Anne Ferguson Biography

Throughout women in colonial America, Anne Bradstreet was one of the strongest and influential figures of the time. Mrs. Bradstreet lived from the years 1612 through 1672 not knowing she would inspire later generations with her works and actions. Ever since a little girl, Anne’s father, Thomas Dudley, would make Anne write poetry so they could read together. Anne later married Simon Bradstreet, a future governor, at the age of sixteen years old and boarded on the ship Arbella headed to Plymouth, Massachusetts, with the famous sermoner John Winthrop??? In the famous writings of the poet, we learn Anne has a personal and formal writing voice. Anne writes in Iambic Pentameter, Couplets, and Paradox. Anne became a well-known colonial writer not

Anne also spent a good deal of time with her mother who was a midwife. She began to accompany her at a young age to births of women in their village. As a young woman she became a midwife. She continued her midwifery in the New World and was highly regarded by the women in every community in which she lived. They looked up to her and sought her advice in matters that were spiritual in nature. Without the training by her mother in midwifery she would not have had this kind of contact and influence in the lives of so many women. Anne was able to put her ideals and influence to good use in spiritual study groups in her home in England and then in Boston.

Travelling across the ocean to New England, Anne Bradstreet looked to America as a safe place to practice her puritan religion (Eberwein 4). She wrote many poems about her family and experiences, incorporating her faith and personal struggles into her works. A hundred years later, Phillis Wheatley was kidnapped from her homeland in Africa and brought to America, where she became a devout Christian and a renowned poet (James). Both women received an education above other women of their time leading to their literary accomplishments. The purpose of this paper is to determine the similarities and differences between Anne Bradstreet’s and Phillis Wheatley’s poems’ content, in terms of their themes and language by answering the following questions.

Anne Bradstreet was a Puritan. Much like all the other Puritans of her time she examined her conscience daily and that they always felt that they were humbled by God's creations and powers. One poem in which she expresses her religion's ideas and philosophies was "Contemplations".

As feminist literary scholars Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar noted, "It was combining Transcendentalism with the Bible and her Puritan background which enabled Dickinson to contrive her own interpretation of theology which was expressed through her poetry" (843).

Anne’s Bradstreet’s greatest influence on her writings was religion. As a child she was brought up as puritan therefore she has puritan beliefs that was showed in her poems. However, In some of her writings it seems she was struggled with her belief in God. Just like Phillis Wheatley, Anne Bradstreet used a literal device called inversions and also used many religious references. In Anne’s Bradstreet’s poem “Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of out House, July 10TH, 1666” Anne Says “It was His Own, it was not mine, Far be it that I should Repine.” (122). Here she was making references to her God and realizes that her stuff that was lost in the fire was not

     Writing to enlighten her Puritan family and society also influenced how Anne wrote. Since Anne was writing to declare the truth, she also wanted what she wrote to be learned and remembered. Anne grew up listening and singing the Psalms. The Bay Psalms Book is Sternhold and Hopkin’s translation of the Psalms. Doriani, author of Bradstreet and the Psalms Tradition

Antebellum band and compose a song called “Thy Will”. She said, “I was still going to my

Also, I think that since she was busy with everything else in her life that she could not really hang out with friends, church was a place for her to make some friends. Religion was not just a factor for Anne, but for many of the slaves during the Civil War. The slaves would use religion as a way to get away from the harsh realities of their lives. Also they viewed Jesus and Moses as heroes who lead their people to freedom. Their religion was aimed toward the real world rather than being in heaven when they died. Basically, their singing or "praying" was about being delivered from slavery. They also used hymns as special codes for meeting points while trying to escape.

Emily Dickinson was an American poetess during the 19th century, born in Amherst, Massachusetts, December 10, 1830. Dickinson died at the age of 56, on May 15, 1886. Although her family was prominent, she was most unsociable, being intensely solitary. People considered her as an eccentric, as she showed disinclination towards guests, which in some cases, even caused them to leave, leaving most of her acquaintanceships founded upon by correlation. Dickinson was known for her adherence for wearing white clothing, and her introverted personality. She remained unwedded for life, and rarely ever left her front gate of her homestead. Emily Dickinson started writing poetry in her youthful years, and was encouraged by Benjamin Franklin Newton to continue her writings. During her teenage years, she had uncovered poetic works through verses of Ralph Waldo Emerson and William Wordsworth, she also deeply admired by John Keats and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Her poetry was deeply affected by the Book of Revelation, and her Puritan background, that influenced her to explore concepts like love and death, and write in styles that made her be noticeable to the crowd. Critics believe that her biggest influence in poetry was Reverend Charles Wadsworth, whom she had met on her trip to Philadelphia, and fell in love with him. It is believed that her flow of verses came when Wadsworth left, which gave rise to heartsick poems, as she had considered him as her “closest

Anne Hutchinson has long been seen as a strong religious dissenter who paved the way for religious freedom in the strictly Puritan environment of New England. Another interpretation of the controversy surrounding Anne Hutchinson asserts that she was simply a loving wife and mother whose charisma and personal ideas were misconstrued to be a radical religious movement. Since this alleged religious movement was led by a woman, it was quickly dealt with by the Puritan fathers as a real threat. Whatever her motives, she was clearly a great leader in the cause of religious toleration in America and the advancement of women in society. Although Anne Hutchinson is historically documented to have been banished as a religious dissenter, the real

Anne Moody has gone through such an exceptionally eventful life that she was able to transform it into a powerful book, "A Coming of Age in Mississippi." All of Anne's childhood not only prepared her for her involvement in the movement during the 1960's, but also kept her inspired and motivated. Anne Moody sees a lot of ups and downs, which causes her to have depressing set backs from time to time. As told through out the book, describing her first twenty-four-years, her uncertainty is justified, yet overall the book does tell a story of success, found not only in Anne's personal life but also in the country. By understanding that in order for the movement to be a success and for there to be hope in the future some drastic changes must

Ellen White is talked about a lot in the Adventist community. George R. Knight goes into great detail into the life of Ellen White in his book Meeting Ellen White. It is very important that we understand and learn more about the influential people that are in the history of the church. As one of the most influential people, it is important that we learn how Ellen White’s writings and her presence helped mold Adventism. Her story has shown me many lessons to apply to my life. Not only her story, but her many writings have also impacted my life in many ways.

When reading all of the feelings and events added together, two themes stuck out. One theme is that Anne was lonely. In the inside of her book she stated that “I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support”. This shows that so far in her life she really did not find the right person to open up to and talk about her most personal thoughts. Another theme I found was being completely

Anne Bradstreet originally intended to share her verses only with her family and close friends. Without her prior permission, her brother-in-law John Woodbridge took them to England and published them in 1650 under the title The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up In America. Apparently, Mrs. Bradstreet anticipated the skepticism with which her poetry might be received. In her Prologue (above), she apologizes for her lowly attempts and begs the reader to forgive her for her simple verses. While she admits her poems cannot compare with those of the Greeks or other great poets, she humbly asks to receive due credit for her efforts. I imagine Mrs. Bradstreet would be amazed to know that her humble expressions of devotion for her family and her God are still read and admired today, since she didn't initially intend to publish them at all.Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) was America's first female poet and is considered one of the two greatest New England poets of the 17th century.