Bradstreet talks about topics such as her relationship with her husband and children and her struggles with religion. In her poem “A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment,” her husband was gone and coming back soon, but whenever she looked at her children, she was reminded of him. She wished he was there with her because he is like the sun, full of warmth and kindness, and her life revolved around him; without him she would be nothing. In her poem “Before the Birth of One of Her Children,” she believed that she was going to die during childbirth, but she wasn’t the only one, because many women back then had the same fear. Also, if she passed away, she was worried that her children were going to end up with a horrible stepmother, so she frequently asked God to protect her and her children. Although Bradstreet was a woman who expressed great amounts of faith, she was often left struggling when her feelings turned to resentment, confusion, and betrayal towards everyone around her. Often things went badly for her, and she doubted God because she thought he was punishing her for the wrong things she had done. Since she doubted God, she would pray and realize that everything happens for a reason. She wasn’t being punished; there was a lesson that needed to be learned, and when she struggled, she wouldn’t dwell on her sinfulness, she continued with living her life.…
Through her words she allowed you to feel her joy, sorrow and everyday struggles. In “To the Memory of My Dear and Ever Honored Father Thomas Dudley Esq. Who Deceased, July 31, 1653, and of His Age 77” Bradstreet writes about the loss of her father, and her strong belief in an afterlife and seeing her father again, “Where we with joy each other’s face shall see, And parted more by death shall never be” (214). She expresses her deep love for her husband in “To My Dear and Loving Husband” when she writes, “If ever two were one, then surely we” (226). “In Reference To Her Children, 23 June 1659” Bradstreet writes about her eight children, “I had eight birds hatched in one nest, Four cocks there were, and hens the rest” (228). This poem describes her hopes, dreams, and fears for her children, “If birds could weep, then would my tears. Let others know what are my fears” (229). ). In her poem “As Weary Pilgrim” Bradstreet describes a Pilgrims end to suffering and struggling and their deliverance…
Anne Bradstreet's use of allusion throughout the passage conveys Puritan ideals in "mighty architect" excerpt. The author states," a house on high erect framed...furnished," and "paid for too" (Bradstreet 43-45, 51). Examples such as," house on high erect," "paid for" expands upon Puritan beliefs of "heaven." Society has to work their way up, follow morals "pay a price" for a greater spiritual life. Therefore, Bradstreet is portraying Puritan beliefs as positive guide lines(Bradstreet 43,47). Throughout the passage, the use of allusion portrays believe of God. Simultaneously, justifies authors calmness towards the situation. Bradstreet focused on spirituality than reality. The allusion convey tranquility and instilled principles.…
A popular poem written by Bradstreet titled “To My Dear and Loving Husband” is an example of how Bradstreet will let her feelings and emotions override her practices of religion. Throughout the poem, Bradstreet expresses the undying love that she has for her husband while subtlety referencing the bible. The influence of religion brought her to believe that love and religion went hand in hand. But as you begin reading the poem, Bradstreet makes it seem that with or without religion, God or no God, the love she and her husband share is irreplaceable. In the poem she states, “My love is such that rivers cannot quench, nor ought but love from thee, give recompense” (Bradstreet 226). Bradstreet’s belief of Puritan religion influenced her to believe…
However, her identity has largely been associated with her family, of whom she wrote about in a majority of her works. It is argued in sections of the article that Bradstreet wrote about the deaths of family members, fear of childbirth, and love poems to her husband and domestic crises such as the burning of her house (Kopacz). Although many of Bradstreet’s earlier writing were overlooked in…
The standard of an ideal woman has changed dramatically over the centuries. And the differences are certainly apparent when comparing the modern expectations to the Puritan’s. The most important difference being that the standards were much stricter and the idea of an ideal Puritan woman was very prevalent in society. Consequently, many readings during the 16th century emphasizes the necessary qualities of an ideal Puritan woman. One of which is Jonathan Edwards’ essay, in which he offers a male perspective by describing his perfect woman, Sarah Pierrepont. Additionally, Anne Bradstreet reflects a female view on how an ideal Puritan woman should be through her poem, “To My Dear and Loving Husband.” Lastly,…
Bradstreet shows this love for God above all else when she says, “My hope and treasures lies above”(54). After her house-symbolizing her material life on earth-burnt down, Bradstreet realizes that nothing in this world is greater than that of heaven and that everything she desires in life is in heaven with God.“And to my God my heart did cry” (Bradstreet 8) reveals two very important aspects of Bradstreet’s belief. First, she wakes up, confused, inside of a burning house, but her first thought is to pray to God. This prayer shows how greatly Bradstreet trusts God to help her in her times of need and how often she thinks about God to pray to him in this confusing moment. Second, Bradstreet’s very personal relationship with God is revealed through the words “my God.” By using the word “my,” Bradstreet is showing that she loves God and is as close to him as she is to her husband, who she would refer to as “my husband.” In her poems, Bradstreet reveals that she loves and trusts God, as well as that she has a very close, personal relationship with…
