Abstract This paper explains that Anne Bradstreet lived and wrote poetry during the middle decades of the 17th century. The author examines the Puritan themes in two of Bradstreet's more recognized works "To My Dear and Loving Husband" and "Verses Upon the Burning of Our House". The paper compares these two poems to reveal the Puritan themes of devotion to one's husband and devotion to one's God.
From the Paper "Anne Bradstreet lived and wrote poetry during the middle decades of the 17th century. At that time, she was incredibly steeped in Puritan tradition, owing to her cultural heritage and upbringing. This fact is incredible evident in her poetry, as it expresses many of the dominant themes of Puritanism. This essay examines two of Bradstreet's more recognized works - "To My Dear and Loving Husband" and "Verses Upon the Burning of Our House." The two poems will be compared in order to demonstrate how both works are an expression of Puritan ideology, namely the primacy of men and God. "To My Dear and Loving Husband" is a poem about just what the title would have readers believe. Amazingly, there is no irony or sarcasm lurking beneath Bradstreet's lines."
Abstract A literary analysis of Anne Bradstreet and her role in early American literature. The paper discusses her poem, "The Author to her Book," and its origins, as well as the roles women in the seventeenth century were expected to play.
From the Paper "The theme Bradstreet used when calling her work her offspring continued throughout the poem, and only emphasized her distinctive style of writing poetry. Her work was quite unlike the work of many male poets of the seventeenth century. Though she was very cautious in publishing her work, America and society found a brilliant Puritan writer of her time. Although society in that era looked down on women as published writers and intellectuals, Bradstreet's quality of work speaks for itself."
Abstract This paper examines the life of Anne Bradstreet, an interesting and complex poet who wrote during a time when women poets were not encouraged to pursue their talents. It discusses how Bradstreet's life, was a dissent from the norm and the quiet rebellion she waged against her religion can be considered in the comprehensive study of one of her most famous poems "To My Dear and Loving Husband" which illustrates the rebellion and feminist theory that Bradstreet was quietly expressing. It shows how Bradstreet's subtlety emits her feelings of discontent and expresses her willingness and desire to rebel against what she didn?t agree with. Even if not admired at the time, Bradstreet's poems will always be considered works of a great poet and inspiring to all readers.
From the Paper "Unfortunately, there is a great deal of mystery surrounding the facts about Bradstreet's life, making it hard to link pieces of her history with her poetry. As Piercy points out, "There is no portrait of Anne Bradstreet, no marker left to indicate her grave, no house left standing nor its location certain" (24). Reid adds that ?even her birth date is disputed, born either in 1612 or 1613?(518). However, certain facts are known that help give insight to her poetry. Born Anne Dudley supposedly in Northampton, England, she married Simon Bradstreet when she was 16. She moved many times, as her father and husband wished, consistent with their demanding political careers."
Abstract Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley have the unique distinction of being two firsts in American feminism. Bradstreet was the first American female poet to have her work published and Phillis Wheatley was the first black female poet to have her work become known and published. This paper shows that, because of their bravery and fame for breaking the gender and race barriers to the expression of women's voices, Bradstreet and Wheatley are intrinsically feminist artists -- for no other reason than that they were female and they were influential in the advancement of female art. On the other hand, the paper shows that neither woman could particularly be considered revolutionaries in their own time (both catered to the existing system rather exaggeratedly) and in this time would certainly not even be considered feminists. Both Bradstreet and Wheatley conformed to what was expected of them. With their subtle way of being feminist by conducting themselves within their proper gender roles and imitating male forms in their art, these two prefigured the entire vein of feminist thought and action which attempts to win a place for woman by acting professionally male and privately feminine.
From the Paper "One of the critiques that has been consistently leveled against both Wheatley and Bradstreet is that their work is derivative and lacking in innovation. In their own era, this charge was used to suggest that women were incapable of high poetic flights of genius. In later eras, it was further used to show that both were overly conformed to "The standard poetic conventions used by men" (Schlotterbeck) of the era and thus failed to find authentic female voices. It is certain that "Bradstreet and Wheatley used the poetic conventions of the day, which is evident in the form of their poetry. It is not too adventurous stylistically." (Schlotterbeck) The critique that women are not capable of poetic brilliance is certainly false, for these women no doubt could have had originality in their form and adventurism in their choice of topics had they not needed to conform to male standards in order to be published."
Abstract By reviewing Anne Bradstreet's poems "The Flesh and the Spirit" and "Upon the Burning of Our House" , this paper analyzes Anne Bradstreet's views of how the Earth cannot fulfill her heavenly desires, in which only God can. Her concern with how people become less attached to God when they have many material possessions is another theme that is addressed in the paper. Finding God's will though hard work, prayer, and sacrifice is the only way to attain salvation, according to Bradstreet. The reluctance of people to practice these values makes the world an evil place to live in, according to the poet.
