Anne Bradstreet Essay

Criticism Of Anne Bradstreet's Poetry
Literary Theory and Anne Bradstreet's Poems Anne Bradstreet was not the typical Puritan author.
She wrote sweet and loving poems that greatly contrasted from other writers of her time. She did
not write the ever so popular sermons that told people that they were going to hell and there was
nothing they could do about it. Bradstreet was a rarity in Puritan times, she was a very educated
woman that worked on something other than being a woman in the household. She was one of a
kind and the beginning of an era. Using literary criticism when reading Anne Bradstreet's poems
adds a deeper understanding of her character and difficulties in life.
Biographical criticism adds a greater understanding of the struggles during Anne Bradstreet's...show
more content...
Her writings caused her to be met with great criticism. Her brother in–law told people that she wrote
her poems when she would have been sleeping. He told people this because it was greatly frowned
upon to do things for yourself when you should be taking care of your family. When looking at her
works through a gender criticism lenz, her works have many feminine elements. Anne is a mother
and writes of her love for her children. She never says anything hateful and just comes across as
sweet and genuine. Gender criticism gives her work that much more meaning knowing what she had
to defy to do it. The history surrounding Anne's poetry is of a time where Puritans ruled. When
looking at her works with historicism, one can understand how she influenced history majorly.
Anne's writings did not reflect many Puritan ideals of that time in history. One of Anne's famous
poems To My Dear and Loving Husband directly defies Puritan views on marriage. Puritans
believed that you should love your spouse a lot, but not more than God. They believed you should
always love God the most and put him first. The way Anne writes about her husband in the poem
she speaks of him as the thing she loves most. She just briefly mentions God, instead of focusing the
majority of her poem on him. The love between a husband and wife was supposed to be something
private according to the Puritans. With this poem, Anne was broadcasting her love for her
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Anne Bradstreet Research Paper
In 1612, Anne Bradstreet was born in Northamptonshire, England as Anne Dudley. Anne was born to
a nonconformist former soldier of Queen Elizabeth, Thomas Dudley, who managed the affairs of the
Earl of Lincoln. In 1630 with his family for America with the Massachusetts Bay Company. Aboard
his ship, was his associate Simon Bradstreet, who soon married Anne.
In about 1628 (the date is not certain), Anne Dudley married Simon Bradstreet. Anne and Simon
remained married until Anne's death on September 16, 1672. The couple and Anne's parents
immigrated to the new world in 1630. In 1633, she had the first of her eight children, Samuel; who
was followed by Dorothy (1635), Sarah (1638), Simon (1640), Hannah (1642), Mercy (1645),
Dudley (1648), and...show more content...
They were her main role models that have shown her their own Puritan ways. She also
worshipped both her father and husband as amazing men and served them as a Puritan woman at
the time would. Between the years 1633 and 1652, Anne had her eight children and many domestic
responsibilities, but she also wrote her poetry which expresses her commitment to the craft of
writing. In addition, her work reflects the religious and emotional conflicts she experienced as a
woman writer and as a Puritan. Bradstreet was concerned with the issues of sin and redemption,
physical and emotional frailty, death and immortality throughout her life. Bradstreet wrote many of
the poems that appeared in the first edition of The Tenth Muse... during the years 1635 to 1645
while she lived in the frontier town of Ipswich. The first section of The Tenth Muse ... includes four
long poems, known as the quaternions, or "The Four Elements," "The Four Humors of Man," "The
Four Ages of Man," and "The Four Seasons." Much of her work, especially her later poems,
demonstrates impressive intelligence and mastery of poetic