Puritan works are all didactic; they are all meant to teach a lesson. In Anne Bradstreet’s poem, “Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of our House,” she expresses the idea of weaned affections. Bradstreet wrote, “I blest his name that gave and took” (122). Bradstreet was upset about her house burning and losing everything, but she also believed that everything she had was because of God, and it all belonged to him anyways. Bradstreet ends her poem with, “My hope and treasure lies above” (123) meaning that her faith is in God, and she believes that she has a home in heaven. The lesson in Bradstreet’s poem is the idea of weaned affections; she realizes she should not become too attached to physical things.…
In the poem “A Letter to Her Husband, Absent Upon Public Employment,” Anne Bradstreet addresses the importance of her husband’s presence in her life and the emotions she experiences when he is gone at work. Clearly demonstrating education unfamiliar to women in the 1600’s as well as passion not commonly found in her time’s literary works, Bradstreet successfully portrays the connection she feels between her and her husband and the consequences of such a connection. Using earthly, physical and scientific comparisons, Bradstreet shows that her husband is the center of her world, but also attends to the fact that it does not mean he has officially replaced…
Anne Bradstreet-in “The Burning of Our House,” Anne was the narrator of this poem in which she expressed how she felt when her home caught fire. The Entire poem was based on Anne’s emotional state during her time of despair and how her faith helped her through. As I read through the poem I noticed that she spoke of her religious beliefs and her relationship with God throughout the poem. “And to my God my heart did cry,” (8). In order to understand and relate to this poem the reader must have some form of religious belief. Anne spoke on how God took away her material items, but her faith helped her comprehend and understand that they never belonged to her in the beginning. “I blest His name that gave and took,” (14). God can…
Anne Bradstreet, one of the world’s most well known female Puritan writers, is known for her poems that are rich in detail and imagery, reflecting her passions and her faith. One of the most powerful and thought-provoking themes that she uses throughout her works is the comparison between life on earth and the afterlife, expressed by her thoughts and feelings that she so delicately laces in between the two ideas, tying the comparisons together.…
One of poets best and unique writer, whom live have changed as a teenage little girl, shortly after she marries Tomas Dudley, was on the voyage to a new world “America”. This quite amazing child was Anna Bradstreet, who later in her journey wrote “Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House” This poem, without doubt, as of many off her poems, is a pure example of Puritan writing. The first several lines of the poem indicate her truly believe in faith and values. As of one of those chilling moments of her live, Anna’s poem is entirely about her own feelings as she haplessly watches her house burning as thousands of kindles. Her writing makes readers as if they were experiencing same emotions and thoughts as she was at the time. Anna’s way of rhymes affects the way the entire poem flows as each rhyme has a unique feeling, emotion, and interpretation. Also, it abides the reader to process the two rhyming lines together before going on to the next few. As a very well educational woman, her choices of words are one of the consciousnesses with extremely strong connotations. Using such as words as ashes, ruin, fire, succor-less, and more, are an indication on extraordinary severity of the damage as her home is at the edge of being destroyed by the fire, with all the possessions and memories. On the other hand, she contracts those words with vocabularies such as treasure, love, and hope. These two unalike groups of descriptions through these words, describes material possessions, and the other on her faith and affiliation with God. This is obviously suggestion that Anna’s first priorities are God and salvation.…
The slave narrative was a literary form of African-American writing that developed in the middle of the nineteenth century. This genre that grew out of the written accounts of fugitive slaves about their lives in the South was integral to African-American literature. It depicted the brutality of whites as slave owners and was categorized into three subgenres: tales of religious redemption, tales to inspire the abolitionist struggle, and tales of progress. Those classified in the second category are usually autobiographical and they are considered the most literary writings by nineteenth-century African Americans. Two most famous of such works are Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845) by Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) and Incidents in…
6. What does Ann Bradstreet compare her love for her husband to? The love for her spouse is more precious than gold.…
Anne Bradstreet wrote more about her life and the issues than Jonathan, that did not write about his life, but more about God and who disobeys him will pay. Anne addressed how much she loves her husband, to when her house burnt down. Anne wrote,”I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold”(Line 5). In this quote she is talking about her husband and how much she needs and loves him in her life. However, Jonathan wrote about God and how anyone that does anything wrong to or toward him will regret it. Jonathan wrote,”There is no other reason to be given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship.”(Lines 61-63). In this quote he is talking about God and how anyone to aggravate God will be punished.…