Essay Questions

Who is the king mentioned in the poem "On the King’s Illness’’ and what is the possible illness the king may have suffered from?

The king mentioned in the poem is most likely King George III who served from 1960 to 1820 until he was replaced by one of his sons because of the health issues he suffered. It is suspect that King George suffered from porphyria, which may have affected him both physically and mentally. In fact, even in the poem it is mentioned that he was afflicted in spirit, thus hinting that his problems were not affecting only his physical health.

Why are some of the topics approached by Barbauld considered as being inappropriate for a female writer?

Anna Letitia was a woman who lived in the 18th century, a time during which women had fixed roles and were expected to follow what was expected of them. While women were sometimes allowed to be teachers and to write about nature and love, the society expected them to not get involved in political matters. Some of the poems Anna wrote focused on political matters and because of this she was criticized by the public for the topics she chose to write about.

What is the meaning of the line "With bloodless conquest from each land it bears’’ in the poem "To Mr. Bowring’’?

In the poem entitled "To Mr. Bowring’’, the author mentions bloodless conquests performed by the main character in the poem, namely Mr. Bowring. The bloodless conquests are in this context the conquest Mr. Bowring made at a literary level when he translated different documents from one language to another.