Anne Bradstreet Essay
Anne Bradstreet Anne Bradstreet was a woman in conflict. She was a Puritan wife and a poet.
There is a conflict between Puritan theology and her own personal feelings on life. Many of her
poems reveal her eternal conflict regarding her emotions and the beliefs of her religion. The two
often stood in direct opposition to each other. Her Puritan faith demanded that she seek salvation
and the promises of Heaven. However, Bradstreet felt more strongly about her life on Earth. She
was very. She was very attached to her family and community. Bradstreet loved her life and the Earth.
There are several poems of Bradstreet that demonstrate this conflict. There is "Upon the Burning of
Our House July 10th, 1666" and the ones written...show more content...
As she passes the ruins she recreates the pleasant things that had been there. Despite the reasonable
arguments that her goods belonged to God and whatever God does is just, there is in the poem an
undercurrent of regret that the loss is not fully compensated for by the hope of the treasure that lies
above. (84)
"Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th, 1666" is one of Anne Bradstreet's most effective poems.
Part of that effectiveness comes from the poignant tension between her worldly concerns, as
represented by her household furnishings and her spiritual aspirations.
As Wendy Martin says "the poem leaves the reader with painful impression of a woman in her
mid–fifties, who having lost her domestic comforts is left to struggle with despair. Although her
loss is mitigated by the promise of the greater rewards of heaven, the experience is deeply tragic."
(75)
Anne Bradstreet's feelings about her home represent the most material conflict. When her home
burned down she wrote the poem to voice these feelings of hers. She describes the awakening to
the "shrieks of dreadful voice" and going out to watch "the flame consume" her "dwelling place".
But she comforts herself with good Puritan dogma. The burning of the house is God's doing and his
doings should not be questioned. In looking over the stanzas where she

Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet is a poet who wrote seveal poems about her life which had great meaning and
thought and served as a role model for her faith. She will be seen her future in the building a new
life with new world and new feeling for her children, so she looks to her children as a caryful
mother with Puritan rules and principes. She was explaine her faith in her Puritan traditional to
her children: how to be brevity in life, solve the conflict and felt strongly to connected their
movement with God. In this case she said " God makes heaven or hell" as a lesson for her children
to learn while growing up. In the poem "Before the Birth of One of her Children" Bradstreet has a
dark tone because she mentioned "death" as an option that can happen

Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet poem "The Prologue" was an interesting poem. This is one of her most
intellectually poems she has written. I like this poem by Bradstreet because it shows off her work
as a writer and poet. The theme in the poem "The Prologue" is global and historical context that
covers feminisms, Christianity, and psychology. I like how she writes about feminisms and her
showing that even though she is a female, she can write poems like men do. Her use of meter and
rhyme is nearly perfect and it shows the simple truth she puts in her pieces. Also she showed her
true feelings and it helps readers understand what she is feeling and saying in her work. Another
poem that Bradstreet wrote that I like is "Contemplations." This poem was a great use

Anne Bradstreet as First American Feminist Essay
Anne Bradstreet as First American Feminist
Feminism today remains prominent because even while women's rights are very strong, women are
still fighting for equality every day. In the time of Anne Bradstreet, women had few rights and they
were seen as inferior to men. Anne lived among the puritans whom ruled her everyday life. Although
it was against the puritan code for women to receive an education, Bradstreet's father, Thomas
Dudley, loved his daughter dearly and made sure that she was well educated which shows in her
works. Anne Bradstreet's literature became well known only because her family published her
works under a male name. This was done because writing poetry was a serious offense to the
puritans since poetry was...show more content...
(239)
In addition, in this quote, Bradstreet acknowledges that even if her writing skills are extraordinary,
that because she is a woman, no one will accept it or believe it.
In addition, Bradstreet expressed a need for equality. She wanted people to take a step back and
glimpse back to history, "Let Greeks be Greeks, and women what they are;" (240). In Greece,
women were equal among men, as were the Gods and Goddesses. In the seventh stanza of "The
Prologue," Bradstreet gives her most strong cry out for recognition, still however, it is subtle,
"Men have precedeny and still excel,/ It is but vain unjustly to wage war;/men can do best, and
women know it well/ Preeminence in all and each is yours;/ Yet grant some small
acknowledgement of ours" (240). Also in this quote is Bradstreet's observance of men in their
natural state. She sees men as war hungry, vain and powerful. Consequently, Anne Bradstreet faced
a double bind. If she voiced her thoughts, opinions, and beliefs, she would have put herself in
danger, and by not saying anything, she would force herself to go on living in a patriarchy.
Bradstreet apologized in her poetry for writing as a woman. This can be see in "The Prologue," in
the first stanza.
To sing of wars, of captains, and of kings,/ Of cities founded, commonwealths begun,/ For my mean
pen are too superior things: / Or how they all, or

