Martha Hanson's "How proudly Man usurps the power to reign", blogpost by Jacinda Evans

In Martha Hanson’s sonnet “How proudly Man usurps the power to reign”, she dwells on the topic of the dominance of men in the society. The sonnet has a rhyme scheme of ABBA CDDC AEEA FF. Although the rhyme scheme is extremely tricky, it is characterized as an Italian sonnet because of the end couplet. The rhyme scheme contributes to the poem a rhythm that helps the poem flow. The scheme is slightly hard to read because many words sound alike but don’t have the same endings, which makes it harder to see which words are actually meant to rhyme. But as the reader, if one reads the poem ALOUD it helps, and kind of determines what words are meant to rhyme. Hanson also includes capitalizations of certain words that she deems need to be focusing on for example the words Woman, Man, Female, Heaven. These words stand out in the reading and need to be emphasized based on their meaning in this poem. The word Woman is strong in this poem; it is used to stand for something positive although it seems to be looked down upon. Man on the other hand is a negative word in the poem.

In this sonnet, Hanson begins talking about how men tend to take advantage of a little power and how it was recognized all throughout the world. She lists these areas such as the “cold regions of the Northern Zone” and the area where the “South extend to its boundless main”. She then picks up with the fact that within all this vast area there is not a kingdom that endorses women to be boasted and treated as less than what they are, after they have claimed their freedom, and developed fearless souls. The following seven lines seem like a declarative statement.
Which Heaven impartial, gave all human kind,
Which soul too proud, to bear the servile chain,
Or to usurping Man, submissive bow,
Though poorest of the names, record can show,
Ages unborn, with wonder, shall proclaim
The pride of one unyielding Female thine,
Dear native England! And the name be mine.
In these seven lines Hanson acknowledges the fact that although God made male and female equal in His eyes, and to be the bearer of the same chain as a slave, or to even bow down submissively to a man, regardless of social status or age is not in her character. The last two lines is her saying that she is the woman that refuses to yield to the commands of a man.