Female

Empowerment
through Writing
Abby K.
December 2021
American Literature 1, Project 4
Theme
All too often, especially when studying a topic so broad and impactful as American
Literature, we tend to focus on the ways the texts we study are important to history, rather
than how they were important to their authors. Literature can have just as important of an
impact for history as it does for the authors who write it, especially for marginalized groups. In
American Literature, female empowerment can be found through writing and the ways it was used
to vocalize women's stories and struggles that they otherwise would not have been able to share.
From the dawn of American Literature and onward, writing was a highly versatile mode of
expression for women of all social classes, races, and identities, allowing it to be a powerful
anti-patriarchal tool. However, women’s writings were not entirely exempt from male influence.
There are many examples of texts where male voices, especially those who were in positions of
authority over the writer, such as husbands or fathers, may have guided or controlled certain texts.
Within these texts that are shaped by a male voice, it is also important to examine where the
author herself may have broke free of those constraints. Another important aspect that is
important to examine is the impact of the texts within the authors lifetime, and their continuing
impacts posthumously, as well as the pros and cons to women publishing their work, or choosing
not to publish in their lifetime at all.
 Timeline of Works
1854 1863
1650
1773-1784 The Slave Hospital
Mother Sketches
The Author to
her Book The Writings
By: Frances By: Louisa
of Phillis
Ellen Watkins May Alcott
By: Anne Wheatley
Harper
Bradstreet

A Narrative of The Writings

Speech to Life in the
the Captivity of Emily
the Women’s Iron Mills
and Dickinson
Rights
Restoration
Convention in By: Rebecca
of Mrs. Mary
Rowlandson,
Akron Ohio Harding Davis
1840-1886
By: Sojourner
By: Mary
Rowlandson
Truth 1861
1682 1851
 The Author to Her Book, By: Anne
Bradstreet
The Author
The Slave Hospital
to her Mother Sketches
Book
The Writings
By: Frances By: Louisa
of Phillis
By: Anne Ellen Watkins May Alcott
Wheatley
Harper
Bradstreet

A Narrative of The Writings

Speech to Life in the
the Captivity of Emily
the Women’s Iron Mills
and Dickinson
Rights
Restoration
Convention in By: Rebecca
of Mrs. Mary
Akron Ohio Harding Davis
Rowlandson,
By: Sojourner
By: Mary
Truth
Rowlandson
The Author to Her Book, By: Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet was a Puritan woman who immigrated to the Massachusetts area from
England in 1630, and was the very first published American poet. As a woman in a new, unfamiliar
area, being part of a society that did not always look kindly on female expression, with 8 children
to look after, and numerous grandchildren, along with lifelong health issues, Bradstreet was subject
to many troubles in her life, which she expressed through the outlet of poetry. In her first book The
Tenth Muse, Lately Sprung Up in America (published initially without her knowledge by her
brother-in-law Simon), Bradstreet’s poem, “The Author to Her Book”, she writes of her many fears and
anxieties that she has surrounding her writing. In the poem, Bradstreet describes her writing as an,
“"ill-form'd offspring" of her "feeble brain."(Norton A, 236). This shows Bradstreet’s disappointment with
some of her work, as well as the fact that despite this, she feels such a connection to her work that she
views it as though it were her own child. Bradstreet’s ability to express these doubts and struggles in
her writing, which she might not have been able to express outwardly in her strict Puritan society,
specifically as a woman, for fear of being viewed as self-centered instead of focused on God, is
essential to her personal empowerment. Having an outlet for her struggles and frustrations helped
Bradstreet to not only become the first published American poet, but it also helped her to increase her
influence in her community which was incredibly rare for women of the time. However, as stated above,
Bradstreet’s poetry was initially published without her knowledge by her brother-in-law, Simon, on one
of his visits to England. Due to this, Bradstreet would not have had final say to any publishing or even
content decisions in her first book, but instead male voices would have dictated this. (continued on
next page)
The Author to Her Book, By: Anne Bradstreet-
Continued
(continued from previous page) However without this invasion of male input, Bradstreet likely never
would have published her work for numerous reasons such as fear of rejection and her puritan religious
integrity. Due the popularity of her first book however, it encouraged her to continue publishing her
work for the rest of her lifetime.
 The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of
Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, By: Mary Rowlandson

The Slave Hospital

The Author to Mother
her Book Sketches
The Writings
By: Frances By: Louisa
By: Anne of Phillis
Ellen Watkins May Alcott
Bradstreet Wheatley
Harper

