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,
The visage was so irksome in my sight;

Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this poem.

How does Bradstreet’s use of figurative language in these lines affect their meaning?


By comparing the speaker’s book to a sickly child, Bradstreet builds sympathy for the book and antipathy toward the speaker.


By comparing the speaker’s effort to hide the book to a parent’s attempt to lock a child in his room, Bradstreet implies that writers are cruel.


By comparing the cover of the speaker’s book to the face of a bratty child, Bradstreet indicates how foolish it is to judge a book by its cover.


By comparing the speaker’s book to an unruly child that embarrasses his parent, Bradstreet conveys the idea that writing can be a thankless and unpleasant task.