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Puritan ideologies in anne bradstreet's poetry
Summary and Analysis of Anne Bradstreet poems
Puritan beliefs and values, are they still alive in America today? paper
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An Examination of Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet was a puritan woman who was exceptionally gifted in her ability to write literary works. From the time she was a young child, her father made sure she received a much higher education than other girls her age. This is one of the reasons why Anne Bradstreet was capable of such literary success. When Anne was sixteen she married Simon Bradstreet, and soon found herself traveling to America due to her husband’s current occupation (Baym and Levina). Once in America, there were many daily hardships which proved to be very challenging for Anne primarily due to the condition of her health (Baym and Levina). This new life style was thought of as unpleasant to Anne, and found much discontent in
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it. Not only did she find discontent living on a new continent, but she also felt discontent in her daily life as a puritan woman. Growing up in the Puritan faith, Anne Bradstreet was not able to fully express herself in her works due to strict guidelines put on her by religious leaders.
In Puritan society, women were considered to be not equal to men and did not have a voice when it came to religious or moral issues. If women were to challenge or oppose the laws of their leaders, they could be persecuted, exiled, or put to death if the charge was severe enough. Since she could not openly express her true thoughts and feelings in words to those around her, she relied on her writing abilities to speak her mind. While writing poems, Anne used clever and well thought out wording to deliver the message of her writing without exposing her true opinions. Her poems typically expressed her personal thoughts and feelings toward Puritan …show more content…
society. One of the primary issues Anne felt discontent with was women’s equality to men in Puritan society. In Anne Bradstreet’s poem “The Prologue”, she compares herself with many great historical figures and their accomplishments (Baym and Levina). She indirectly points out on many occasions how women are capable of doing these great things as well. She shows discontent with how men expect her to only carry out certain tasks in life, when she is capable of doing so much more (Baym and Levina). An example of this is when she tells of the carping tongues of those who tell her a sewing needle better fits her hand than a poet’s pen (Baym and Levina). However, Anne is not deterred by their gossip or accusations of falsehood. Instead, she continues to write her poetry, even if it means it is never taken seriously by men. Anne also shows discontentment with her social status in her community. She feels envious towards those more prominent than her own family. Moreover, she envies the success of men and their position. In “The Prologue 2”, she discusses the envy in her heart and how she will show up the prominent male with her writing skill (Baym and Levina). Again, she references her discontentment with position in “Contemplations 19”, and states there are those with birth right more “noble” than others (Baym and Levina 219). After which she points out their nobility and birth right are for nothing because after they fall into “oblivion” their positions and possession will be no more (Baym and Levina). I believe Anne Bradstreet is an ideal example of what a feminist writer should look like. In her writing, she proposes many ideas which suggest how women should be thought of as equal to men. In “The Prologue” by Anne Bradstreet, she writes about how men see themselves as superior to women in all things and expect them to acknowledge it as a fact (Baym and Levina). In this statement she shows a tone of sarcasm because she finds it completely absurd for one gender to think they are superior to the other (Baym and Levina). Next she goes on to say how women have and are capable of great accomplishments as well, and how they should receive recognition for their successes (Baym and Levina). Although she is serious is stating this, she uses sarcasm to show as if the accomplishments of women are miniscule compared to those men. Anne Bradstreet also brings up the argument of women being as intelligent if not more intelligent than men. During Anne’s lifetime, only men were credited for the production of artworks. Women were rarely ever credited for producing art pieces. In her literary work “The Prologue”, Anne speaks of the Muses of Greek mythology and how although they were all goddesses of the arts, somehow she is not capable of such works herself (Baym and Levina). She states in her writing, how inconceivable it is for individuals to view women as having no place in the production of arts, when the highly regarded Greeks referred to their goddesses as masters of the arts (Baym and Levina). Anne also produces a poem in “Contemplations 29”, expressing how man is just as susceptible to illness, sorrow, hurt, and relational ruin as women (Baym and Levina). She is in many ways attempting to humanize men and bring them to the same level as women. Although Anne did not spare her feminist views, she made it a point to discuss the respect she had for her husband and father. In “To Her Father with Some Verses”, she discusses the debt she feels towards him for giving her the ability to receive education (Baym and Levina). She opens the poem by stating he was honored and truly dear, showing great admiration for his life and for his patriotism. In a separate poem she references her father’s love for “true religion” and how she had accepted this religion, which is puritanism (Baym and Levina 213). As for her husband, Anne frequently discussed the enduring and extravagant love she had for him. She shows us she also had a view of equality among the sexes and did not view one more important than the other, but a mechanism working together harmoniously. Throughout Anne Bradstreet’s time as a poet living in America, it was normal for her to relate poems to her life as well as the lives of other Puritan women around her.
