I am obnoxious to each carping tongue:

Anne Bradstreet seems to have been an incredibly brave and suprisingly independent woman, considering she was a Puritan in the 1600s. I enjoyed her poetry greatly, especially the fifth stanza in her Prologue

I am obnoxious to each carping tongue

Who says my hand a needle better fits,

A poet's pen all scorn I should thus wrong

If what I do prove well, it won't advance

They say it's stol'n, or else it was by chance

I was impressed at Bradstreet's ability to acknowledge those who doubt her, showing her understanding of a somewhat unique situation. It must have been very hard to be accepted not only as a poet, but as a woman, in a such a repressive society.

I also loved the poem to her husband. I think it's a common misconception, by me included, that there was no romance amongst the Puritans. However "To My Dear and Loving Husband" is so sweet and romantic, it makes me imagine a couple who is passionate and deeply in love, instead of the stereotypical image the word "Puritan" brings to mind. It's obvious how devoted to her husband Anne Bradstreet was.

Poetry can be such a personal thing, and is often very hard to share. The fact that Anne Bradstreet not only shared her talent, but was accepted for it in the 1600s is reassuring. After all, women's rights have come so far since then...it's nice to see that it must have started somewhere!