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Anne bradstreet view on puritan worldview
Anne bradstreet religious
Anne bradstreet view on puritan worldview
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Between the years of 1666 and 1774, there were a group of people known as the Puritans. These people were seeking religious freedom so therefore, they came to America. They thought of themselves to be people who spread love through God. Both Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards express how they feel towards God. Anne Brasdstreet uses a metaphor illustrating her place in heaven. Bradstreet says, “My hope and treasure lies above” (54). She is referring to her treasure as eternal life in heaven. She feels that God created a mansion for her in heaven. Anne Bradstreet’s relationship with God is very strong. Bradstreet says, “ And to my God my heart did cry. / To straighten me in my Distress” (8-9). Even though she lost everything, she did not …show more content…
lose her faith. She held on to her faith because she knew God had her back through it all. Bradstreet had taken her mind off God until he took everything from her. She then decided that she needed to focus on him more. Anne Bradstreet believed in God.
She feels as if God gave her something he can always take it back. As Bradstreet said, “It purchased and paid for too” (47). When God took everything from her, he gave it right back but even better. “By Him who hath enough to do. / A price so vast as is unknown” ( 48-49). What she is saying here is that Jesus died for our sins. No matter what he gives us, he is always able to take it back. And did thy wealth on earth abide?/ Didst fix thy hope on mould’ring dust? / The arm of flesh didst make thy trust? ( 38-40). When she asked these questions she thought it was for all her sins. Since God took everything away from her she thought she had done something wrong. She felt that she deserved what happened to …show more content…
her. On the other hand, Jonathan Edwards looked at eternal life differently. He thought of it as pain and miserable the rest of his life. Edwards said, “God will have no other use to put you to but suffer misery” (p.111). Edwards is saying that when God takes him from earth, he will have an eternal life of misery. He will not have the eternal life he wants to have. Jonathan Edwards does not have a good relationship with God. He says, “God stands ready to pity you; this is a day of mercy; you may cry now with some encouragement of obtaining mercy” (p.110). He thinks God is going to judge him as he beg for mercy. He do not put his faith in God, he doubts God. Jonathan Edwards thinks that for all your sins God will let you go.
He states, “ If God should let you go you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunged into the bottomless golf ” (p.109). Edwards feels that for all his sins he would drown in them if he knew how awful they were. “... your guilt in the mean time is constantly increasing…”(p.109). He is saying all the bad things he have done is starting to catch up with him. All the bad things he have are making his guilt increase more as life goes on. “That judgement against your evil works has not been executed…”(p.109). For all the evil and cruel things he have done has not yet caught up with him. The judgement has not been put on him. God thinks he is worthy of doing good if he
try. In conclusion, Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards have opposing views about God. Bradstreet puts her faith in him and knows that what he did was for a reason. Edwards , on the other hand, thinks God is only here to judge him and make him miserable for the rest of his life.
The puritans traveled from England on the Arabella in January of 1630 to escape to a place where they could instill their own religious and political values into their society; Stephen Foster writes about the puritans in the narrative entitled Puritanism and Democracy: A mixed Legacy. Stephen grants the puritans with creating a society based off of religious freedom and reformation of the English church. Their social constructs consisted of hierarchies and accepted inequality. The puritans are credited with laying the foundation to the democratic system of America along with early aspects of political and social constructs found in current day America.
Puritans fleeing religious persecution in England settled New England. They were a highly religious people. Document A, John Winthrop’s “ City on a hill” speech, shows how they lived according to God’s will and were very community oriented. Their towns were very planned out with a town/ church meetinghouse in the centre, and land plots for everyone in the community. This is shown in Document D, Articles of Agreement in Springfield Massachusetts 1636. Family was also very important. Since they were very religious and family is highly regarded in the Bible, marriage was advocated and adultery was a huge crime. Adulterers were made to wear the letter A on their clothing. Since they were a very close-knit people, they travelled as big families and sometimes as communities. This mass travel is depicted in document B that is a ship’s list of emigrants bound for New Engla...