In her poems she often shows the hardships and concerns in the lives of most Puritan women. Some of these concerns are for their children, homes, husbands, and death (Baym and Levina). In “Before the Birth of One of Her Children”, she speaks of death which was a concern of many puritan women during childbirth (Baym and Levina). Anne was also a very sickly woman from early on in her life, so death was certainly a common concern for her. In this poem, Anne is bothered by the thought of her death and hopes that the remainder of her unlived life and memories of virtue will be passed on to her husband (Baym and
Levina). She also relates the struggle of fearing death in her poem “As Weary Pilgrim”, giving a verbal picture of a Puritan funeral (Baym and Levina). But, she also relates the struggle of being a sick women and yearning to be put to rest. During these times it was very common for individuals to contract illnesses and pass away from them. Anne was describing her agony and desire to be released from her ill stricken body into heaven (Baym and Levina). These could have most certainly been the daily struggles of a puritan woman, whether she, her child, or her husband had the illness. The emotional burden of being a caretaker for a sick loved one would have taken its toll, and Anne attempts to relate that through her own struggle (Baym and Levina). Then she attempts to give others hope through her message of arising anew in heaven, with a new found body (Baym and Levina). By having her husband live on past her death, Anne knows her beloved children will be taken care of and protected from those who would harm them (Baym and Levina). Anne Bradstreet along with the majority of other Puritan women loved their husbands and thought very highly of them. In her poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, Anne expresses in words how she truly feels towards Simon Bradstreet (Baym and Levina). She first states how no other wife has the same level of love for her husband as she has, and if there is try to find one. She also speaks of his love towards her and how she in no way can repay him for it (Baym and Levina). This essence of this poem shows how Puritan women viewed their marriages and expresses the undying love wives had for their husbands, stating even after death they would continue their love when they reached heaven. Puritan women were often required to take on the responsibilities of men while they were away on travel for business. Not only did women take on the physical burden of their husband’s absences, but the emotional burden as well. In Anne Bradstreet’s poem “A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment”, She speaks of how she misses her husband and how she longs for his return (Baym and Levina). She uses eloquent words to describe the emotional pain and depressive state she has entered, due to her husband’s absence. Because many puritan men had to travel, this could most definitely describe the similar pains of other puritan women. She refers to her husband as Sol, which is translated as the Sun, suggesting he brings warmth and light to her world. This expresses the hardship of living without her husband, going to bed alone, and waking up realizing she was left to take care of life comfortless. Conclusion Gifted with the ability to write magnificent poetry, Anne Bradstreet used carefully worded pieces to relate her personal feelings towards gender equality, struggles with health, the love of her husband, and coping with death. She continuously showed her perseverance and persistence despite being looked down upon as a female and as a writer. Although she showed discontentment with her society, she made it evident in many poems the enduring love she had for her husband, children, religion, and family.
Anne Bradstreet was a Puritan and wrote her religious faith about God. When Bradstreet was used to the Puritan culture she felt like God didn’t guide her through her struggles and she started to questioned God existence and as a Puritan’s religious belief was to always accept God. The letter, “To My Dear Children” was from Bradstreet to her children about her relationship with God. The summary of the letter is Bradstreet accepted the Puritan culture when she was about sixteen years old coming to America. After she was married she started to observe God and questioned him because she felt sickness and pain and hoped God would lift her up the light on her. Bradstreet also questions her afterlife with a quote, “And could I have been in heaven without the love of God, it would had been hell to me, for in truth it is the absence and presence of God that makes heaven or hell.” This quote can be pertained in today’s world because it’s
In Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson's generation, women were limited in what they could/could not do. In the 1600s, women were taught to be good wives and mothers along with performing duties in the house. During this time period, most women did not work instead that was the man's duty. They also were raised to portray Puritan values. Bradstreet and Rowlandson both stood out as Puritan women because their works became published in a time in which women were not supposed to write. Both Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson's status as women played a part in their writing because they both struggled with Puritan/human dichotomy in their works.
Bradstreet was a Puritan and was therefore raised with a simplistic view of the world. This, combined with the fact that she was a woman, carried over into her way of writing. Her writing style was not eloquent but plain, humble, and pleasant to read. Her poems dealt with topics such as faith, family, and adversity and were easy to understand. Bradstreet had great faith which she gained through the experiences she encountered in life.
The story of Anne's childhood must be appreciated in order to understand where her drive, inspiration, and motivation were born. As Anne watches her parents go through the tough times in the South, Anne doesn't understand the reasons as to why their life must this way. In the 1940's, at the time of her youth, Mississippi built on the foundations of segregation. Her mother and father would work out in the fields leaving Anne and her siblings home to raise themselves. Their home consisted of one room and was in no comparison to their white neighbors, bosses. At a very young age Anne began to notice the differences in the ways that they were treated versus ...
