Poetry Explication Anne Bradstreet’s “To My Dear and Loving Husband” is a poem from the Colonial movement that explores the vigorous idea of undying love, and its binding force that can combine two people into one. The exact date this poem was written is uncertain, although it is known to be inscribed between 1641 through 1643, but not published until 1678--six years after Bradstreet’s death. The poem is written in first person and narrated by the wife explaining her immortal love to her husband, this implying the audience to be the husband. The speaker starts the poem with “If ever two were one, then surely we” (1). The speaker continues on proclaiming their harmony together saying that there is no other woman in the world that loves their …show more content…
husband more than she does. She then goes on to say, if there was ever a wife more elated with her husband, she asks those women to compare themselves to her. In the fifth and sixth line, Bradstreet explains, “I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, / Or all the riches that the East doth hold” (5-6). Her love is so vast for her husband, a river could not even quench her love, she even says, there is nothing she can ever do to repay her husband for his love. In the final line Bradstreet explains, “That when we live no more, we may live ever” (12). She believes they love each other so much that when they die, their love will live on. Bradstreet's tone throughout the poem seems to be emotional and passionate, which ties into the theme suggesting that love is so compelling it can take over, and create the feeling that two people have became one. In order to effectively illustrate Bradstreet's love for her husband, she utilizes a substantial anaphora, a rhyme scheme and a specific meter to add meaning.
Therefore, the poem begins with “If ever” repeated in first three lines, then again, at the end of the poem in the last two lines, Bradstreet repeats “we live”. By Bradstreet doing this, she is emphasizing that if her and her husband ever die, they will live on together because they are so in love. Also, the word love is used repeatedly throughout the poem, every time in describing the emotions she felt for her husband. Love is a strong emotion that two people feel for each other and is a word used to describe how much someone means to you. Additionally, the poet created a rhyming pattern at the end of each line. For example, the first and second line display perfect rhyme: “we” and “thee,” then in the third and fourth line “man” and “can,” et cetera. Finally, meter or rhythm created is measured in iambic pentameter, thus creating an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, in a line that has five feet. By Bradstreet using an iambic meter that is light and bouncy, it is another way of indicating how earnest and heartfelt she is towards her husband. Undoubtedly, form plays a extensive role in adding to the poem's
message. “To My Dear and Loving Husband” contains tenacious figurative language, specifically compelling personification and a wondrous metaphor to display wifes love towards her husband. In the seventh line the wife says, “My love is such that rivers cannot quench” (7). In line five and six, “I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, / Or all the riches that the East doth hold” (5-6). Bradstreet uses this metaphor to express how much she cherishes her husband’s love. She values his love more than gold and all the riches in the East. She compares his love to objects that most consider to be rare treasures. She genuinely believes that his love is the rare treasure. By contrasting these ideas, Bradstreet emphasizes that a love like his is a rare treasure and it is a commodity to be thankful for, not to take for granted. The content of “To My Dear and Loving Husband” make it a prime example of the Colonial period.
In the poems “Huswifery” by Edward Taylor and “To My Dear Loving Husband” by Anne Bradstreet use very contrasting writing styles. These were both written in the Puritan era; where the government was a theocracy, the church controlled everything and the people’s lifestyles were severely restricted. I believe that these poems are prime examples of how their strict lives affected the way the writer’s poems came out the way they did.
The first stanza describes the depth of despair that the speaker is feeling, without further explanation on its causes. The short length of the lines add a sense of incompleteness and hesitance the speaker feels towards his/ her emotions. This is successful in sparking the interest of the readers, as it makes the readers wonder about the events that lead to these emotions. The second and third stanza describe the agony the speaker is in, and the long lines work to add a sense of longing and the outpouring emotion the speaker is struggling with. The last stanza, again structured with short lines, finally reveals the speaker 's innermost desire to "make love" to the person the speaker is in love
Anne Bradstreet?s poem, ?To my Dear and Loving Husband? presents a beautiful love theme. "Of ever two were one, then surely we" (1). This quotation is important because Bradstreet is pointing out that she does not feel as though she is one individual person. And one of the first questions that come to my mind is if Bradstreet was trying to make a point for all wives to be that way or she felt insecure about her own self. The poem itself portrays a loving wife, but the fact is she sounds like she is afraid to be alone, that her husband is the one who makes her complete, in another words, it makes her be a full person.
