Anna Letitia Barbauld Washing Day
The Muses are turned gossips; they have lost
The buskined step, and clear high-sounding phrase,
Language of gods, Come, then, domestic Muse,
In slip-shod measure loosely prattling on,
Of farm or orchard, pleasant curds and cream,
Or droning flies, or shoes lost in the mire
By little whimpering boy, with rueful face-
Come, Muse, and sing the dreaded washing day (Pg. 70 Lines 1-8)
Anna Letitia Barbauld’s poem “Washing Day” is categorized as mock epic. A mock epic is defined as: epic tone and form but for ‘ordinary’ subjects. Another example of a mock epic is Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock (1712). This literary work stands out to me because while it is a mock epic, the first time I read it, I did not come to that conclusion. …show more content…
This makes me believe that women in town are all gathering together for a communal washing day. This could be during the time where women were labeled as housekeepers while men were known for bringing game home for their family. The fact that the author makes it known that those participating in washing day are not too excited about said activity leads me to the assumption that this could have been written during the time when feminism was just beginning to boom; whenever famous females like Alice Paul, Carrie Chattman Cat, and Emily Leighton were taking a stand. This all ties into the feminist movement because in the first line whenever we learned the muses were being loud, which in turn means they were trying to make a statement. In the third line, Barabauld uses the word “domestic” which then leads one to the thought of home. After this line, the poem shifts gears, description wise, and then leads to the conclusion that it is in fact washing …show more content…
I believe that it may be something for people to refer to when talking about something they do not like or are embarrassed of, but I definitely think that washing day in this town and time period is something that is dreaded to the point where women may start to leave the traditions of the time period and become their own. For this fact only, I have to say that washing day is something physical. A communal washing day makes me think of the modern time laundromat. Most people associate the laundromat with filth and poorness. While this is not true and is a vague accusation, I much feel as if the wealthier people in town whose husbands did not require them to participate in washing day because there was a maid or housekeeper for that, laughed at the middle class women. This all ties back into the feminist movement because in the first line whenever we learned the muses were being loud, which in turn means they were trying to make a
The buskined step, and clear high-sounding phrase,
Language of gods, Come, then, domestic Muse,
In slip-shod measure loosely prattling on,
Of farm or orchard, pleasant curds and cream,
Or droning flies, or shoes lost in the mire
By little whimpering boy, with rueful face-
Come, Muse, and sing the dreaded washing day (Pg. 70 Lines 1-8)
Anna Letitia Barbauld’s poem “Washing Day” is categorized as mock epic. A mock epic is defined as: epic tone and form but for ‘ordinary’ subjects. Another example of a mock epic is Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock (1712). This literary work stands out to me because while it is a mock epic, the first time I read it, I did not come to that conclusion. …show more content…
This makes me believe that women in town are all gathering together for a communal washing day. This could be during the time where women were labeled as housekeepers while men were known for bringing game home for their family. The fact that the author makes it known that those participating in washing day are not too excited about said activity leads me to the assumption that this could have been written during the time when feminism was just beginning to boom; whenever famous females like Alice Paul, Carrie Chattman Cat, and Emily Leighton were taking a stand. This all ties into the feminist movement because in the first line whenever we learned the muses were being loud, which in turn means they were trying to make a statement. In the third line, Barabauld uses the word “domestic” which then leads one to the thought of home. After this line, the poem shifts gears, description wise, and then leads to the conclusion that it is in fact washing …show more content…
I believe that it may be something for people to refer to when talking about something they do not like or are embarrassed of, but I definitely think that washing day in this town and time period is something that is dreaded to the point where women may start to leave the traditions of the time period and become their own. For this fact only, I have to say that washing day is something physical. A communal washing day makes me think of the modern time laundromat. Most people associate the laundromat with filth and poorness. While this is not true and is a vague accusation, I much feel as if the wealthier people in town whose husbands did not require them to participate in washing day because there was a maid or housekeeper for that, laughed at the middle class women. This all ties back into the feminist movement because in the first line whenever we learned the muses were being loud, which in turn means they were trying to make a