A Narrative of Speech to Life in the

The Writings
the Captivity of Emily
the Women’s Iron Mills
Dickinson
and Rights
Restoration Convention in By: Rebecca
Akron Ohio Harding Davis
of Mrs. Mary
Rowlandson, By: Sojourner
Truth
By: Mary
Rowlandson
The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of
Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, By: Mary Rowlandson
Mary Rowlandson was a Puritan woman in Massachusetts who was a victim of a raid during
King Philip’s War, and then was held as a captive by indegenous tribes for over 11 weeks. During
the ordeal, Rowlandson experienced a number of horrors including watching much of her family
perish during the initial attack, watching her young daughter, who was also being held captive, die
one week in from her injuries, and being seperated from her other two children the majority of
their captivity. Eventually Rowlandson and her children’s ransoms were paid by her husband, and
they returned home. A few years after her return, Rowlandson began to write a narrative
depicting her time as a captive, and six years after she was first kidnapped, it was published. The
experience of writing the narrative likely would have been cathartic for moving on from the
horrors and helpful for organizing the events in her mind. Being able to take control of her own
narrative and tell her amazing story of survival to the world would also have been incredibly
empowering for her as a puritan woman at that time who would have been restricted in her self
expression. However it is speculated that while Rowlandson wrote her narrative, the story was
heavily guided by male figures around her, such as her husband, to focus heavily on being a story
of religious devotion. While Rowlandson likely did believe that her faith in God saved her, the
narrative may not have been as quick to dismiss any of Rowlandson’s own strength, if it were not
as influenced by men. Rowlandson’s narrative is also the blueprint for modern captivity
narratives, and a bestseller of its time.
The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration
of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, By: Mary
Rowlandson- Continued
 The Writings of Phillis Wheatley

The Slave Hospital

The Author to Mother
her Book The Sketches
Writings of By: Frances By: Louisa
By: Anne
Bradstreet
Phillis Ellen Watkins May Alcott
Wheatley Harper

A Narrative of The Writings

Speech to Life in the
the Captivity of Emily
the Women’s Iron Mills
and Dickinson
Rights
Restoration
Convention in By: Rebecca
of Mrs. Mary
Akron Ohio Harding Davis
Rowlandson,
By: Sojourner
By: Mary
Truth
Rowlandson
The Writings of Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley was an enslaved woman, originally born in Africa, but then captured and
sold into enslavement in Boston in 1761. Due to her remarkable intelligence as a child, Wheatley
was educated in reading and writing, something rarely any woman in this era, let alone a black
woman, was offered. Wheatley quickly became engrossed in writing her own poetry, and by the
age of 20, she became the first published African American poet with her book Poems on Various
Subjects, Religious and Moral. Wheatley’s poetry garnered her international fame in her life time,
and helped to create a platform for enslaved female voices. Much of her poetry also had
underlying messages; she wrote supporting causes like the American Revolution, hoping that her
cry for American freedom would be extended to to abolition as well. Or else she wrote of Christian
values and God’s love, stating that slavery cannot coexist with those morals. Her groundbreaking
poetry was an empowering tool that allowed her to spread her message of abolition far and wide,
that she might otherwise not have been allowed to express on her own. However, in order to be
published, she likely had to write poetry that fit into the white, male publishers set of
expectations and values. This would have restricted and set boundaries upon the type of work
Wheatley would create and share with the world. However her masterful ability to tie more
controversial ideas in with popular ones allowed her to skirt these restrictions in the white,
patriarchal society in which she published her work.
The Writings of Phillis Wheatley- Continued
 Speech to the Women’s Convention in
Akron Ohio, By: Sojourner Truth
The Slave Hospital
The Author to Mother
her Book Sketches
The Writings
By: Frances By: Louisa
By: Anne of Phillis
Ellen Watkins May Alcott
Bradstreet Wheatley
Harper

