Baca vs. Bradstreet

Baca vs. Bradstreet

In Jimmy Santiago Baca's poem entitled I, and Anne Bradstreet's Verses Upon the

Burning of Her House, both write about their dreadful experience of the burning of their

homes. But the way in which each of the poets express this occurrence, with the use of

different styles of imagery and the diction, can change the way the reader interprets the

poem. The tone used by each poet is critical because it indicates to the reader their

emotions. Therefore, by comparing these poems of Baca and Bradstreet, it will be evident

that these elements of writing: tone, diction, and imagery; are crucial factors that will

affect the way a reader perceives a poem.

By analyzing the tones of these poems, one can see that they are virtually opposite.

In Baca's poem, it is evident from the very beginning that he's setting a tone of utter

disbelief and vulnerability. In the first stanza Baca states how he was "numbed" as he

turned the corner to his home, and braced his body to prepare for the "shock" he would

feel. The very second Baca saw his flaming home, he's filled with horror and disbelief.

Near the end, when he walks into his room he falls to his hands and knees and looks

through the pile of ashes that once used to be his poems. This part of the poem symbolizes

his falling apart; when he falls to his hands and knees it shows the extent of his sorrow.

While Baca is torn apart, Bradstreet's tone is ultimately one of acceptance. At first,

Bradstreet's tone is one of grievance and lamenting, but in the middle of the poem it

changes in which she states that she shouldn't grieve over the loss of a home that didn't

belong to her; a home that belonged to the almighty man "that gave and took". In this

quote, she's referring to God as being all-powerful and that the house has always belonged

to him; and that he can give and take as he pleases. Therefore, she's willing to accept the

burning of her home, if its Gods will.

The imagery in both poems is very descriptive and vivid. In second stanza, Baca

gives a vivid description of the busy scene, describing the crowd of neighbors and firemen

that had gathered around "the charred husk of our(Baca's) house".