Anne Bradstreet's prologue as a lyric.
Before evaluating the prologue as a lyrical poem, we have to know what lyric is.
Lyric poem is that kind of poem, which usually short and personal expressing the poet's personal feelings and emotions rather than telling a story.This definition of lyric absoulately match with the characteristics of the prologue.
In the prologue, Bradstreet expresses her personal feelings and emotions against the attitude of male society. Women were treated as the servant in the early puritan society. They were confined to the home. It is not possible for them to go outside of the fixed territory without any emergency. So, they were kept in darkness. Looking after the master and children, were their chief tasks. They were disconnected from the social revolution. Women cannot do whatever she likes. There is no value of her likes and dislikes. They often forced to do the things against their will.
Women had not any right to practice art and literature. If someone does so, she will be disconnected from the society.The male society made them week at their birth. They had been brought to the state that, they are soft and they should behave softer and talk in lower voice. The male society cannot bear their advancement. If someone does something valuable, they say," she must copy or happen it by chance". The male society is reluctant to acknowledge their creations. So, this kind of harsh attitude of male society cannot be acceptable and Bradstreet bitterly criticizes it. She criticizes bitterly, but in a soft tone by using some understatements and exaggerations.
So, the prologue contains the personal feelings and emotions of the poet, for that we can consider the Prologue as lyric.
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