"The Mouse's Petition" is a poem by Anna Laetitia Barbauld. The poem is written from the perspective of a mouse that is trapped and being held for a Doctors  experiments on the effects of gases. The mouse begs for mercy. Most interpretations of this claim the mouse is representative of the women and the  lower class during the romantic period. 

Anna Letitia Barbauld used her work to subtly challenge societal norms and advocate for empathy. On the surface level the poem is pleading for humane treatment of all creatures, but after further analysis she is actually questioning the status quo and offering a deeper critique of the treatment of the common people by the arguable oppressors. 

She is a great example of how from an early point women contributed to liturature by addressing issues through unique perspective. Barbaulds ability to weave social critique into her poetry demonstrates the power of women's voices in literature. 

“The Mouse’s Petition.” Keri Cronin, 10 Nov. 2015, kericronin.com/2015/11/10/the-mouses-petition/. Accessed 8 May 2025.

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