“The Author of Her Book” by Anne Bradstreet reflects on an author's feelings about her book after it was published and criticized as a unfinished product. The poem uses the metaphor of control of an author and her book with the relationship between a loving mother and her child to express the author's complex attitude that changes throughout the work. Diction, apostrophe, and first-person perspective are incorporated along with the controlling metaphor to convey the speaker's true emotions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The dominant metaphor in the part of the poem that exposes the flaws of the author's book reflects the author's conflicted tone, introducing the basis of his feelings toward his work. The author addresses her book as her “ill-formed child” (1), which presents its imperfections and suggests the author's role as a maternal figure in her book. Referring to her book as her “rambling brat” (8), the author shares one of its major flaws—irrelevant verbosity—and the diction suggests that the author had no control over the book's premature publication. Through multiple instances of apostrophe, which is evident in examples such as "Made te in rags" (5) and "at them return" (7), the author specifically addresses her book instead of simply talking about it, giving her words familiarity and direction. Despite the author's tone of disappointment and embarrassment towards her book, the motherly figure she has towards her indicates affection and responsibility which are embedded in the middle part of the poem. The author's attempts to revise her book are introduced through the recurring metaphor of the poem, reinforcing the significance of the metaphor in conveying the author's feelings to her book. The author continues to take her maternal stance when she compares the process of editing her book to cleaning a child, saying “I washed your face” (13). To ensure that the book is in presentable condition when published, the author attempts to improve the use of her book's vocabulary; however, “nothing but home-spun cloth” (18) is all she can find. The metaphor between improving vocabulary and dressing in quality clothes reflects the author's goal to provide the best opportunity for his book despite the complications that arise. The apostrophe once again reflects the author's sincere intention in communicating sincerely with her book, reminding him that he has “stretched your joints” (15) and intended to “[cut] you” (17). Unlike the expository portion of the poem, the author's tone along with the controlling metaphor inform the book of the author's dedication to it from the first-person perspective of a mother cleaning and dressing her child for an important event. The comparison between the author's book A Lonely Child's Entry into the World parallels the author's final words regarding her book, suggesting that she wants the best despite its flaws. The wording of “In this array” (19), in reference to the current state of the book after the author's attempts at revision, phonetically and ironically suggests a finished product in disarray despite the efforts made to improve the quality of the book. Preparing to release her book into the world as if she were a child leaving home, the author's tone now shifts to one of concern and advice, warning him to "be careful lest he end up" (20) in the hands of critics. The author's advice to her book about what she should do if "your father asked" (22) and "for your mother" (23) indirectly makes.