Anne Bradstreet Influence

Allison Giffen states that Anne Bradstreet was a profound influence on "early- and nineteenth-century American women poets" (17). According to The Norton Anthology: American Literature, this is no surprise to other poets, as Bradstreet was the first female poet in America (207). There were many roles that Anne Bradstreet played that affected the outcome and content of her poetry. In the article Anne Bradstreet and Performativity: Self-Cultivation, Self-Deployment, Carrie Blackstock states that Bradstreet was "not only a dutiful daughter and Puritan, but also a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, poet, admirer of nature, and advocate of women's worth" (222). Blackstock declares that throughout all of Bradstreet's works, she cultivates her own

identity through the idea of Puritanism (222). In this paper I will discuss how Puritanism not only effects the content that Bradstreet writes on, but also tests her self-deployment.

Throughout all of Anne Bradstreet's works, Puritanism is a constant element that is entwined in her poetry. According to Giffen, Bradstreet's poetic work had "tension[s] between faith and feeling" as she discussed religious issues and lessons (1). Giffen says that these tensions that Bradstreet created within her poetry were commonly read "as demonstrations of how one appropriately responds to the Puritan dictum for honest self-examination" (1). One of Bradstreet's works that shows a great deal of religion can be seen in "Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th, 1666" where Blackstock shows that Bradstreet indicates "that God provides a heavenly dwelling as a gift … something she need not repay" (243). She notices that this poem that Bradstreet wrote contained references to the book of Luke from the Bible, where characters had a similar situation happen to them along with a religious lesson of how a religious person should respond to such an event (5). One example that Griffen pointed out was that in the opening lines in Luke 12 it stated that "Christ says of his coming [by saying], 'I am come to send fire on the earth' " (5). This testimony from the Bible is portrayed in Bradstreet's poetry, by warning religious people to be ready for his second coming and to allow God to make changes in their life no matter what it may be.

In the book of Luke, Griffen also made a connection that Bradstreet used the idea of surprise to portray Luke's words "the son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not" (5). An example of the passage of Luke can be seen in Bradstreet's poem in lines 1-2 where she wrote, "In silent night when rest I took/ For sorrow near I did not look" (232). Griffen analyzed that this poem "demonstrate[d] Bradstreet's uneasy engagement as a woman poet with the gendered spiritual discourse of her day" (5). Giffen believes that this poem "narrates an emblematic struggle between the spiritual and the material [importance]" (3). This struggle of classifying true importance in things in life can be seen in lines 13-15 of The Norton Anthology where Bradstreet wrote, "And when I could no longer look,/ I blest His name that gave and took,/ That laid my goods now in the dust" (232). These lines of poetry show that Bradstreet classified all of her belongings as her own and put great focus on these items instead of focusing on God.

Another example of wrongly-focused priority in the poem can be seen in lines 27-35 where Bradstreet wrote, "My pleasant things in ashes lie,/ And them behold no more shall I./ Under thy roof no guest shall sit,/ Nor at thy table eat a bit./ No pleasant tale shall e'er be told,/ Nor things recounted done of old/ No candle e'er shall shine in thee,/ Nor bridegroom's voice e'er heard shall be./ In silence ever shall thou lie," (233).

These lines show that Bradstreet focused on her materialistic items after the event of the fire instead of her God and the things that he provides that are not concrete. Giffen stated that these lines show inappropriate grief, especially for a Puritan (4). She believes that Bradstreet wrote "Upon the Burning of Our House" to teach others "a lesson in how one should respond to affliction" with the use of biblical tropes, or readings (4). The main lesson in "Upon the Burning of Our House" that Bradstreet wished to get across to those struggling with religion is that materialistic things shouldn't matter, as God has greater things planned for them in comparison to what people possess on Earth. Simply, Giffen believes that Bradstreet's lesson was for other's to "redirect their desire from the earthly to the spiritual"

(4).

