Bradstreet's Obstetrics: Poem Analysis
Long before we had Obstetrics and Gynecology, many women of those times died in child birth. Most of the deaths from child birth could have been related to convulsion, dehydration, infection, etc… Being that most women of that time spent most of their adult lives pregnant and having multiple births, this increased the likelihood of their demise.
Bradstreet’s poem was soft and personal. It would seem that she was contemplating the likelihood of her dying while giving birth. The poem was addressed to her husband, which makes since as if she were to die, she would want him to know her final words and not to mention he would be raising the child alone. Being that Bradstreet gave birth to eight children, it is very likely that she feared her own death during each and every one of her deliveries. …show more content…
She stated that all joys are matched by sorrow and that death soon snatches away life. She referred to the “sentence” as being irrevocable. Being that I am a fan of Bradstreet’s works, I have read the passages referring to three of her children whom died, at a very early age. I say this to say that I think when Bradford was referring to the “sentence as being irrevocable”, she was hinting at the fall of man and the punishment fell upon all women due to Eve’s disobedience. Genesis 3:16 (in the NIV translation) states "To the woman [God] said, 'I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.'" It is my belief that while Bradstreet understood, believed, and accepted that pain and risk of death was a fate given by God, she still was not excited about the idea of dying and leaving behind her husband and
Bradstreet’s poem was soft and personal. It would seem that she was contemplating the likelihood of her dying while giving birth. The poem was addressed to her husband, which makes since as if she were to die, she would want him to know her final words and not to mention he would be raising the child alone. Being that Bradstreet gave birth to eight children, it is very likely that she feared her own death during each and every one of her deliveries. …show more content…
She stated that all joys are matched by sorrow and that death soon snatches away life. She referred to the “sentence” as being irrevocable. Being that I am a fan of Bradstreet’s works, I have read the passages referring to three of her children whom died, at a very early age. I say this to say that I think when Bradford was referring to the “sentence as being irrevocable”, she was hinting at the fall of man and the punishment fell upon all women due to Eve’s disobedience. Genesis 3:16 (in the NIV translation) states "To the woman [God] said, 'I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.'" It is my belief that while Bradstreet understood, believed, and accepted that pain and risk of death was a fate given by God, she still was not excited about the idea of dying and leaving behind her husband and