Summary Of The Wisdom Of Anne Bradstreet

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 Bradstreet’s feelings about her home represent the most material conflict. When her home burned down she wrote the poem to voice these feelings of hers. She describes the awakening to the “shrieks of dreadful voice” and going out to watch “the flame consume” her “dwelling place”. But she comforts herself with good Puritan dogma. The burning of the house is God’s doing and his doings should not be questioned. In looking over the stanzas where she

"The Author to Her Book" shows Bradstreet's feelings about the unauthorized printing of her work. She expresses her modesty about her ability to write by comparing her work to "homespun cloth" meaning that is was coarse and unrefined. Bradstreet also uses humor to express her feelings about the publication of her work without corrections, but there is still some genuine discomfort. "At thy return my blushing was not small" shows that she was a bit embarrassed about the world reading her rough drafts, but she amends her view towards the book as the poem continues. "Yet being mine own, at length affection would Thy blemishes amend…" illustrates that she truly loves her poetry, and after it is "cleaned" she takes pride in it. She show her delight in her work with the admonition "If for thy Father asked, say thou had'st none." Bradstreet wanted everyone to recognize her for the talented woman writer that she was, but requested this acknowledgment in a humble way.

In “The Author to Her Book,” Bradstreet is inundated in indecision and internal struggles over the virtues and shortfalls of her abilities and the book that she produced. As human beings we associate and sympathize with each other through similar experiences. It is difficult to sympathize with someone when you don’t know where they are coming from and don’t know what they are dealing with. Similar experiences and common bonds are what allow us to extend our sincere appreciation and understanding for another human being’s situation. In this poem an elaborate struggle between pride and shame manifests itself through an extended metaphor in which she equates her book to her own child.

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 not the typical Puritan author. She wrote sweet and loving poems that greatly contrasted from other writers of her time. She did not write the ever so popular sermons that told people that they were going to hell and there was nothing they could do about it. Bradstreet was a rarity in Puritan times, she was a very educated woman that worked on something other than being a woman in the household. She was one of a kind and the beginning of an era. Using literary criticism when reading Anne Bradstreet’s poems adds a deeper understanding of her character and difficulties in life.

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.

She was Americans first female poet. She wrote about her life and struggles between religion and society. She was looked down on because men were the only people in the colonial period who were considered good writers. She wrote the poem “Upon the Burning of Our House”. In this poem she is watching her house burn down and explaining how she feels about it. Anne Bradstreet contrasts the transitory nature of earthly treasure with eternal treasures. Everything that Anne Bradstreet writes is about her religion and how it shapes her life. Bradstreet’s writings reflect the Puritans’ knowledge of the stories and language of the Bible, as well as their awareness of the relationship between earthly and heavenly life. Anne Bradstreet, like the Puritans, believed that God would take away what He needed to, to ensure that her heart was in the right place, and that He came first; above all. Along with her faith, her marriage and her role as a mother also fulfilled the puritan ideal; loving, respectful, and feminine. Her writings reveal themes of religion in nature and reflected Puritan

In conclusion, it is left to the opinion whether Anne Bradstreet reflects the Puritan lifestyle or not because this poem focuses on a longing for her

In addition, Bradstreet expressed a need for equality. She wanted people to take a step back and glimpse back to history, “Let Greeks be Greeks, and women what they are;” (240). In Greece, women were equal among men, as were the Gods and Goddesses. In the seventh stanza of “The Prologue,” Bradstreet gives her most strong cry out for recognition, still however, it is subtle, “Men have precedeny and still excel,/ It is but vain unjustly to wage war;/men can do best, and women know it well/ Preeminence in all and each is yours;/ Yet grant some small acknowledgement of ours” (240). Also in this quote is Bradstreet’s observance of men in their natural state. She sees men as war hungry, vain and powerful. Consequently, Anne Bradstreet faced a double bind. If she voiced her thoughts, opinions, and beliefs, she would have put herself in danger, and by not saying anything, she would force herself to go on living in a patriarchy.

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 the beliefs of the religion, but the beliefs of individuals as well. All Puritan literature is utilitarian, meaning it’s useful, purposeful, and reflecting a non-ornate style of writing. One of the most prominent early English poets was Anne Bradstreet. Using the utilitarian style, her poetry is entirely unique to herself and her emotions as a Puritan. Anne Bradstreet crosses the bridges between her faith and her experiences in her works. 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.

The Puritans were a group of people who grew discontent in the Church of England and worked towards religious, moral and societal reforms. The Puritan’s values, ideas, and beliefs are evident in the works of Anne Bradstreet in various ways. Through her poetry, Bradstreet reveals her Puritan values and ideals as she was aware of a woman’s role within the society and portrayed herself as an obedient and modest wife. Anne dives in her poem with high emotions with how she, as a woman, is treated and compared to that of a man in “The Prologue”. The author writes, “But when my wond’ring eyes and envious heart”, as an explanation of her values and ideals during the time period and then goes on to state that, “A Bartas can do what a Bartas will but simple I according to my