Female Writers: Anne Bradstreet, John and Abigail Adams, and Harriet Jacobs
Female Writers
I believe that Anne Bradstreet (1612 – 1672), made major contributions to early American Literature through her poetry. Her poems stressed the daily struggles and stress of Puritan life. Bradstreet had struggled with the validity of the Scriptures, but through her life experiences she developed a strong belief in God. Bradstreet paved the way for future female writers. She used her poetry and writing skills to break through the stereotypes and the strict moral code that was placed on women in her time. Bradstreet, with the help of her brother-n-law, had her manuscript of poetry printed in London in 1650. “The Tenth Muse” was the first collection of poems written by an American resident. Bradstreet was better known for her writings that detailed her daily life and her relationship with her family. She describes in great detail the relationships she had with her father, husband, children and even her grandchildren. 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
I believe that Anne Bradstreet (1612 – 1672), made major contributions to early American Literature through her poetry. Her poems stressed the daily struggles and stress of Puritan life. Bradstreet had struggled with the validity of the Scriptures, but through her life experiences she developed a strong belief in God. Bradstreet paved the way for future female writers. She used her poetry and writing skills to break through the stereotypes and the strict moral code that was placed on women in her time. Bradstreet, with the help of her brother-n-law, had her manuscript of poetry printed in London in 1650. “The Tenth Muse” was the first collection of poems written by an American resident. Bradstreet was better known for her writings that detailed her daily life and her relationship with her family. She describes in great detail the relationships she had with her father, husband, children and even her grandchildren. 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