From the Paper "The pursuit of spiritual gains rather than earthly items is a major theme Bradstreet uses to show how important eternal salvation is for humans, especially the Puritans of her time. Bradstreet illustrates how important it is to look to heaven in her poem, ?The Flesh and the Spirit.? She states, "My garments are not silk nor gold, / Nor such trash which earth doth hold, / But royal robes I shall have on, / More glorious than the glist"ring sun? (304). According to Bradstreet, all the riches of the Earth cannot compare to what is stored in heaven, which contains treasures far beyond imagining. This unimaginable treasure stored in heaven should be motivation enough to pursue God's will. She also describes in the poem achieving eternal salvation from working God's will rather than pursuing earthly desires. She says, "The stately walls both high and strong, / Are made of precious jasper stone, / The gates of pearl, both rich and clear, / And angels for porters there; / The streets thereof transparent gold, / Such as no eye did e"er behold? (304). Heaven is two times better than Earth because not only does it contain an infinite amount of treasure, but it is made of treasure as well. Bradstreet feels the Earth does not offer this type of reward, and in essence fails her, because the world contains nothing more than weak-willed people who choose to sin."
A literary review of the collection of poems "The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America" by Anne Bradstreet who is thought to be the first genuine poet to develop in the English speaking New World.
Abstract This paper discusses the poetry of Anne Bradstreet (who was only published once during her lifetime and without her knowledge ). Bradstreet had emigrated to New England as a young wife in 1630, and her poetry exemplifies a variety of themes related to home and hearth in the New World.
From the Paper "Bradstreet offers more in-depth philosophic and religious analysis in other poems. Bradstreet's poem "Contemplations" is an aptly-named poetic meditation with a didactic purpose. The poet uses images of nature such as could be seen in a given day as a way of evoking a sense of God and of the connection between the human lifespan and the larger metaphysical realm of God. The poem is in the first person, with the poet-narrator explaining her views as she observes nature and makes links between the images she sees there and her inner religious beliefs. This use of the first-person personalizes the narrative and brings the reader into the consciousness of the poet directly. We are brought by the poet into her contemplations. We know that the experiences she relates about nature are her own, and we know that the thoughts that these encounters engender are her own."
Abstract The following paper examines the philosophy of Bradstreet, one of the greatest (and only) female writers of early American history, as a study in doubt, conviction, and compromise. It reveals how her philosophy is a study in trying not to believe what one believes.
From the paper:
"There is in her work little of the thought out philosopher, for she must too often deny her own ability to think to be able to put forth a coherent system of thought. Nonetheless, the struggle that exists mutedly through-out her work is philosophy in itself, and it says: Deny what you must to be what you must, for this is the way to social peace and even to heaven".
Abstract The following paper discusses views of 'God' with reference to Anne Bradstreet's 'Upon the Burning of our House', and Jonathon Edward's 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God'. This paper compares their views and tries to interpret what each author means by a particular sentence.
From the Paper "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God conveys an extraordinarily unique viewpoint of God. According to Edwards, we are all sinners by nature; it is our most forth standing trait, despite our ongoing efforts to counter it. Throughout his sermon, he goes on endlessly about how God is so merciful to us, and without his mercy we would be thrown to the deepest depths of hell by the very earth itself. What was so deplorable to the people when they first heard it, was that Edwards alleged that all this time that they had thought they had been good Christians, they were in fact sinning against God; all the while they thought they were going to Heaven, they were actually destined for Hell, and there was naught they could do to stop it. (?You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in any Mediator, nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing to lay hold of to save yourself, nothing that you have done, nothing you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment.? Edwards, 121.) So, essentially, they were screwed, and it was too late to do anything, you are all going to hell in a hand basket, have a nice Sunday. Edwards wanted to make religion almost a physical experience, and with reports of people fainting and weeping openly without abandon, I would have to say it seems as if he accomplished his task. I only wonder if perhaps a few of his followers turned to Agnosticism or Atheism after such an oration?"
Compares the poetry of two religious American poets, Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor, and provides some background information on the poets and their poetry.
1,900 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 5 sources, 2002, $ 71.95
Abstract This paper compares two of the most famous and religious American poets, Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor. It gives a brief detail of the poets, their work and some quotations written by both of the poets in their poems.
Abstract This paper will compare the poetry of Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor as they implicitly set forth their perceptions of God and his kingdom and their stance toward divinities in two or three works. By understanding this way of divine poetry, we can see how they use God as a position for inquiry into the matters of theology and the beliefs they have in a higher power.
