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Dr. Katie Yates
ENGL 2110
March 13, 2013
Poem Explication
Expressed Emotions of Anne Bradstreet Over the Loss of a Young Life Anne Bradstreet was one of the first American poets; she was one of the first woman writers in the American Colonies, to be published. There are several examples throughout Bradstreet 's poem "In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet, Who Deceased August, 1665, Being a Year and a Half Old" that demonstrate Anne Bradstreet 's love, sorrow, grief, and the struggle Bradstreet experiences with the Puritan faith because of the loss of a granddaughter. Anne Bradstreet is the speaker in her poem "In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet, Who Deceased August, 1665, Being a Year and a Half Old." This poem is written in iambic pentameter which means that the first syllable is unstressed and following syllable is stressed. The use of this technique gives the rhythm of everyday communication, which is known to capture and keep one’s attention. The structure of the poem includes five metric feet, ten syllables per line, and two stanzas with a total of seven lines per stanza. Anne Bradstreet shows the love she has for the one and a half year old grandchild, Elizabeth, through the reference of dear babe (1.1), sweet babe (1.2) and fair flower (1.3) in the first stanza. Bradstreet uses specific words to show the love she has for Elizabeth. In the first stanza, the lines my hearts too much content (1.1) and the pleasure of mine eyes (1.2) express the depth of her love. Bradstreet shows the sorrow that she is experiencing at the untimely death of Elizabeth through the word Farwell (1.1, 1.2, and 1.3) that begins the first three lines. The phrase that for a space was lent (1.3) replies that God had intentions of taking the dear child home to be with the Lord before her time. Line six states Or sigh the days were so soon terminate (1.6), which suggests that God put Bradstreet 's granddaughter on this earth for
Dr. Katie Yates
ENGL 2110
March 13, 2013
Poem Explication
Expressed Emotions of Anne Bradstreet Over the Loss of a Young Life Anne Bradstreet was one of the first American poets; she was one of the first woman writers in the American Colonies, to be published. There are several examples throughout Bradstreet 's poem "In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet, Who Deceased August, 1665, Being a Year and a Half Old" that demonstrate Anne Bradstreet 's love, sorrow, grief, and the struggle Bradstreet experiences with the Puritan faith because of the loss of a granddaughter. Anne Bradstreet is the speaker in her poem "In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet, Who Deceased August, 1665, Being a Year and a Half Old." This poem is written in iambic pentameter which means that the first syllable is unstressed and following syllable is stressed. The use of this technique gives the rhythm of everyday communication, which is known to capture and keep one’s attention. The structure of the poem includes five metric feet, ten syllables per line, and two stanzas with a total of seven lines per stanza. Anne Bradstreet shows the love she has for the one and a half year old grandchild, Elizabeth, through the reference of dear babe (1.1), sweet babe (1.2) and fair flower (1.3) in the first stanza. Bradstreet uses specific words to show the love she has for Elizabeth. In the first stanza, the lines my hearts too much content (1.1) and the pleasure of mine eyes (1.2) express the depth of her love. Bradstreet shows the sorrow that she is experiencing at the untimely death of Elizabeth through the word Farwell (1.1, 1.2, and 1.3) that begins the first three lines. The phrase that for a space was lent (1.3) replies that God had intentions of taking the dear child home to be with the Lord before her time. Line six states Or sigh the days were so soon terminate (1.6), which suggests that God put Bradstreet 's granddaughter on this earth for
Cited: Bradstreet, Anne. "As Weary Pilgrims". The Norton Anthology American Literature 7th Edition.Volume A. New York: Norton. 2007. 213-214. Print. Giffen, Allison. "Let No Man Know: Negotiating the Gender Discourse of Affliction in Anne Bradsteet 's."Journal of American Women Writers 27.1 (2010): n.pag. Web. 25 Feb 2013. <http;//go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE�228909413&v=2.1&u=tel_a_nestcc&it=r& p=LitRG&sw=w>. Hesford, Walter "The Creative Fall of Bradstreet and Dickinson" in Essays in Literature, Vol. XIV, No. 1 (Spring 1987):81-91. Print. Latta, Kimberly."Such is My Bond: Maternity and Economy in Anne Bradstreet 's Writings." In Inventing Maternity: Politics, Science, and Literature, 1650-1865, Ed. Susan C. Greenfield and Carol Barash, 57-85. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1999. Print.