Although John Smith, Mary Rowlandson and Jonathan Edwards are very different writers we can find a few similarities in their quotes we are learning. Quoting Seneca and other Latin authors, he presents his narrative with clear political intentions using third person and the first person in other occasions to make himself look as a hero who has managed to escape from captivity and death in three different occasions and has conquered exotic lands. On the contrary, Mary Rowlandson quotes Biblical passages, as she is a Puritan jeremiad with a strong religious background. The same happens with Jonathan whose religious thoughts are his main subject. Both Rowlandson and Edwards believe that everything is God’s will. Mary focuses her narrative on the violence of the attack, how she survives from captivity and she feels the need to write a book to teach a moral lesson to the congregation. However,
“Among all my experiences of God’s gracious dealings with me I have constantly observed this, that He hath never suffered me long to sit loose from him...” (Bradstreet 68). Anne Bradstreet is showing her devotion to God and is focusing on his love and mercy. Bradstreet found inspiration in William Shakespeare but more importantly what drove her poetry was religious beliefs. Being born into a Puritan family, Bradstreet became accustomed to Puritan behavior and had a strong belief in God. Jonathan Edwards, another strong believer in God, had the same Puritan beliefs but thought if a person shall sin they would be destined to end up in hell. Edwards is an extreme pastor and this is shown in the sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The two being the ideal Puritan religion have strong opinions on viewing God
While residing in England, the Puritans and faithful Catholics faced prosecution, which led to their immigration to the New World. Most left England to avoid further harassment. Many groups and parishes applied for charters to America and, led by faithful ministers, the Pilgrims and Puritans made the long voyage to North America. Their religion became a unique element in the New England colonies by 1700. Before landing, the groups settled on agreements, signing laws and compacts to ensure a community effort towards survival when they came to shore, settling in New England. Their strong sense of community and faith in God led them to develop a hardworking society by year 1700, which Documents A and D express through the explanation of how the Pilgrims and Puritans plan to develop...
... and taught that mankind is not immortal but weak and in need of God’s sovereignty. Edwards wrote "the God that holds you over the pit of hell…” meaning God has the power to strike man down at any time. He stressed that mankind is small and God is much bigger. He thought that mankind must be submissive to God in order to please God.
The Puritans were "Christians," in that they believed in Jesus Christ yet some may argue that they did not lead "Christian" lives. These fanatics seemed to obssess over a major tenet of their religion, that being "Pre Destination." That is, God Himself chose those destined for eternal salvation in the beginning of time, long before our conception and birth. This pre-ordained number is considerably miniscule, which, at times, the Puritans seemed to ignore.
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
Bradstreet also made it appoint to compare the sudden death of her grandchild to nature stating, “But plants new set to be eradicate, / And buds new blown to have so short a date, / Is by His hands alone that guides nature and fate”( lines 12-14). Conversely, Edward describes his loss of his child as a honor from God. Taylor states, “ Lord take’t. I thank Thee, Thou tak’st ought of mine: / It is my pledge in glory, part of me / Is now in it, Lord glorified with Thee” revealing his honor to have his child sitting with the lord (Edward lines 28-30). Both authors took their faith into great consideration when speaking of the loss of a family
Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor are two of the most recognizable poets from early American History; they were also both American Puritans, who changed the world with their poetry. We can see many similarities in their poetry when it comes to the importance of religion and also on having children and losing children. There are however differences in the audience of their poetry and their personal views on marriage. Bradstreet and Taylor both came over to America in the 17th century and settled in New England. Though Taylor came years later we can see the similarities through their poetry.
She explains that everything that was on fire she did not actually own, for they belonged to God’s. Therefore, she could not mourn the lost because He had the right to take them away.
Religion was the foundation of the early Colonial American Puritan writings. Many of the early settlements were comprised of men and women who fled Europe in the face of persecution to come to a new land and worship according to their own will. Their beliefs were stalwartly rooted in the fact that God should be involved with all facets of their lives and constantly worshiped. These Puritans writings focused on their religious foundations related to their exodus from Europe and religions role in their life on the new continent. Their literature helped to proselytize the message of God and focused on hard work and strict adherence to religious principles, thus avoiding eternal damnation. These main themes are evident in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mathers, and John Winthrop. This paper will explore the writings of these three men and how their religious views shaped their literary works, styles, and their historical and political views.
The Puritans were Englishmen who chose to separate from the Church of England. Puritans believed that the Anglican Church or Church of England resembled the Roman Catholic Church too closely and was in dire need of reform. Furthermore, they were not free to follow their own religious beliefs without punishment. In the sixteenth century the Puritans settled in the New England area with the idea of regaining their principles of the Christi...
She gives words human characteristics which makes us imagine words are alive, which is done by giving words emotions by saying ‘Anger and fear are in them; grief and joy’, which is effective as words appearing alive emphasizes on the fact that they are powerful which is also seen when she says: ‘Life is in them, and death.’ This suggests that words have the power to determine life and death.
faith to reject fate. Therefore, she detaches herself from her strong affection for “Elizabeth,” and accepts the reality that God has taken her to “everlasting state.” The speaker compares the death of the child to nature: “corn and grass are in their season mown” (10) to reveal her sadness that her child does not live long as it is common in the natural order. But the speaker concludes with comfort in her faith that it is in “His [God’s] hand alone that Guides nature and fate” (14).