Similarities Between Taylor And Anne Bradstreet

Edward Taylor and Anne Bradstreet are both puritan poets of the seventeenth century who wrote for themselves as a form of worship, not for publication. In her poem “To My Dear Loving Husband,” Bradstreet writes, “The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray,” (10) about her husband showing her believe in God and heaven. Taylor writes in his poem “Huswifery,” “Make me, O Lord, Thy spinning wheel complete,” (1) showing his belief to God by directly addressing him in the poem. Both these poets are tied by their belief in God, but that doesn’t mean that their focuses are the exact same. Bradstreet’s poem focuses mainly upon her love for her husband, saying, “If ever two were one, then surely we./ If ever man were lov’d by wife, then thee” (1-2). In
contrast, Taylor asks God to help glorify Him:
Then clothe therewith mine understanding, will,
Affections, judgement, conscience, memory
My words, and actions, that their shine may fill
My ways with glory and Thee glorify. (13-16)
While both believing in God, Bradstreet and Taylor have very different views of life on earth and God’s role in it.