Comparing Verses Upon The Burning Of Our House By Bradstreet And Taylor

Puritans are intense religious people, they do things in order from God to their own personal challenges, while still keeping God in their minds at all times. Anne Bradstreet is a Puritan who had just lost her house due to a fire. Her approach to this story is a calm and loveable approach. Jonathan Edwards is another Puritan but he is much more intense with informing people about God. He puts God before anyone and everything just like any other puritan would do. Edwards approach to this story is violent and brutal, he tells everyone in his story’s who are sinners that they will be held over fires by God.“ Here Follow Some Verses Upon The Burning of Our House”and “Sinner In The Hands Of An Angry God” are both very similar in some ways and different

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.

Puritans traditionally held strong views on their religious beliefs and the concept of weaned affections was an especially vital tenet of Puritanism. The doctrine of weaned affections essentially states that Puritans must relinquish their ties to earthly possessions in favor of maintaining spirituality as a priority. Although Puritans learned from infancy about “the importance of renouncing earthly nourishment and affection in favor of ‘spiritual milk’”, (“Weaned Affections”) many Puritans may still have had a difficult time with mastering this spiritual ideal. In “Verses upon the Burning of our House, July 10th, 1666,” Bradstreet depicts how the loss of her home is initially challenging for her to endure through her reminiscing of how she will miss her physical possessions and how her home enabled her to fulfill her duties as a wife and mother. Although this can be viewed as an immensely human response to such a devastating loss, Bradstreet is quick to remind herself, and readers, that the home and its contents truly only belonged to God and that she would do better to consider God’s kingdom over the rubble of her old home on Earth. In Anne Bradstreet’s poem “Verses on the Burning of our House,” the speaker discusses her attempt to reconcile the loss of her earthly possessions with religious tenets and, in doing so, highlights the struggle of Puritans to maintain the religious ideal of valuing only spiritual worth, as depicted through the concept of weaned affections.

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.

Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor are two poets who are puritans. They are able to use writing and language to portray their ideas on G-d and religion. Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th, 1666 by Bradstreet and Huswifery by Taylor are similar in the sense that G-d is always a part of their poems, whether it’s direct or through the use of complex writing. Through the use of language and metaphors, Bradstreet conveys that a connection with G-d could be strengthened through destruction while Taylor reveals that a connection can be reinforced through creation.

Anne Bradstreet was not only the first English-speaking, North American poet, but she was also the first American, woman poet to have her works published. In 1650, without her knowledge, Bradstreet’s brother-in-law had many of her poems published in a collection called The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up In America. Although these poems did not reflect what would be her best work, they did emulate what would be the greatest influence on all of her writing. Anne Bradstreet’s Puritan life was the strongest, and the most obvious influence on her work. Whether it was her reason for writing, how she wrote, or what she wrote about, Bradstreet’s poems would reflect the influence of Puritan life and doctrine.

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.

Bradstreet makes a point to show her thought process of returning to the Puritan mindset when she begins to question herself in her poem. The following is an example: “The straight I ‘gin my heart to chide,/And did they wealth on earth abide?/Didst fix thy hope on mold’ring dust?/The arm of flesh didst make they trust?” (37-40). The repetitive notion of the author questioning herself allows the reader to see into her thought process regarding her current struggle with her beliefs. The author includes this process in the poem to enable the reader to fully understand her way of thinking and ultimately makes her writing more relatable. Bradstreet develops the content of the poem to show her external struggle to release her material possessions and focus on the process of regaining her Puritan beliefs, however, the form of the poem speaks louder to her unwavering internal faith.

Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor are two of the most distinguished and fervent Puritan poets. Yet this similarity has proven to be one of the few, if not only between these two. One cannot help but find it intriguing that poets who belong to the same religious group and style would write so differently. Many of these differences are not even subtle or hidden beneath the text itself. The differences themselves hold implications and ideas that differ between each poet.

Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards were two Puritans with the same religious obligations, however, as shown in their writing, they have completely different views on how they go about respecting these obligations. Bradstreet is about being thankful for what God gave her, and to be happy with her life despite hardships which is displayed very well in her poem, “Upon the Burning of Our House” where she explains her feelings while her house was burnt to a crisp right in front of her. Meanwhile, Edwards was writing his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and this sermon shows that he was tense almost a polar opposite when considering Bradstreet’s views on life and religion. In Bradstreet’s

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.

It was serious, plain, and to the point. They felt it needed to be practical. Religion played a huge role in the lives of Puritans. They ate, slept, and breathed this. Through each of the writings of William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, and Jonathan Edwards readers can see the essence of Puritanism. The three principles of Puritans (God’s grace, simplicity, and divine mission) can be mirrored through each author’s works. My personal favorite author of the three is Anne Bradstreet. I am an emotional person and I admire that all of her writings are from the heart and completely relatable on every level. There is something about the way that she writes that makes you feel what she is feeling, because in some way in your own personal life there is a similar situation. In her poem “Upon the Burning of Our House” she talks about watching her house burn. Although I have not watched my house burn, I have seen things so dear to me get caught in flames so to speak. God has more than once tried to put things in perspective for me and remind me that this world is temporal and not eternal, that my focus should be on Him. I can relate with Bradstreet on the value of earthly and eternal treasures. Anne Bradstreet’s poetry spoke more than just in the colonial times. It is ever more present in today’s time and just as

First and foremost, Hutchins makes a claim that in all of Bradstreet’s poems, she shows both a rebellion of standards for a Puritan woman at the time, and a submission to those roles. He claims that the main way Bradstreet “rebels” is seeking wisdom. Hutchins identifies two types of wisdom that many Puritan leaders acknowledged: sapientia- a spiritual or biblical wisdom, and scientia- a secular or “natural” wisdom (43). Hutchins claims that Bradstreet demonstrates both in her writing. In Bradstreet’s poem “Contemplations”, many critics argue that she is defying the Puritan culture of the time; however, Hutchins counter argues that she instead creates “a middle course” between the concepts of loving Creation and loving God (44-45). Hutchins also argues that Bradstreet conforms to the Puritan social views of the time given her portrayal of Eve in Genesis as responsible for the fall of humanity (45-46).

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 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