Abstract This paper examines how Anne Bradstreet has two different voices in her poetry: Her public voice and her private voice. It discusses how, although she did not want to bring disgrace to her reputation as a hard working committed Puritan woman, she also wanted her voice to be heard. It shows how she did so through her poems such as "Of the Four Humours" and "The Prologue" .
From the Paper "There are two intertwining voices in Anne Bradstreet's poems. One voice is the committed puritan woman who completes her duties and through the help of God can get through anything. The other voice is that of a lightly spoken feminist who through different speakers in her writings voice her own opinions. In her poems she is very humble, saying that her writing is not great and it will not amount to anything, however, she also very quietly is stating that she did write these and without the help of a man. Some critics regard these acts as a creative way to display her reactions towards life in a male-dominated society that allowed little room for a confident "self-expression" (Margerum, 152)."
Abstract The paper discusses how the 17th century language used in this poem revolves around an iambic pentameter, which relies on rhyme schemes of couplets over the 12 lines of his poem. The paper explains that in breaking the language of the poem down, one can realize that that the rhyme endings rely on an abcdef format, as none of the line endings are the same in their sound and musical affect. The paper notes that in particular, Bradstreet uses certain word choices that impart the true feeling of the poem.
From the Paper "The title of this poem insinuates a feeling that this is merely a simple love poem between husband and wife. However, the ambiguous references to other feminine entities and the manner of materialism in the East (Asia) suggests there is a greater religious symbolism in the word choices that Bradstreet uses. The poem is about a wife's longing to eternally preserve her love in the marriage vows she has taken with her husband. In many ways, Bradstreet elicits the Puritanical views of love that include a sense of predestination in her tone about their past, present and future love."
Abstract This paper notes that Anne Bradstreet was a female Puritan poet who was not afraid to be open about her feelings in spite of the Puritan belief that it was unacceptable for a woman to openly express her feelings. The paper then examines how, in her poem "Contemplations", Bradstreet openly expressed her viewpoints about life, religion, and nature. Through the use of biblical scriptures and imagery concerning the beauty of nature, the paper analyzes how the overall idea of Anne Bradstreet's "Contemplations" is brilliantly conveyed throughout the thirty-three stanzas of the poem. The paper conclues that, by reading Bradstreet's work, one cannot bypass the primary message that man may not have the beauty and longevity of nature, but heavenly salvation triumphs over all earthy things.
From the Paper "Bradstreet had a very strong appreciation for nature and the beauty of God's creations. In the beginning stanzas of "Contemplations," she goes into great detail when describing the images she sees, such as the beautiful colors of the leaves that adorn the trees in the autumn. Paula Kopacz states, in her essay pertaining to this poem, that Bradstreet relates her experiences with the beauty of nature with her spiritual beliefs; if God created the wondrous things that exist in nature, then, indeed He must be a spectacular being (2). In stanza three, Bradstreet is filled with awe as she reflects on the strength and stature of an oak tree: "Then on a stately Oak I cast mine eye / Whose ruffling top the clouds seem to aspire" (Lines 22-23). She then ponders about the many hundreds of years the Oak tree has existed on the earth, and she, in turn, compares this to the short length of man's life. "
Abstract The writer explains that New Historicism considers the analysis of a literary work complete and right only when incorporated in the time frame of the work, as one could easily recognize from its very name.
The writer notes that the poems written by Anne Bradstreet must be referred to from a New Historicism point of view because, beside their value strictly as literary pieces, they were meaningful to the readers in the 17th Century, first in England, where they were first published, and then, in New England, where they were originally written. The writer examines Bradstreet's religious beliefs portrayed in her poems "Upon the Burning of our House" and "The Flesh and the Spirit". The writer concludes that Anne Bradstreet found a way to speak a universal language that did not attempt to appeal to the universal values of her times and, therefore, her work was understood and not rejected by her contemporaries.
From the Paper "Her religious views and her attitude towards the religious teachings of the Puritans can be traced along a big part of her work. The people of her time , in England, were divided mostly between the Calvinists and the Anglicans. Some sort of antagonism lay under the unifying power of the Church of England. The human spirit itself is made of pros and cons and the human nature is often questioning and putting the teachings of scholars, scientists and even those of the church under the benefit of the doubt.
Anne Breadstreet' s writings were welcome by the English public, despite the fact that they expressed certain ideas that questioned the puritan ideas of salvation through a life of continuous attempt to overcome the original sin in the hope that one's soul, among other few selected souls will be resurrected by God's will."