Blending Church and State in the 1600's
In the 1600's, Puritans living in both England and New England held their views on God rather
tightly and lived their lives as good Christians. Puritans were selfless individuals who had escaped
and came to America in search of religious freedom and peace. In literature during that time period,
it is made very clear that everything the Puritans had accomplished or acquired was a result of God,
and that they were forever in his debt. One of the great poets from this time era was Anne Bradstreet
who wrote about her children, husband, and parents. Anne Bradstreet blended her domestic life with
theological imagery in every poem she did, explaining that her grandchildren were merely lent to her
but...show more content...
Even though, she will not be able to repay him with money as materialistic things are not of value,
Bradstreet will write about him in her poetry, to show him her gratitude and express her love for
him. I feel that Bradstreet wrote her poems about her father to impress him and make sure he knew
that she was doing everything she could to repay him and show him her gratefulness for life.
Bradstreet never discredits her father or places any blame on him for anything happening in her life,
which was true of Puritan beliefs at that time.
In Anne Bradstreet's poems she describes her husband's love for her by using comparisons of
money and gold and again puts herself as the less worthy one of the pair as she does with her
parents. Bradstreet feels she will never be able to repay her husband for his love and further goes
on in her poem "Another" (239), expressing her desires to be with him and not leave his side until
they are divided by death. This particular poem demonstrated not only her true love for her
husband, but also demonstrated how even the love she had for her husband was all built upon
their beliefs of God. Even though, it is very hard to find individuals who hold their religious
beliefs as closely as the Puritans did, there are still couples who display this same marital bond in
both their private homes and in Church. This shows that even after all this time has passed, there are
still people who blend their

The Prologue By Anne Bradstreet Essay
WHERE HUMILITY MEETS FEMINISM
"Yet grant some small acknowledgement of ours." Anne Bradstreet is among the most famous
historical American female poets. Her seventeenth century works of writing came at a time when the
society was male dominated and the role of women in the society was much more demeaned.
Bradstreet is considered a feminist who advanced her feministic ideas through her writings.
"The Prologue" speaks about Bradstreet's struggle with being a woman within a Puritan society.
During this time, women were not meant to speak their minds and were meant to recognise only
men's supposed superiority. In her first stanza, Bradstreet immediately appears to demean her own
writing proclaiming that certain "superior...show more content...
Overall, as Margerum notes, Bradstreet never "uses her sex as an excuse for writing poor poetry" and
never offers apologies for writing poetry in the first place. She did not think it sinful or uncouth for
her to write, but rather, her humble remarks "are creative applications of conventional and
obligatory poetic formulae, and not as expressions of self–doubt or deprecations of her poetic
abilities. John Winthrop critiqued Bradstreet's writing , saying that it should be the job of men, "
whose minds are stronger". Other members of the clergy in the Puritan society criticised Bradstreet
because of her fundamental challenge to the social constriction of female identity. In this regard,
Bradstreet has to be seen as one who possesses feminist sensibilities in what she believed, how she
behaved and the life she

Anne Brastreet
"The Author to Her Book": As I was reading this poem I gathered several themes that I saw in
Bradstreet's poem. The themes I saw being: hate, appearance, society, and individual. The poem it
self is first person as I felt like Anne was describing an event or feeling that she encountered. The
tone of the story I felt was misery; Anne acted as if she was miserable in her own body. Reading
the poem I felt sorrow in the character. I interpret this poem as Anne feeling less than what she
really is, she was unaware of her worth due to her mother and society developing a judgment of Anne
that was false throughout her childhood. I was able to make this interpretation as Anne says "My
rambling brat should mother call" this was an important line in the story and was somewhat a
symbol to the big picture. This stanza tells me what her mother thought of her, and that it bothered
Anne. A mother's influence has a big impact on a child and also their opinion. The...show more
content...
The main focus for the poem was a fire that had occurred. As I read the poem I gathered that a
house fire had waked her, this fire gave Anne much sorrow as she mentioned that repeatedly. The
theme of this poem was experience, hate, and reality. The interpretation I collected as I analyzed
was a house fire that had occurred gave Anne great sorrow as she mentioned "And to my God my
heart did cry", all of her belonging were destroyed. She cried out and prayed to " God" I felt when
she used characterization when she mentioned God because she never said his name she only
spoke of God once then referred to him as his or he. As she prayed It seemed as if God changed
the outcome she had expected and she was able to build a new home as she said "Thou hast a house
on high erect Frameed by that mighty Architect With glory richly furnished" She ended the poem
with what I felt was relief and

Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet was America's first noteworthy poet in spite of the fact that she was a woman.
Both the daughter and wife of Massachusetts governors, Bradstreet suffered all of the hardships of
colonial life, was a mother, and still found time to write. Her poem, "The Author to Her Book," is
an example of Bradstreet's excellent use of literary techniques while expressing genuine emotion
and using domestic subject matter. Because her father was a studious man, Bradstreet was able to
receive a good education and was well read. She enjoyed serious and religious writings and admired
many of the great poets of the time, among these Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser and John
Donne. In fact she admired them so much...show more content...
"I stretched thy joints to make thee even feet." Just as a mother of that time would have stretched
her baby's legs to make them equal in length, Bradstreet worked to make the feet of her poem
equal, in this case five feet—a pentameter—long, which is similar to the style of other
poets during the colonial time. She ends her poem by reminding her "baby" to be sure to tell
people that is has no father, only a poor mother. "The Author to Her Book" shows Bradstreet's
feelings about the unauthorized printing of her work. She expresses her modesty about her ability to
write by comparing her work to "homespun cloth" meaning that is was coarse and unrefined.
Bradstreet also uses humor to express her feelings about the publication of her work without
corrections, but there is still some genuine discomfort. "At thy return my blushing was not small"
shows that she was a bit embarrassed about the world reading her rough drafts, but she amends her
view towards the book as the poem continues. "Yet being mine own, at length affection would Thy
blemishes amend…" illustrates that she truly loves her poetry, and after it is "cleaned" she
takes pride in it. She show her delight in her work with the admonition "If for thy Father asked, say
thou had'st none." Bradstreet wanted everyone to recognize her for the talented woman writer that
she was, but requested this acknowledgment in a humble way. Because she was a woman writer,
Anne Bradstreet

Anne Bradstreet
Writer and women's rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft once said "I do not wish [women] to
have power over men; but over themselves". For the longest time, women were the low tier of
society. Many worked as domestic servants, serving and catering to the more privileged alpha male.
They were repressed–limited to express themselves–and struggled to obtained their fair rights. As
time went on, women fought long and hard for recognition and equality in society. Feminism was on
the rise as they began to protest and speak out against their restrictive life; women finally started to
earn power over themselves. Literature best captured this emotional journey and powerful movement
that moved the country forward. Pieces like "The Prologue" by Anne...show more content...
This was extremely frustrating for a lot of women who had something to say or a story to tell.
"The Prologue" by Anne Bradstreet illustrated the thoughts and feelings of women becoming
writers in a man's world. Bradstreet begins her piece by humbly introducing herself as a poet and
letting herself be known to her audience. However, she expresses that "no art is able / Cause nature
made it so irreparable" (Bradstreet 98). What is irreparable is the fact that Bradstreet is a woman and
many will believe that she will never become someone or create something successful. This fact
discourages her as she states that no matter how spectacular her writing may be, she will always be
dismissed as an unvaried woman. She continues her vent, saying "art can do much, but this maxim's
most sure: / A weak or wounded brain admits no cure" (Bradstreet 98). At this time, many women
had a "weak or wounded brain" from the many years they have accepted that men are better than
them; they no longer questioned their inferiority and ignored searching for a "cure" for their
so–called sickness. Bradstreet feels defeated from her battle with a male dominated society,
claiming "I am obnoxious to each carping tongue / Who says my hand a needle better fits"
(Bradstreet 98). Women were often told by men where their place was in life– at home. Bradstreet is
making the point that her thoughts do not matter; like other women, she is only important for one
thing only: doing housework. However, she strikes back, declaring "this weak knot they will full
soon untie, / The Greeks did naught, but play the fools and lie" (Bradstreet 99). The "weak knot"
refers to the argument for allowing women to write poetry, while "they" refers to those who object to
the argument. Bradstreet had the heart to express herself when she was often impeded from her

