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Difficulty: MediumExtended Metaphors and Conceits

Read the following excerpt from Anne Bradstreet's seventeenth-century poem "The Author to Her Book" carefully before choosing your answer:

Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain,
Who after birth didst by my side remain,
Till snatched from thence by friends, less wise than true,
Who thee abroad, exposed to public view,
Made thee in rags to wander to and fro,
Where errors were not lessened (all may judge) by press.
At thy return my blushing was not small,
My rambling brat (in print) should mother call,
I cast thee by as one unfit for light,
Thy visage was so irksome in my sight;
Yet being mine own, at length affection would
Thy blemishes amend, if so I could:
I washed thy face, but more defects I saw,
And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw.

Which of the following best describes the function of the central conceit in this excerpt?

  1. A
    It establishes a literal description of domestic motherhood to emphasize the historical expectations placed on female poets.
  2. B
    It expresses the poet’s autobiographical regret over exposing her actual children to public scrutiny and criticism.
  3. It develops a comparison between an imperfect child and a published book to illustrate the speaker's conflicted feelings of maternal affection and intellectual embarrassment.Answer
  4. D
    It shifts between unrelated comparisons to demonstrate the speaker's inability to maintain a single focus throughout the poem.
  5. E
    It conveys a completely hostile rejection of the literary world and the speaker's absolute detachment from her work.

Answer

The correct option is the one stating that the conceit develops a comparison between an imperfect child and a published book to illustrate the speaker's conflicted feelings of maternal affection and intellectual embarrassment.
The correct answer correctly identifies that the central conceit compares the speaker's published book to an imperfect child ('offspring', 'rambling brat') to illustrate her conflicting emotions of embarrassment over its flaws ('blushing was not small', 'visage was so irksome') and maternal fondness for her own creation ('yet being mine own, at length affection would').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the vehicle and tenor of the conceit.
The speaker compares a published book (the tenor) to an 'ill-formed offspring' or 'rambling brat' (the vehicle).
This establishes the core metaphorical comparison that will be extended.
2
Track how the comparison is elaborated through domestic imagery.
Actions such as dressing the child in rags, washing its face, and trying to stretch its joints represent the process of editing, print correction, and public exposure.
This shows how the metaphor is sustained and developed as a conceit rather than a single, isolated image.
3
Analyze the speaker's attitude and tone toward the subject.
The speaker feels shame ('blushing', 'irksome') but also care and love ('affection would / Thy blemishes amend'), demonstrating a conflicted emotional response.
This reveals the underlying thematic purpose of the conceit, which goes beyond mere description to convey complex psychological states.

Key Concept

Analyzing Extended Metaphors and Conceits in Poetry
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Topics

Extended Metaphors and Conceits

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