Anne Bradstreet Puritan Beliefs

During the 1630’s, there was a group known as, the Puritans. The Puritans immigrated from England to America, for the sole purpose of religious freedom and their belief that the church of England needed reform. Puritan author’s, Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards, conveyed their messages and beliefs in their writing . For these two authors, they were working around the same foundation, Puritanism, for the intended messages. Admittedly, there is a disconnection in belief between the two. Edward’s writings take Puritanism to the extreme whilst Bradstreet’s works show a more traditional view in the religion while staying true to it.

When the Puritans came to America in the 1600s, they brought many aspects of their lives with them, including their beliefs in modesty, hard work, and religious devotion. Their strong values in religion were a constant part of their everyday life and were a big feature of their society. Even though they were urged to suppress their feelings and fully devote themselves to God, some Puritans had struggles with this, and used poetry to express their true beliefs. Poet Anne Bradstreet voiced her unconventional ideas through her poems while Edward Taylor used his poetry to stress his strong support of his religion and faith. Although Puritan poets Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor of the early American colonies belonged to the same belief system, they expressed divergent views of faith and dependence on God through their poetry.

Would you consider any similarities in the poems written by a puritan woman i late 1600’s compared to the sermons of a puritan preacher of the early 1700’s? Anne Bradstreet, and Jonathan Edwards are two puritan authors whose writing style may seem very different but when going in depth you may find a few similarities that can be made between the two authors and their works. Going through their passages you will see many more differences than similarities. Both of these two authors would have many religious views in common, they would also in some cases have similar writing styles, and lastly they would have used some of the same literary devices to get across their message. The passages being compared are “To my dear loving husband” by Anne Bradstreet, “Upon the burning of our house, July 10th, 1666” by Anne Bradstreet, and lastly “Sinners in the hands of an angry god” by Jonathan Edwards.

Faith has played an incredibly large role throughout all of American history. This is shown especially in early America when the Puritans settled in North America. Writing in this time period shows just how prominent faith is in this time period, as much of it directly alludes to the Bible. Throughout the time period writing and beliefs evolved. This is highly noticeable when comparing American poet Anne Bradstreet, and clergyman Jonathan Edwards. Bradstreet’s works include poems such as “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, and “Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th, 1666” and while Edwards wrote many sermons, the most famous is “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. These works differ in many ways, but many comparisons and contrasts can be made in regards to writing style and beliefs presented in these works.

“Confession of sin shuts the mouth of Hell and Opens the gates of paradise.” These Wise words from Thomas watson embody the aims and beliefs of the puritans. The puritans expressed their beliefs and thoughts of the bible through their writing; be it poems, sermons, or stories. In the short story A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson by Mary Rowlandson, The sermon From Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards, and the poem by Anne Bradstreet [Deliverance] From Another Sore Fit, there is a common theme of religion and the hardships these writers go through to produce such powerful works of literature. The puritan’s possessed a very unique style of writing which introduce many literary elements into all different types of

Many authors from the 1600’s and 1700’s base their works on religious views, but there are many differing views on God. “Upon the Burning of Our House” and “To My Dear and Loving Husband” are both by Anne Bradstreet, and are excellent writings that show half of the Puritan beliefs. The other piece is “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards that show a darker side of the Puritan ideals. The authors show what they think by using literary devices, like tone (word choice and details), or figurative language. Bradstreet believes in a God that is loving and caring, while Edwards believes in a strict, controlling God. The tone, in which they use through the stories or sermons, reflects this, and also, the figurative language that

In the 1600’s the Puritans were the main religious group of that time period and they had very strong ideals on how religion and government should go together. Jonathan Edwards, who shared many of their ideals, preached a sermon called, “ Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and it had a very big impact on the congregation. Nathaniel Hawthorne, although he was a writer in the 1800’s, he was fascinated with the Puritans and their lifestyles and wrote a short story called, “ The Minister’s Black Veil.” Both authors use specific details, tone, and imagery to convey their meaning and style, Edwards harsh and accusatory style was more effective than Hawthorne’s melancholy and mysterious style because Edwards helps the reader understand the effects sin can have in one’s life.

