hand a needle better fits” (21-2). She utilizes synecdoche in choosing to draw attention to the “carping tongue” of those who would criticize her and keep her working only in the home. She also uses synecdoche to show the envy the speaker has of the great poet Bartas when she says, “But when my wond’ring eyes and envious heart / Great Bartas’ sugared lines do but read o’er, / Fool I do grudge the Muses did not part / ’Twixt him and me that overfluent store” (7-10). The words of Bartas speak to her very heart. Poetry had an intense effect on the speaker, causing her to long for even a small portion of the talent given to