It is hard to sympathize with a person when you have no idea where he or she is coming from or what they are going through. Similar experiences allow us to extend our sincere appreciation and understanding for another human being's situations and trials of life. Anne Bradstreet's "The Author to Her Book" expresses the emotions that Bradstreet felt when her most intimate thoughts were published to the world without her consent. In this poem, Anne Bradstreet uses the conceit of the relationship between mother and child, a common situation that many people can sympathize with and understand.
             The average person would not see the cause for distress that Bradstreet feels in this situation. She had written a collection of poetry of personal reflection and did not intend to share these poems with anyone else. Many people would wonder why she would be disturbed about these works being printed when they had brought many people pleasurable reading and had brought Bradstreet herself much personal fame. Therefore, Bradstreet cannot just write a straightforward poem to tell how she feels about her stolen thoughts. Unless the reader happens to be a writer, he or she would not be able to sympathize with Bradstreet in this matter. Instead, Bradstreet had to use a situation in which her readers could comprehend the many emotions she experienced. No doubt, many women read her poetry, and the majority of women during that time were, or would one day be mothers. This similarity opened a door for understanding. By comparing her writing to a child, Bradstreet is able to win the compassion of her readers and help them understand the feelings that she experiences.
             Bradstreet sees herself as the "mother" (line 23) of this work, which she calls an "ill-formed offspring" (line 1). She gives the work many human characteristics to enhance the effect of the conceit. Bradstreet gives the poem a "face", "...