Anne Bradstreet Vs Upon The Burning Of Our House Essay

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In this essay, I will analyze Anne Bradstreet’s poem, Verses upon the Burning of our House, July 10th, 1666. Written after the destruction of her house, Bradstreet’s word choice, symbolism and allusion help to convey a message of gratitude and strong faith in God. Beginning with the first few lines, (1-10), Bradstreet sets up a constant couplet rhyme scheme, drawing emphasis to the final word of each line. The use of strong description captures the urgency of the moment, and she finishes this opening section with the very important lines: “And to my God my heart did cry; To straighten me in my Distress; And not to leave me succourless.” In these beginning lines, Bradstreet begins the poem by describing the gentle rest she settled into prior to the fire, stating “For sorrow near I did not look”, detailing the true surprising and unexpected nature of the fire. In the following lines, Bradstreet describes the moment, detailing the noise heard and the light she saw as she escaped from her burning house. The final three lines of the segment introduce the main idea of the passage, but from a different position. Instead of being grateful for still having her life after the fire, Bradstreet calls upon her god to save her …show more content…

As the section continues, she explains how she constantly returns to the home, sitting and recounting how and where her objects used to be. In the couplet “My pleasant things in ashes lie; And them behold no more shall I.”, Bradstreet expresses a solemn sort of acceptance, almost regretful, and contrary to her previous gratitude and praise given to God. In the finishing couplet, “Under thy room no guest shall sit; Nor at thy table eat a bit” she begins to list memories and experiences that she had in the house that cannot be recreated, stating that they cannot happen at

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