A Narrative of Speech to the Life in the

The Writings
the Captivity Women’s of Emily
Iron Mills
and Dickinson
Restoration
Rights
Convention in By: Rebecca
of Mrs. Mary
Harding Davis
Rowlandson, Akron Ohio
By: Mary
By: Sojourner
Rowlandson
Truth
Speech to the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron
Ohio, By: Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth was an abolitionist and women’s rights activist who was born as an
enslaved woman, and later emancipated. A fierce supporter of the abolitionist and suffrage
movement as well as being a strong public speaker gives Truth a unique spot in the history of
American Literature. While many women of the time expressed their grievances with society and
new ideas through published writing, Truth had the opportunity to express her radical ideas in
speeches at conventions and lectures with many other abolitionists and women’s rights activists
of the time. In Truth’s famous Speech to the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron Ohio, Truth
makes a compelling argument for women’s suffrage that ties into her experiences in enslavement
and devout christianity. Her rousing speech is described as having such an effect on her audience
that it is, “impossible to transfer it to paper”(Norton B, 787). Truth’s ability to create a powerful
speech that empowers not only herself, but the many women in the room all fighting for the same
cause leaves a massive impact on the history of the women’s rights movement. Individual
powerful figures, such as Truth, were essential to the success of the movement, because they
garnered support, showcased female intellect, and empowered those within the movement to
continue the fight.
Speech to the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron
Ohio, By: Sojourner Truth- Continued
 The Slave Mother, By: Frances Ellen
Watkins Harper
The Slave
The Author to Mother Hospital
her Book Sketches
The Writings By: Frances
By: Anne of Phillis By: Louisa
Bradstreet Wheatley
Ellen Watkins May Alcott
Harper

A Narrative of The Writings

Speech to Life in the
the Captivity of Emily
the Women’s Iron Mills
and Dickinson
Rights
Restoration
Convention in By: Rebecca
of Mrs. Mary
Akron Ohio Harding Davis
Rowlandson,
By: Sojourner
By: Mary
Truth
Rowlandson
The Slave Mother, By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was a free African American woman, who with her numerous
volumes of poetry, essays, novels, and more, became the best selling African American poet of
the 1800s. As a child she was raised by her uncle who was a minister who preached education and
abolition along with the word of God. As a young adult, she taught school, but quickly began
writing and publishing her own work. A staunch abolitionist, and supporter of black
empowerment, Harper’s work clearly expressed her values. In one of her most famous poems, The
Slave Mother, a heart wrenching argument for abolition is made. It tells the story of an enslaved
mother, whose son is being taken from her and sold. It describes in vivid detail the mothers “bitter
shrieks” and “mournful face”, as her enslavers, “tear him from her circling arms”(Norton B, 1632).
Harper’s ability to appeal to any readers emotions, especially those of sympathetic mothers,
helps her to showcase the extreme cruelties of slavery in an unforgiving light. Her explicit
condemnation of slavery, especially with her ability to express that it is wrong without using
supporting arguments such as Christianity, shows a lack of restricting white and male voices
surrounding her work. Harper’s work within her lifetime, as the most popular African American
poet of her time, gave her a platform to champion for the rights of black people in America, and
empowered her writing further.
The Slave Mother, By: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
 Life in the Iron Mills, By: Rebecca Harding
Davis
The Slave Hospital
The Author to Mother
her Book Sketches
The Writings
By: Frances By: Louisa
By: Anne of Phillis
Ellen Watkins May Alcott
Bradstreet Wheatley
Harper

A Narrative of The Writings

the Captivity
Speech to Life in the of Emily
the Women’s Iron Mills
and Dickinson
Rights
Restoration
Convention in
of Mrs. Mary By:
Akron Ohio
Rowlandson,
Rebecca
By: Sojourner Harding
By: Mary
Truth
Rowlandson Davis
Life in the Iron Mills, By: Rebecca Harding Davis

Rebecca Harding Davis was an American writer part of the emerging national narrative. Davis
was a decorated graduate and anonymous newspaper columnist in 1860, when she published her
most famous story Life in the Iron Mills. Harding’s realist novella showcases the true, unglamorized
existence and day to day life of poor workers in America. It follows the story of Welsh immigrants
and their struggles, while providing a realistic, unembellished view of the world around them.
Rivers don’t sparkle, but instead are “dull” and “sluggish”; Skies don’t gleam, but instead are
“muddy” and “flat”(Norton B, 1698); and above all, the shining American dream of working hard
and succeeding, is not as simple as it seems. Davis’s female perspective also allows her to write
the story from multiple and varying viewpoints and genders, that many male writers of the time
might shy away from. Succeeding in writing a formative work in the labour reform movement,
especially as a woman, was a massive achievement for Davis, and launched women into the
movement. The success of her short story also empowered Davis to continue publishing her work
under her own name, instead of anonymously. Looking back on the work also allows readers to
gain a realistic view on life at the time that often is not present in the work of the idealistic poets
and writers of the same era.
Life in the Iron Mills, By: Rebecca Harding Davis
 Hospital Sketches, By: Louisa May Alcott