Although Anne Bradstreet appeared to be the ideal Puritanical housewife, she faced many hardships throughout her lifetime. She faced death often, either due to disease or childbirth. These hardships led Bradstreet
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 motive for her persecution was that she challenged the traditional subordinate role of women in Puritan society by expressing her own religious convictions.
She was aware of the situation of women in her times, especially being a puritan woman. They were restricted to certain modes of behavior, speech
Anne Bradstreet loves her children so much because she raised them all with pain and care. Bradstreet often talks about her children loving people, and people loving them, “And with her mate flew out of sight” (14) and out of her reach so she can not watch over them. Bradstreet’s strong Puritan heritage gives her unquestionable belief that God is watching over her children for her, and her children are watching for God. With this relationship between her and God, Anne Bradstreet accepts the departure of her children. In this poem Anne Bradstreet talks about success, “Coupled with mate loving and true” (23) this is Bradstreet’s idea of success for her children in this poem. Anne Bradstreet’s idea of success is so much more than just this line, in the fact that she wants her children to be educated, and live good productive Christian lives. All of these things are implied in the poem as simple as finding a mate and “flying” off.
For the most part of the poem she states how she believes that it is Gods calling, [Then ta’en away unto eternity] but in other parts of the poem she eludes to the fact that she feels more like her granddaughter was stolen from her [or sigh thy days so soon were terminate]. One of the main beliefs in these times was that when someone died it was their time; God needed them and had a better plan. Both poets found peace in the idea that God had the children now and it was part of the plan, but are also deeply saddened and used poetry as a coping mechanism.
Anne Bradstreet, whom most critics consider America’s first “authentic poet”, was born and raised as a Puritan. Bradstreet married her husband Simon at the tender age of eighteen. She wrote her poems while rearing eight children and performing other domestic duties. In her poem “Upon The Burning Of Our House, July 10th, 1666”, Bradstreet tells of three valuable lessons she learned from the fire that destroyed her home.
Anne Hutchinson challenged the traditional role of women in the Puritan society through her opposing religious beliefs. Anne Hutchinson was most likely not the first woman to have her own thoughts. She was simply the first to act on them. Anne Hutchinson was born on or about July17, 1591 in Alford, Licolnshire, England. She was the daughter of Reverend Francis Marbury. Rev. Marbury spoke out that many of the ordained ministers in the Church of England were unfit to guide people's souls. For this act of defiance, he was put in jail for one year. Anne read many of her father's books on theology and religion. Much of Anne's independence and willingness to speak out was due to her father's example. Anne admired her father for his defiance of traditional church principles. Then in 1612 she married William Hutchinson. Together they had 15 children. In 1634 she and her husband moved to Boston. Here Anne began holding informal church meetings in her home discussing the pastor's services and also preaching her beliefs to her followers. Threatened by meetings she held in her Boston home, the clergy charged Hutchinson with hersey. An outspoken female in a male hierarchy, Hutchinson had little hope that many would speak in her defense, and she was being tried by the General Court. In 1636 she was charged with hersey and banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony. Several years later when she moved to New York she was killed in an Indian attack. Anne challenged the Puritan clergy.
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".
Feminism today remains prominent because even while women’s rights are very strong, women are still fighting for equality every day. In the time of Anne Bradstreet, women had few rights and they were seen as inferior to men. Anne lived among the puritans whom ruled her everyday life. Although it was against the puritan code for women to receive an education, Bradstreet’s father, Thomas Dudley, loved his daughter dearly and made sure that she was well educated which shows in her works. Anne Bradstreet’s literature became well known only because her family published her works under a male name. This was done because writing poetry was a serious offense to the puritans since poetry was considered creative and the only creating that was done was by God. In the works of Anne Bradstreet, she conveys a feminist attitude, and could very well be one of the first American Feminists.
This poem is a firsthand account of how Anne Bradstreet was feeling when she experienced the loss of her granddaughter, Elizabeth. Although Bradstreet's attitude on Elizabeth's death seems to reflect her belief in God's plan, the diction suggests otherwise.
Up until the early 17th century, American literature was chiefly about politics, religion, and recorded events. These writings were very dry and lacked insight into the everyday lives of the authors. To put into writing any individual spiritual reflections that strayed away from the religion of the colony could be dangerous at that time; possibly resulting in banishment from the colony or worse. Likewise, any writing that did not serve at least one of the purposes listed above was considered to be a waste of time that would be better spent praising God. Anne Bradstreet defied the rules of her time by writing about whatever she wanted including personal thoughts, reflections, emotions, and events. Bradstreet was the first to write about personal matters, which is her greatest literary contribution in early American literature.