Bradstreet and Franklin both struggle with religious beliefs. Bradstreet was ill for most of her life. Franklin’s family was poor. The difficulties they both faced led to a battle with religion and morals.
Bradstreet often struggle with sickness, while managing eight kids. Levine explains that Bradstreet feels like, “she never saw convincing miracles” (Levine 113). Bradstreet’s outlook on childbirth is grim compared to other Puritans, “No ties so strong, no friends so dear and sweet, / But with death’s parting blow is sure to meet,” these lines sound as if Bradstreet believes that we are all doomed at childbirth (Bradstreet Lines3-5 Page 123). Bradstreet didn’t want to experience childbirth. However, the Puritan’s believed that women should produce as many children as possible.
Franklin had a hard time accepting the moral aspect of religion. For example, he argues that women deserve to be educated despite religion teaching women to be submissive. Franklin’s actions were progressive for his time, and resulted in his father saying, “[His] discreet Disputations about Religion began to make me pointed at with Horror by good People, as an Infidel or Atheist” (Franklin 234).
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Bradstreet writes, “It was His own, it was not mine,” explaining a prominent belief of the Puritans: that God owns everything (Bradstreet Line 17 Page 126). She continues in a self-dwelling mindset, “The world no longer let me love, / My hope and treasure lies above (Bradstreet Lines 53-54 Page 127). Bradstreet lost everything in the fire, but she is unable to properly grieve because it would be
Anne Bradstreet’s inability to perfect her work before it was released frustrated her to the point where she internalizes the book’s imperfections as a reflection of herself. Bradstreet uses an extended metaphor of a mother and a child to compare the relationship between herself as the author and her book. Rather than investing her spirit in God, she repeatedly focuses on trying to improve the quality of her writing with no success, “I washed thy face, but more defects I saw” (Bradstreet 13). Like a mother protecting her child, Bradstreet’s attempts to prevent critics from negatively analyzing her work of art (20). Her continuous obsession about people’s opinions consumed in the Earthly world and essentially distracted her from developing a spiritual relationship with God. Bradstreet was enveloped by her dissatisfaction with her to the point of ridiculing herself, “Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble mind” (1). It was obvious that her mind and spiritual
In the late 1600’s, literature is dissimilar from today’s, such as focusing on being sent into the fiery pits of hell only because one hasn’t converted to Puritanism. There are also different types of writing to display the righteousness and positives of being a converted and loyal to the Puritan culture. Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards are two popular Puritan authors who project different messages and portray a varying energy through a slim number of their pieces. The poems, “To My Dear and Loving Husband” or “Upon the Burning of Our House” by Anne Bradstreet or “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards are fit examples of the Puritan age and what Puritans belive to be religiously
Bradstreet was a Puritan and was therefore raised with a simplistic view of the world. This, combined with the fact that she was a woman, carried over into her way of writing. Her writing style was not eloquent but plain, humble, and pleasant to read. Her poems dealt with topics such as faith, family, and adversity and were easy to understand. Bradstreet had great faith which she gained through the experiences she encountered in life.