Poems from the time of the Puritans usually were based on their religion. Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor both portrayed a Puritanical message in their poems. Edward did so more so than Anne. They both conveyed different types of love. Anne wrote about her husband and how much she loved him. While Edward wrote about his love for God and how he wanted God to use him for His glory.

Puritan values, ideas, and beliefs are evident in the works of Anne Bradstreet, William Bradford, and Jonathan Edwards. Through her poetry, Bradstreet reveals her Puritan values and ideals. Bradstreet was aware of a woman’s role in Puritan society and tried to portray herself as a humble, pious, obedient, and modest wife. William Bradford’s work also encompasses beliefs, values, and ideas of Puritan life. One can see that in Bradford’s writing such as Of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford emphasizes Puritan suffering specifically through the Mayflower journey and how, with the grace of God, they prevailed. Jonathan Edwards’ work also displays Puritan beliefs, values, and ideals through the installation of fear. In an excerpt from Sinners in the

In the 1600’s, Puritans living in both England and New England held their views on God rather tightly and lived their lives as good Christians. Puritans were selfless individuals who had escaped and came to America in search of religious freedom and peace. In literature during that time period, it is made very clear that everything the Puritans had accomplished or acquired was a result of God, and that they were forever in his debt. One of the great poets from this time era was Anne Bradstreet who wrote about her children, husband, and parents. Anne Bradstreet blended her domestic life with theological imagery in every poem she did, explaining that her grandchildren were merely lent to her but

Puritan literature captures not only their beliefs as a religion, but their beliefs as individuals. All Puritan literature is utilitarian, meaning it is useful, purposeful, and reflecting a non-ornate style of writing. One of the most prominent of early English poets was Anne Bradstreet. Her poems reflect the utilitarian style, but do so in a way that is entirely unique to herself and her emotions. Anne Bradstreet opens the bridge between her faith and her personal experiences in her poetry. In her poems “Upon the Burning of Our House” and “In Reference to Her Children” she reflects utilitarianism by recounting the conflicts between her love of her worldly things and her devotion to God’s eternity.

Edwards also instills fear into the reader by attacking popular notions or mindsets popular of the time. One example was using a bow and arrow as a comparison to an angry God (126). The bow and arrow was feared sign to the people since they lived in constant fear of being attacked by the Native American tribes still living in America during the time. Another mindset Edward attacks was religion itself. He says “keep up a form of religion in your families and closets…but nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction (126). In this quote he was claiming that God did not care about the people’s religions and that religion would not save them from God’s wrath. This is an example of how Edwards seeks to psychologically scar his readers. He wanted to terrorize his listeners to make them listen to his lesson. When people are afraid, they tend to listen more, which is what Edwards was trying to achieve.

Anne Hutchinson was a religious leader who was born in England in 1951. She was killed in 1643 in an Indian raid killing in the state of New York which wss in the colony of Mid-Atlantic. Anne Hutchinson fought for women’s rights and she gave many girls and women hope that they might have rights again as shown by this quote, “ From the early Christian era, female activism in religious life gave some women high visibility, thus preserving their voices in the historical record. The splintering of the Puritan movement in seventeenth-century England gave women broader scope for leadership as lay preachers, visionaries, and petitioners. “ ( History.Com ). This quote showed that Hutchinson was giving women hope that they could be something

Anne Bradstreet’s poetry resembles a quiet pond. Her quiet puritan thinking acts as the calm surface that bears a resemblance to her natural values and religious beliefs. Underneath the pond there is an abundance of activity comparable to her becoming the first notable poet in American Literature. Anne Bradstreet did not obtain the first notable poet’s title very easily; she endured sickness, lack of food, and primitive living conditions during her time in the New World. Despite these misfortunes she used her emotions and strong educational background to write extraordinarily well for a woman in that time.