Essay on anne bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet was not only the first English–speaking, North American poet, but she was also the
first American, woman poet to have her works published. In 1650, without her knowledge,
Bradstreet's brother–in–law had many of her poems published in a collection called The Tenth Muse
Lately Sprung Up In America. Although these poems did not reflect what would be her best work,
they did emulate what would be the greatest influence on all of her writing. Anne Bradstreet's Puritan
life was the strongest, and the most obvious influence on her work. Whether it was her reason for
writing, how she wrote, or what she wrote about, Bradstreet's poems would reflect the influence of
Puritan life and doctrine.
Although...show more content...
It was used to establish and enforce Puritan doctrine.
Anne Bradstreet's poems also had these intentions. Although she did not intend for her poetry to be
published, she shared her work with family and friends for these same reasons. She wanted to
present to them the truths in her own life, that they may take these truths as their own. Anne writes
to her children that her intention for writing is not "to show my skill, but to declare the truth, not
set forth myself, but the glory of God." (Doriani 54). In Anne's personal journal she often tells her
children how she has turned to God in times of suffering and conflict. She hopes that they will
imitate her actions and feel the rewards. Many of her later works are personal stories, written so her
children might "gain some spiritual advantage" (Piercy 35).
As a Puritan woman Anne's largest purpose in writing was to glorify God (Doriani 57). This would
strongly influence the topics, subjects, and situations that Anne wrote about.
Writing to enlighten her Puritan family and society also influenced how Anne wrote. Since Anne
was writing to declare the truth, she also wanted what she wrote to be learned and remembered.
Anne grew up listening and singing the Psalms. The Bay Psalms Book is Sternhold and Hopkin's
translation of the Psalms. Doriani, author of Bradstreet and the Psalms Tradition

Anne Bradstreet lived during the seventeenth century. This was a time period when female writers
were not looked lightly upon. Bradstreet wanted to prove that even though she was woman, she
could have intelligent thought just like a man. She did not just fight for herself, but for all women.
Feminist ideas were apparent in Bradstreet's writings, but there are also social norms too.
In Bradstreet's The Prologue, the first stanza is about men going to war. They are captains, kings,
historians and poets. Then she makes a statement that her writings would not make the rest of these
manly accomplishments look bad (Bradstreet 147). It was not a social normality for women to take
up such professions such as a writer. What was the purpose for a woman to have an occupation like
this? They were to be in the house, making sure it looked presentable. Also,...show more content...
Women were supposed to be accomplished in talents such as dancing, singing, and needle work.
However, Bradstreet seems to think otherwise. She states that her hand is better suited to a pen than
it is a needle (Bradstreet 147).
Bradstreet also makes a comment on the common idea of "female wit" (Bradstreet 148). Women
did not have the same education as a man. They did not learn of business or economics. Therefore,
they seemed silly, with nothing in their head. Men would make comments to other men about their
wife's ignorance. Bradstreet wanted to make the point that not all women were ignorant. Also, that
it was not fair for men to place the blame of women's ignorance upon women. However, she was
willing to prove she was not like most females. She did not steal or talent, nor was it gifted upon her
by chance (Bradstreet 148).
These are more examples of performativity and social norms. Women were not allowed to have an
education like a man. When women do write, it is thought that women will not have intelligent ideas
like men. Bradstreet challenges theses

Anne Bradstreet struggled entering Puritan society and submitting to the demands of the new
society. When arriving in Massachusetts, Bradstreet 'found a new world and new manners' which
she did not understand and found difficulty adjusting to. The conflict between Bradstreet's desire to
rebel and the Puritan belief is seen throughout her poetry. Focusing on two of her poems, In
Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet, Who Deceased August, 1665, Being a Year
and a Half Old and Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th 1666 the
struggle Bradstreet experiences between her emotions and her desire to have faith in her religion is
evident in the transition of thought throughout her poetry. The conflict between her religion and her
desire for emotional freedom is a common theme in her poetry. Religion permeated every aspect of
Bradstreet's life including her relationships; especially her marriage. To My Dear and Loving
Husband Bradstreet's dedication to being the perfect Puritan wife is seen is evident. Marriages in
Puritan society were based on the biblical scripture; 'wives, yield to your husbands' , with the
sincere belief that women were to subject to the husbands and support their needs before their own.
To My Dear and Loving Husband captures Bradstreet's relationship with her husband as it is plain
and simple. Typical of a Puritan marriage, Bradstreet submits to her husband and shows her duty in
loving him. 'If ever man were