She writes a letter to husband, almost instructing him on what to do after her death. Unlike other demure housewives of her time, she acknowledges the risk birthing her child brings by saying, “And when thy loss shall be repaid with gains / Look to my little babes, my dear remains” (107). Bradstreet also approaches a taboo subject by acknowledging that her husband might remarry. Bradstreet does not tread lightly on this subject either by writing, “And if thou love thyself, or loved’st me, / These o protect from step Dames injury” (107). In this poem, Bradstreet faces the possibility of not only the loss of her life but the loss of her husband’s love. Bradstreet challenges Puritan beliefs by showing that she will still be concerned with her earthly life after her
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.
God; whereas Taylor wrote solely on his love for God. Bradstreet was a pioneer in the idea of writing about loving your husband and self. This was one of her greatest achievements and also greatest gifts to the world, even though it was not appropriate to write about such subjects she did anyway. The combination of Bradstreet and Taylors poetry about love prove to the world that love can exist in any part of life and should be appreciated and
With so much affection and emotion in her writing, Bradstreet’s writing shows that she is very faithful, loving, and passionate. Therefore Bradstreet’s “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” expresses how much she loves her husband and how great their love is. In “To My Dear and Loving Husband” Bradstreet expresses this when she says:
When Bradstreet’s next grandchild, Anne, passed away, she was unable to resist it. She lost her control and become disappointed. She wrote a poem under “In Memory of My dear Grandchild Anne Bradstreet, Who Deceased June 20, 1669.”5 The poem starts with the speaker
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is written in an entertaining and adventurous spirit, but serves a higher purpose by illustrating the century’s view of courtly love. Hundreds, if not thousands, of other pieces of literature written in the same century prevail to commemorate the coupling of breathtaking princesses with lionhearted knights after going through unimaginable adventures, but only a slight few examine the viability of such courtly love and the related dilemmas that always succeed. “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” shows that women desire most their husband’s love, Overall, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” shows that the meaning of true love does not stay consistent, whether between singular or separate communities and remains timeless as the depictions of love from this 14th century tale still hold true today.
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.
In a blunt sort of way the claim is illustrated in the first line: “If ever two were one, then surely we” (1), I believe the line means if ever two people were so compatible, so enthralled, enthused and in love with one another, it was the poet and her beloved. I believe that Anne Bradstreet was so in love and so enamored with the man in the poem that she thought herself the happiest woman. That no other women could ever be as happy as she is. The poet uses a multitude of metaphors and repetition throughout the poem. “My love is such that rivers cannot quench,/Thy love is such I can no way repay” (8-9), both lines being metaphors. Line 8 I believe is meaning that her desire and love for that man is comparable to a thirst, and the thirst she feels is unquenchable. I feel line 9 to mean that the love the man gives to her, is such she cannot repay in the same fashion, for he loves her all too much. Her husband’s love is so grand, she cannot fathom trying to repay
It’s clear to see that she is happy with her marriage unlike her peers. Bradstreet surely doesn’t mean this in any demeaning or bragging way, she is just so infatuated with who is clearly her soul mate and the love of her life that she wrote and dedicate a poem to. She also states in the poem that, “My love is such that rivers cannot quench, / Nor ought but love from thee give -recompense” (7-8). These two lines are great worldly comparisons. She can’t get enough of her husband. Her husband brings her this happiness and form of bliss that she can’t find anywhere else. No supply of water can satisfy the thirst she has. It’s common to see a husband be loved by his wife, but it is shocking and quiet satisfying to see the amount of love Bradstreet has for her husband. Tying back to her background of being a Puritan, “the Puritans acknowledged the importance of love, as long as one did not lose sight of God, and they believed that wealth could be a sign of being among God’s chosen” (Gordon 2). Even though there is thoughts of Puritans being old-fashioned and aren’t allowed to be affectionate, Bradstreet breaks that
First, unconditional love is portrayed within Beauty’s relationship with her two mean sisters. The two sisters are disliked by others because of their vain and pride (De Beaumont 32). They ‘always insisted that they would never marry unless they found a duke or, at the very least, a count”, but when men asked Beauty in hand of marriage, she pol...
The two pieces of literature have similar qualities yet certain aspects of both are not comparable to one another. For example, throughout the poem, Bradstreet shows continuous love from the narrator. From the beginning of the poem love is prominent, “If ever two were one, then surely we” (1).
According to BellaOnline, Bradstreet was, “married to the governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony and had eight children.” Even though her marriage might have become filled with routines and lost a little passion, the poet never lost the love for her husband. She states that the power of her “.love is such that rivers cannot quench”(Bradstreet, 7). Bradstreet expresses her emotions to be so strong that not even a roaring river can possibly satisfy them. She prizes her husband’s “.love more than whole mines of gold/ Or all the riches that the East doth hold,” (Bradstreet, 5-6) meaning she values his affection more than any amount of money she could obtain.