According to Giffen, the first section, which consisted of lines 1-18 of the poem, "offers a vivid first-person description of the affliction- the event of the fire" (4). Giffen connected the event of the fire to religion, as "fire and thunder are two conventional figures for the voice of God" (5). She believes that Bradstreet's writing of God's image of fire is an awakening to her because throughout the duration of the poem Bradstreet discusses focusing on materialistic things instead of heavenly things that the afterlife will offer her. Giffen believes that lines 1-6 show the Puritan propensity strongly when Bradstreet wrote, "In silent night when rest I took,/For sorrow neer I did not look,/ I waken'd was with thundring nois/ And Piteous shrieks of dreadfull voice./That fearfull sound of fire and fire,/ Let no man know is my Desire." (5). Giffen states that these lines describe the event of the fire, opening the religious test into action for the housewife (5). These lines set into motion the test of religious beliefs after a disastrous event.

The lines 19-36 offer a broader perspective to the readers, as Giffen believes that these lines include "both figuratively and literally looks home and experiences" in creating a theme of looking for more, which can be seen in a literal term or a religious term.

(4). The religious lesson in this poem can be seen in lines 21-22 where Bradstreet wrote, "When by the ruins oft I past/My sorrowing eyes aside did cast" (233). According to Giffen, "this experience leads the speaker to chide her heart for the ways it is 'out of order' " (4). This event shows the struggle that the woman has with classifying the importance of things, in this poem it was in terms of materialistic or religious importance. Giffen shows that lines 21-22 connect with the book of Luke when he wrote about Lot and his wife and how she is "the woman punished for looking back at her home as it burned with fire and brimstone" (5). Giffen states that in the poem, the action of looking back at the burning house is halting the woman's spiritual pilgrimage because she is going against what God asks of her, which in Genesis Luther believes that when someone looks back that means that they are "depart[ing] from God's command and … [are] occupied with other matters … outside one's calling" (6). She believes that at this point in the book of Luke is "warning to be prepared to leave behind the things of this earth and fix our attention on God" and Bradstreet does well to incorporate this idea into this conclusion of the

poem when she wrote lines 50-54, "Yet by His gift is made thine own;/ There's wealth enough, I need no more,/ Farewell, my pelf, farewell my store./ The world no longer let me love,/ My hope and treasure lies above." (6). The poem ended with a resolution of the end of a religious struggle between the woman, as she realized what was truly important.

Although religion was a constant theme in her poetic works, Blackstock states that the "era that [Bradstreet wrote in] subordinated women to men and men to God, 'women who stepped beyond their domestic confines through literature- by reading or writing- were considered dangerous to themselves and society … Puritans expressed considerable scorn for women who wrote or published" (223). The Puritan's strict rule on women writing literature caused conflict in self-assertion, as they felt like it would be better if when "one saw of oneself in [the humanist] mirror [it would be better if there was] no reflection at all" instead of Bradstreet's poetry that was created for others to see and learn from (223). This statement explains why Anne Bradstreet was angered when her brother-in-low published "The Tenth Muse" without Bradstreet's permission, as she did not want people to know that she went against her religion in the aspect of writing poetry (223). According to Anne Bradstreet's Poetic Voices, Kenneth Requa says that the action of portraying Bradstreet's poetry to the public was a problem to her, and one of the reasons why she was so irritated at her step-brother for publishing her work, because self-consciousness started to show in her later works due to this event (3). This could also be why "Upon Our Burning House" was so powerful, as Bradstreet wrote it without expecting an audience. Though the Puritans were strict on who could write, Anne Bradstreet created a "literary form of integration to counter" her religions rejection of women writings, causing Blackstock to call her a rebel in her era (223).

Bradstreet's religious poems had great influence on other poets' writing and within the lives of religious individuals. Requa stated that although her poetic voice varied depending on the crowd that the poem would be viewed, her message was always strong (3). As a Puritan woman poet, Anne Bradstreet's writing was controversial, but that did not stop her from proclaiming her religious struggle and religion in general. Bradstreet's work proclaimed Puritan beliefs well, especially considering that her religion was against females writing poetry. This small revolt against this Puritan belief showed that Bradstreet's focus was directly on God and proclaiming His word, instead of falling to society, or what is thought to be important on Earth.