Anne Bradstreet
The "Author to her Book" by Anne Bradstreet develops a complex story about a writer and her
emotions towards her own piece of work. The controlling metaphor Bradstreet analyzes in the poem
is the relationship between an author and her book to that of a nurturing relationship between a
mother and her child. She does so in order to correlate the emotions that go along with either
relationship: the love, the disappointment and the embarrassment. The metaphor not only depicts the
emotions of the relationships, but also the internal struggle she has as she is completing her work.
Bradstreet uses the mother–child relationship to convey the mixed and complicated feelings of that
she has towards the book she is writing and relapsing to the public. She does not believe her book is
eloquent enough for the world to read. Anne Bradstreet says, "Thou ill–formed offspring of my
feeble brain" ( line 1) to show that she blames herself for producing a book that was poorly written,
she believes the book and...show more content...
Bradstreet writes, "I cast thee by as one unfit for light/ The visage was so irksome in my sight" (lines
9–10). The author of the book tries to disown it because he/she doesn't think it was well written
and because the "visage" (appearance) of the book appalled her. While many parents may never
say it aloud, they sometimes may consider disowning their child like the narrator tries to do.
Children like books may become a pain to deal with and are unmanageable. Nevertheless, a child is
still family so it would be difficult to cast them aside, "Yet being mine own, at length affection
would/ Thy blemishes amend, if so I could" (lines 11–12). This represents the speaker's complex
emotions, he/she might dislike the book, but they cannot really get rid of it. A child is a child
because they have flaws; the mother (or author) cannot give up on them because of it, they must help
the child become

Anne Bradstreet
The Relationship Between Form and Content in Anne Bradstreet's "The Author to Her Book" Anne
Bradstreet was an 17th century Puritan poet, during the colonial period of North America. She is
best known to be one of the most prominent English poets of North America and is noted for writing
poems during the times when women were discouraged from writing. Her poems are known for their
themes of Puritanism and motherhood. In "The Author to Her Book", Anne Bradstreet talks about
another subject entirely: her poems. Through her negative imagery, parataxis, and comparisons,
Anne Bradstreet in this poem attempts to compare her book to raising a child. Anne Bradstreet uses
words with negative connotations in this poem to show how she feels about...show more content...
All in all, through the entirety of the poem, Bradstreet uses a variety of negative imagery to
desrcribe how she feels about her child (with all its flaws) being exposed to public for all to see.
This poem also features multiple usages of parataxis. This makes her writing seem choppy and
without flow: Till snatched from thence by friends, less wise than true, Who thee abroad, exposed
to public view, Made thee in rags, halting to th' press to trudge, Where errors were not lessened (all
may judge). (3–6) The heavy usage of this writing technique displays many things about the content
in relationship to the form. The poem is written with the parataxis in order to display the author's
attempts to excuse her poor writing in the book. With the choppiness of the poem, it can almost be
compared to dialogue between Bradstreet and her friends, with Bradstreet making frequent
excuses about how and why her book was written so poorly. This would explain the lack of
coordinating conjunctions in the poem, since when making excuses there are no need for them.
One might compare the choppiness to a mother apologizing for her child. When a child makes a
mistake or does something wrong, the mother will usually apologize in choppy sentences. For
example: "He likes to mess around, he is very sorry, something like this will not happen again". You
can compare that to what the poem is suggesting here, it is simply a mother trying to excuse her

Essay On Anne Bradstreet
Over the past couple of centuries, a lot of things have changed throughout America such as,
technology advances, medical advances, and women's rights to name just a few. Going back to
the 1600's when we first came to America, there are very few things that are similar to what life is
like now compared to life back then. When examining the life of Anne Bradstreet and the life of
women back in that time period, it is hard to imagine what their lives were like and what they had to
go through. With Bradstreet being a writer, she was able to portray some of her emotions, what she
went through, and what life might have been like back then for women through her poems. Although
Bradstreet was portrayed as a strong Puritan woman; through her poetry, such as "The Birth of One
of Her Children," reveal how many hardships she went through in her life experiences.
When examining the history of women's struggles and everything that they went through in the
1600s as Puritan women, Bradstreet's writing reflects what she might have experienced. There were
strict rules that Puritan women of early America had to follow to be accepted into their world. Along
with many other restrictions, "married women were not allowed to possess property, sign contracts,
or conduct business, and their husbands owned everything, including the couple's children"
(American Women). In "To My Dear and Loving Husband" by Anne Bradstreet, Bradstreet expresses
how she practically worships her husband and thanks him

