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..

Why does the poet use words such as ill-formed, unfit, blemishes, defects, and flaws in the poem?

A.
to reveal her unrealistic expectations of others

B.
to convey her self-criticism of her writing

C.
to reflect her dissatisfaction with her appearance

D.
to express her dislike of things that are ugly

Answer 1

The correct answer is B. to convey her self-criticism of her writing.

The poet uses words such as "ill-formed," "unfit," "blemishes," "defects," and "flaws" to express her critical view of her own work, highlighting her feelings of inadequacy and imperfections in her writing. The entire poem serves as a metaphor for her creation, portraying it as something she has birthed but feels embarrassed and dissatisfied with.