After reading "The Author for Her Book," it is helpful to know the author's background. Anne Bradstreet wrote this poem after receiving it recently published. The problem was that she didn't want her book published. In his eyes, it was unfinished and full of errors. In the poem, she treats the book like a child and uses a satirical tone. The theme of the poem is very important. Some readers, mostly logical, would think that the author is simply talking about a child. The truth is that his recently completed book shows a mix of emotions over what just happened. The poem begins by talking about a child. A “malformed” child (1) is mentioned, indicating that his book was not fully developed, it was a child “of my weak brain”. (1) meaning she obviously wrote the book herself and thinks her brain was weak. Next, Bradstreet states, "Who stayed by my side after the birth," (2) meaning she kept the book after it was finished. Her choice of words here shows that she was not very happy with the outcome of her book. She wanted to hide it from editors so she could correct it over time. “Until it was snatched away by friends.” (3) This statement shows a bit of anger in tone. Bradstreet uses the word “ripped off” (3) to show his slight anger. She knew her friends had taken her book, but she knew it wasn't a good idea. They wanted to do something nice for her, but she wasn't ready for this stage of the book. She expresses this by saying that they were “less wise than true.” (3) “Exposed to public view” (4) indicates that they had the book published for her. “Where errors have not diminished, everyone can judge.” ...... middle of paper ...... how Bradstreet imagined his book. She considered it “unfit for the light”. (9) She did not want it published at that time. The poem, finally, shows Bradstreet's need for perfection. The fact that the publication of her book embarrassed her so much proves it. As you research some facts about her, you learn that she was indeed a perfectionist. That's why she wrote this poem. Another reason might be to be lenient in judging one's book. If those who noticed all the errors, like the reviewers, knew that the book was published against his wishes, they would be more lenient toward their reviewers. Works Cited Kennedy, XJ, and Dana Gioia, eds. An introduction to poetry. 13th ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 21. Print. Bradstreet, Anne. “The author of his book.” An introduction to poetry. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 13th ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 21. Print.