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Compare And Contrast To My Dear And Loving Husband

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On a surface level, “To My Dear and Loving Husband” by Anne Bradstreet appears to be a fundamental poem describing a woman’s undying love for her husband, but upon further reflection, this poem true meaning lies in her love for God and Puritanism. Throughout the poem the poet emphasizes her love as a remarkable force so strong that to find something equal she must turn her looks heavenward. This purpose becomes even more apparent when one reads the biblical passage, Ephesians 5:27, which in return reflects some of Bradstreet’s main ideas as well. For example, both the poem and the bible verse closely focus on how a man and woman become one under God, as well as how it is necessary for one to love their wife as much as themselves. Though Bradstreet does not directly say so, the passage from Ephesians states, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). The previous quotation alludes to the fact that in order to achieve salvation one must devote themselves to their marriage in the same way they devote themselves to Christ, giving insight to the idea that love is the key to salvation. Bradstreet skirts around this idea when she says “The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray” (10 Bradstreet). This excerpt is a keen example of how Bradstreet suggests to the audience the connection of the couple, in how she talks highly of her husband, in a similar manner she would Christ. In return demonstrating that the poem itself is a

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