Of the three poems to Anne Bradstreet's deceased grandchildren, "In Memory of My Dear
Grandchild Anne Bradstreet" is the longest. It's interesting that the longest is also written in
memory of the grandchild who shared her name. One would presumably be especially close to
their namesake. The first line of the poem sets the tone: "With troubled heart and trembling hand I
write." The younger Anne's death has obviously affected Bradstreet in a deep way and it is easy
to picture her writing these words with a shaking hand and tears in her eyes. Perhaps seeing a child
with her name die reminds Bradstreet of her own mortality, as she is nearing the age of sixty. This
grandchild also dies at the oldest age of the three, at three years and seven months...show more
content...
As is often evident in Bradstreet's poetry, she is caught between her Puritan belief that she should
not become attached to earthly things, including people, and her natural human desire to love. The
word "price" is synonymous with the word "cost," and it sounds like she is saying that she should
value things according to what they will cost her emotionally. The line also reminds me of the
phrase "pay the price," which means to suffer the consequences for risking something. In this case,
the risk is becoming attached to a child who could easily

The life of Ann Bradstreet was not an easy life however, we can read her writings and get an
inside look at what it was like to be one of the first females in a new colony inside of the new
world. We will cover Anne's life including: religious beliefs, tragedies, sickness, her thoughts on
feminism and her deep love for her husband. Once done reading I hope you are able to see how
inspiring she was and how hard it would have been for a female poet to gain notoriety in the 17th
century. Anne Bradstreet was a Purist and followed her father Thomas Dudley's Puritan Beliefs.
However, she was bothered by what the scriptures said and did not necessarily believe in them.
She found God by seeing what he did in her everyday life and the nature that surrounded her. Ann
was raised by a father that was the Earl of Lincoln and Married Simon Bradstreet who graduated
from Cambridge University and was appointed to the Massachusetts Bay Company to assist with
preparations in starting the colony and later became the Governor of the Massachusetts Colony.
However, her life was riddled with sickness from early on. She had rheumatic fever when she was
young and constantly suffered with chronic and severe fatigue her entire life. Even if sickness was
not enough she had to deal with the hardships of living in a time when a new Colony was being
started...show more content...
Anne's husband Simon often had to travel between colonies since he served as Governor of the
Massachusetts Colony. Anne wrote some heartfelt letters describing how her husband made her
feel and how deeply she missed him. She wrote "I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold"
showing how important he was to her life (Bradstreet 226). It seems from her writings that Simon
would stay gone for long periods of time and had to travel often making her life in the new colony
even

Essay On Anne Bradstreet
Feminism today remains prominent because even while women's rights are very strong, women are
still fighting for equality every day. In the time of Anne Bradstreet, women had few rights and they
were seen as inferior to men. Anne lived among the puritans whom ruled her everyday life. Although
it was completely against the puritan code for women to receive an education, Anne Bradstreet's
father, Thomas Dudley, loved his daughter very much and did everything he could to make sure that
she was well educated which shows in her works. Anne
Bradstreet's literature became well known only because her brother in law published her works in a
book called The Tenth Muse under a male name and without her knowing. Anne Bradstreet's father
had to...show more content...
She shows that she had trouble keeping her book when she claimed that it was
"snatched from thence by friends, less wise than true, who thee abroad exposed to public view."
I believe that she is referring the fact that her brother in law took the book with him to England in
1650 and had it published. These lines show that they acted against Anne Bradstreet's wishes, they
also show the hard times those women authors faced during this period when they were expected to
just go along with the opinions of men rather than express their own. Anne
Bradstreet probably wrote the poem in around 1666 and it was included in an edition published in
1678 after her death. It remains unclear whether she wanted her book to be published or not.
Female authors at the time were looked down on, so in theory she had to pretend ignorance of
Woolbridge's actions for the sake of her reputation. The poem has a major theme of Women and
Femininity. The poem is mainly about motherhood in a way as previously discussed. She treats it
in a traditional, maternal way. She tries to clothe it, protect it, nurture it, and keep it clean. The
speaker implies, in other words, that being a poet or author is a lot like being a mother. Her
writing of this poem was a pretty bold and brave move considering the fact of the era when the
poem was written. Back then; being a poet was more of a manly activity. Now a

Anne Bradstreet Essay

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Anne Bradstreet Essay