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
Ironically, Bradstreet describes life after her death in her poem “Before the Birth of One of Her Children” and states that husband to look for her love by looking at her children stating, “And when thy loss shall be repaid with gains, / Look to my little babies, my dear remains” (Before the Birth of One of Her Children lines 21-22). She also speaks of her husband’s next wife by stating, “These O protect from stepdame’s injury”, hoping that their step mother does not hurt her children (Before the Birth of One of Her Children line 24). Taylor shows more about planting his seeds in his wife approach when speaking about his children. He writes “One knot gave one tother the tother’s place. / Whence Chuckling smiles fought in each other’s face”, he’s describing the joy of watching his children playing with each other
Bradstreet’s last learned lesson is her wealth does not come from the things she gains on earth but her true wealth lies in heaven. She begins Stanzas 37-42 rebuking her thoughts of what will no longer take place in her ash filled home. Furthermore, Bradstreet gives her depiction of the “heavenly” place in Stanzas 43-48; which is built on permanent grounds and consist of expensive furniture all financed by God. In the last Stanzas of the poem Bradstreet begins focusing on the place where wealth is defined:
It dictated most of her way of living. She writes about her many struggles between her “flesh” and “the Spirit”. She is honest about sometimes feeling inadequate and wanting to digress away from God’sS way. She includes a constant tension between her selfish thoughts and what she know is the best path. It is not so much a battle between personal beliefs and what one is expected to do. Rather it is a battle between what one is doing and what one already knows is the best route in thinking and living. Bradstreet’s family moved from England to the New England in order to follow this movement of Puritans creating a new life in accordance to the church (White, p.103). So she was well aware of Christian principles and very familiar with the Bible. In Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House she talks mostly about the many vanities of this world and that one should focus on things that are eternal. She
Bradstreet tested the boundaries of the Puritan beliefs and chose to write about life as a wife and mother. The love for her husband was more important than what others thought of her. She was proud of their relationship and stated, “I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, or all the riches that the East doth hold. My love is such that rivers cannot quench, Nor ought but love from thee give recompense” a verse from her poem titled To My Dear and Loving Husband (226). Her poems stood as a movement for all radical feminists that admired Bradstreet and her confidence to express her opinions publicly. Religion was a common topic throughout Bradstreet’s poem, but there was a time as
The paradox of Shepard’s passage is one that the early Puritans not only firmly believed but also lived day in and day out. As a central tenet of their existence, this paradox led Puritans to experience a constant internal struggle between two aspects of the Puritan self: the sinful, wicked side and the redeemed, saved side. Significantly, the struggle became a common motif in many Puritan works, including Anne Bradstreet’s “The Flesh and the Spirit.” In this poem, Bradstreet describes not only the dual self that was the result of Puritan theology but also the psychological significance of the Puritan paradox. “The Flesh and the Spirit” demonstrates that the road to attainment of grace, and thus to salvation, lies not in resolving the conflict between the two aspe...
“A Puritan is such a one as loves God with all his soul,” Author Adam Nicolson said in one of his books, “and is less from timid about it.” Puritans were known for being religiously disciplined. They were also known for writing poems, sermons, and short stories about their religious views. The Puritan authors Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edward are two examples of Puritan authors who did just that, stating in their works their opinions about God. Anne Bradstreet’s poems show her opinion about God as a good one.
Puritanism is an important religious, conceptual, worldview and historical set of concepts and practices that impacted the development of English colonies in the New World and, later, the United States. It as an integral part of the intellectual and social life in the emerging country fighting for its independence. Puritans followed strict principles and codes of behavior; their ethical principles were based on rigid norms and rules. However, this environment, although specific, did not restrict the historical development of Christianity in New England. The two literary works analyzed in this paper, Jonathan Edwards’ sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and Anne Bradstreet’s poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband” demonstrate the authors’
Bradstreet further highlights her internal struggle between her love for her material possessions and her relationship with God through her usage of literary devices such as personification, and various allusions to her Puritan faith. While describing her grievance for the loss of her items, Bradstreet states that “to my God my heart did cry / To straighten me in my Distress / And not to leave me succourless” (8-10). The personification of Bradstreet’s heart emphasizes that despite mourning the loss of material items, she desperately seeks the guidance of God and does not want to be left helpless. Later, Bradstreet also personifies the ruins of her home, stating, “No pleasant talk shall ‘ere be told / Nor things recounted done of old.
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.
By reading Bradstreet’s work, a fair sense of what Mrs. Bradstreet was like can be grasped. She clearly stated her opinion of those who objected to her writing: “I am obnoxious to each carping tongue, / Who says my hand a needle better fits.” (Bradstreet,“ The Prologue”155). Bradstreet refused to give up her passion for writing even if it meant going against the opinions of anyone in her colony, including religious leaders. Although Bradstreet referred to herself as being obnoxious, her written works portray an entirely different Bradstreet. She seeks no reward or fame for her writing: “Give thyme or parsley wreath, I ask no bays” (155). Bradstreet seeks no reward for her writing because she doesn’t think her work is very good: “My foolish, broken, blemished Muse so sings” (154). She refers to her writing as her: “ill-formed offspring” (“The Author To Her Book”165). Even after her work is published she is ...
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