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Anne Bradstreet Poetry

To My Dear and Loving HusbandUpon the Burning of Our House

Born in 1612; Died 1672 Moved from England to Boston in 1630 Received more education than was usual

for a Puritan woman Father and husband were both governors

of Massachusetts Married Simon Bradstreet at age 16 Mother of 8 children

Background

Women who wrote stepped outside their appropriate sphere.

Intense daily workloads Unequal access to education

Women and Writing

First book of poetry by an American; First volume of poetry by a woman; considered first American poet.

Worked secretly; her poems and other writings were written as personal reflection of her own thoughts and fears.

Later, her works gave insight into the lives and thoughts of women living during that time period.

Importance of Her Work

First volume of poetry contains long poems on subjects such as medicine, history, and qualities of fire.

Second volume of poetry contain shorter poems in a simpler style about children, family, and home.

Later poems are more intimate and express her deep attachment to family and a sense of loss.

Importance of Her Work

Puritan faith during hard times Poems express the Puritan belief that

one must not get too attached to the things of the world.

Poems addressed the following: Vanity of worldly pleasures Brevity of life Resignation to God’s will

Theme of Writings

“Upon the Burning of Our House” is filled with inversions.

In an inversion, sentences are not written in normal word order.

For example, Bradstreet writes, “I wakened was with thund’ring noise” instead of “I was wakened with thund’ring noise.

Inversions are often used to make a poem’s rhyme scheme work out or to maintain a fixed meter

Inversion

Plain style is a way of writing that stresses simplicity and clarity of expression. There are four characteristics of plain style:

Everyday language Simple sentences Direct statements Biblical references

Plain Style

Ornate Style Plain StyleShabby but beloved, my shoes house my feet as they carry me from place to place.

My shoes are old, brown, kind of worn-out, but comfortable for walking around in.

The pen spills ink-blood as it brings words to life.

The pen is a blue ballpoint with a leaky tip.

Plain Style

From second volume of poetry Short, written simply and addresses family,

specifically her husband. Uses anaphora, or the repetition of sentence

structure (“If ever”) Lines 5-6 create an image of wealth (mines of gold

and riches of the East). Bradstreet contrasts material wealth with spiritual

wealth (the love of her husband and God). Last 2 lines = Puritan belief that successful

marriage (faithfulness) are rewarded in the afterlife.

To My Dear and Loving Husband

From first volume of poetry; it is longer and concerns the qualities of fire.

Lines 8-10 “And to my God...leave me succorless” show Bradstreet relying on God to give her strength in tough times and to be fair in his actions.

Lines 14-16 “I blest his name…so ‘twas just” show the Puritan belief in God’s purpose (it must have happened for a reason)

Bradstreet began valuing earthly possession more than her faith; therefore, God took them away.

Upon the Burning of Our House

Puritans believe all things in this world are God’s and he has the right to take them away from where he sees fit.

Lines 43-48 illustrate that Puritans have a permanent house in heaven “House on high erect / Framed by that mighty Architect”.

The end of the poem reinforces the Puritan belief in simplicity and plainness. “There is wealth enough, I need no more…my hope and treasure lies above.”

Upon the Burning of Our House

Worksheet 2.6 Anne Bradstreet poetry—due Thursday, September 19th!

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