Anne Bradstreet Letter To Her Husband
Anne Bradstreet and her family immigrated to American for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. She was a Puritan and the first American poet. Anne Bradstreet had experienced hardships throughout her entire life. However, by God, she had done the best she could in order to live. She usually expressed herself through her writings – poetry. At the time when she arrived to the New World, the colonists were fighting for surviving due to the lack of foods and the climate. It was very difficult for Anne to adapt. She suffered with constant illness, but she strongly believed in God helped her survive the hardships (Martin). Moreover, Mrs. Bradstreet had to deal with the absence of her husband. She even composed a poem “A letter to Her Husband, Absent upon
Public Employment” to express how much she missed her husband while he was away for his government business. During Anne Bradstreet’s time, men and women had a completely different role in society. Women did not have the rights to make decisions and politics. They could only focus on household chores. Dislike the other women from her time, she was not only a housewife, but she was also a feminine poet. In the "Prologue", Anne Bradstreet wrote about her limitations as a woman and a role of a female poet in a male dominated Puritan society. In the first stanza, she knew that she was not qualified to write about the subjects as kings or anything that related to politics.
“To sing of wars, of captains, and of kings,
…
My obscure lines shall not so dim their worth.” (The Prologue, 1, 111) Her writings were lean toward her family and things around the house. As a woman and a housewife, she knew her position. She knew what she had to do. Surprising, in the fifth stanza, Anne stood up for herself and opposed those who had doubted her talent.
“I am obnoxious to each carping tongue
…
They'll say it's stol'n, or else it was by chance.” (The Prologue, 5, 111)
By reading her poem, readers will see the points of view of the Puritan society distinguished between women and men into two different classes. Anne Bradstreet was the one that stood by women’s side at that time in her unique way. The Puritan colonial women should be strong and modesty.
Public Employment” to express how much she missed her husband while he was away for his government business. During Anne Bradstreet’s time, men and women had a completely different role in society. Women did not have the rights to make decisions and politics. They could only focus on household chores. Dislike the other women from her time, she was not only a housewife, but she was also a feminine poet. In the "Prologue", Anne Bradstreet wrote about her limitations as a woman and a role of a female poet in a male dominated Puritan society. In the first stanza, she knew that she was not qualified to write about the subjects as kings or anything that related to politics.
“To sing of wars, of captains, and of kings,
…
My obscure lines shall not so dim their worth.” (The Prologue, 1, 111) Her writings were lean toward her family and things around the house. As a woman and a housewife, she knew her position. She knew what she had to do. Surprising, in the fifth stanza, Anne stood up for herself and opposed those who had doubted her talent.
“I am obnoxious to each carping tongue
…
They'll say it's stol'n, or else it was by chance.” (The Prologue, 5, 111)
By reading her poem, readers will see the points of view of the Puritan society distinguished between women and men into two different classes. Anne Bradstreet was the one that stood by women’s side at that time in her unique way. The Puritan colonial women should be strong and modesty.