Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain,

Question

Who after birth did'st by my side remain,
Till snatcht from thence by friends, less wise than true,
Who thee abroad exposed to public view,
5Made thee in rags, halting to th' press to trudge,
Where errors were not lessened (all may judge).
At thy return my blushing was not small,
My rambling brat (in print) should mother call.
I cast thee by as one unfit for light,
10The visage was so irksome in my sight,
Yet being mine own, at length affection would
Thy blemishes amend, if so I could.
I washed thy face, but more defects I saw,
And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw.
15I stretched thy joints to make thee even feet,
Yet still thou run'st more hobbling than is meet.
In better dress to trim thee was my mind,
But nought save home-spun cloth, i' th' house I find.
In this array, 'mongst vulgars may'st thou roam.
20 In critic's hands, beware thou dost not come,
And take thy way where yet thou art not known.
If for thy father askt, say, thou hadst none;
And for thy mother, she alas is poor,
Which caused her thus to send thee out of door..

Which statement best summarizes what is expressed in the poem?

A.
The poet explains how she tried various methods of improving her poetry while producing a manuscript that has now been published.

B.
The poet reflects on the publication of her poetry book, which she believes is not good enough and may receive harsh judgment from others.

C.
The poet describes her extreme unhappiness about friends who took her book overseas and had it published without her approval.

D.
The poet feels a motherly concern for her book, knowing that readers and critics will find plenty of things to criticize in her writing.

Answer 1

B. The poet reflects on the publication of her poetry book, which she believes is not good enough and may receive harsh judgment from others.

This statement best captures the essence of the poem, as it conveys the poet's worries and self-doubt about the quality of her work and the potential negative judgment it might receive from critics and the public.