The Slave Hospital

The Author to Mother
her Book Sketches
The Writings By: Frances
By: Anne of Phillis Ellen Watkins By: Louisa
Bradstreet Wheatley Harper May Alcott

A Narrative of The Writings

Speech to Life in the
the Captivity of Emily
the Women’s Iron Mills
and Dickinson
Rights
Restoration
Convention in By: Rebecca
of Mrs. Mary
Akron Ohio Harding Davis
Rowlandson,
By: Sojourner
By: Mary
Truth
Rowlandson
Hospital Sketches, By: Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott was an incredibly popular and long enduring writer who championed for
women’s rights, especially within the realm of writing and publishing. Educated as a child by some
of the most seasoned writers of the time, such as Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Alcott grew up showing great promise as a writer. Alcott is most famously known for her novel
Little Women, which touches on issues of women’s rights, and female author’s rights to their own
work, which mirrors her real life publishing struggles. However, Alcott’s lesser known work, Hospital
Sketches paints a picture of a of real-life empowered woman of the time. The story follows a
young woman and her struggles in becoming a civil war nurse in her quest to do something for
the world. Her struggles in becoming a nurse, as well as the loss of some initial patients, all mirror
Alcotts own real-life struggles at the time, as she too was a civil war nurse. Writing Hospital
Sketches was a way to shed light on real, working, women of the time, as well as providing a
cathartic output for Alcotts personal struggles in nursing.
Hospital Sketches, By: Louisa May Alcott
 The Works of Emily Dickinson

The Slave Hospital

The Author to Mother
her Book Sketches
The Writings By: Frances
By: Anne of Phillis By: Louisa
Ellen Watkins May Alcott
Bradstreet Wheatley Harper

A Narrative of
Speech to Life in the The Writings
the Captivity of Emily
the Women’s Iron Mills
and
Restoration
Rights Dickinson
Convention in By: Rebecca
of Mrs. Mary
Akron Ohio Harding Davis
Rowlandson,
By: Sojourner
By: Mary
Truth
Rowlandson
The Works of Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson was a poet who wrote over 1,800 poems in her lifetime, and impacted poetry
for over a century after her death. A highly educated woman, Dickinson found an early interest in
poetry, and used it as a means of communicating her greatest fears, emotions, and ideas over the
course of her life. Poetry as an outlet empowered Dickinson in expressing the many complex
ideas she had concerning life. Her poetry showcases prominent themes such as death, nature,
and religion, as well as more taboo themes such as sex and sexuality. However, unlike many other
prominent female writers of her time, Dickinson chose to only ever publish a very small fraction of
her work during her lifetime, and kept most of her writing for herself or close acquaintances. This
is likely because of the delicate subject matter of her work caused Dickinson to fear public
reception of her poetry in such a male and traditional values dominated society. Due to this, the
majority of Dickinson’s work was published posthumously, and then did not begin to have a huge
impact on society until the 20th century. However, Dickinson’s pioneering of slant rhyme and
loose verse shaped poetry for years afterward, and her impressive collection of poetry is still
being dissected for its many themes and double meanings.
The Works of Emily Dickinson
Treatment of Theme over Time
Ideas of female empowerment through writing have always, and up until this day been
controversial in many regards, but tolerance and progress rapidly have improved within the last
century. However from the beginnings of American Literature to the mid 19th century, views on
female empowerment through writing were much less accepting. In the Puritan society of Anne
Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson, women were expected to conform their writing to a God
honoring and patriarchal standard that suppressed most ideas of female empowerment. However
writing itself still offered a platform for women to express their idea within these bounds. Two
century later writers like Sojourner Truth and Rebecca Harding Davis, push and break these
bounds, calling for change and rights for women along with presenting viewpoints unguided by
men. However at this time, some topics such as sex and sexuality were still taboo, and forced
writers of these topics, such as Emily Dickinson, to keep their work private.
Theme’s Relation to Semester Topics
Over the course of the semester, we have looked into themes of female empowerment
through writing under subtopics within the theme such as empowerment of enslaved women,
suppression of women in the puritan society, and women of the reform era and the ways they
were included or not. The theme of female empowerment through writing is also present in larger
topics that span the texts covered this semester such as power, expression of marginalized
groups, and societal change.
Bibliography
Alcott, Louisa May. “Hospital Sketches.” Freeclassicebooks.com Site,
https://www.topsitessearch.com/freeclassicebooks.com/.

Levine, Robert S, editor. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ninth Edition ed., A,
W. W. Norton & Company, 2017.

Levine, Robert S, editor. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ninth Edition ed., B,
W. W. Norton & Company, 2017.