1. Intro This paper examines whether the poet Anne Bradstreet managed to write autonomously even though she was part of the patriarchic Puritan community. As considering all works of her life would go beyond the limits of this paper, the focus is only on her first publications. Therefore, a short definition of autonomy and gender are given. Secondly, information about the Puritan community as well as Anne Bradstreet is provided. Next, several poems of Anne Bradstreet’s first publications, The Tenth Muse as well as ‚The Author to her book‘ are analyzed in relation to the evidence of autonomy. Finally, the paper concludes by analyzing to what extent Anne Bradstreet accomplished to write autonomously based on the preliminary research. 2. Autonomy …show more content…
This distinctions might be due to the long history of the concept as it was already used to describe the “independence of Greek city- states” while, nowadays, it refers to a “psychological construct” (Hmel & Pincus 2002: 278). Still, there are several similarities as, for example, Friedman considers autonomy as “self-determination”(2003: 4) and Wiggins regards it as individual “agency” (1997: 1081). Both times, autonomy is valued as a freedom of decision. However, Baumeister assumes that the decisions are likely to be shaped by social norms acquired throughout life (2012: 286). This assumption is supported by Friedman who suggests that autonomy is influenced by the social identity, for instance, gender (2003: 10). In order to act autonomously within this framework, an “evaluative stance” must be approached (Friedman 2003: 3) and “practical reasons” utilized (Baumeister 2012: 287). The …show more content…
Thus, many Puritans left England in April 1630 to travel to the New World (Martin 1984: 20) to found a “godly community” (Westerkamp 1999: 2). The ships arrived in the wilderness, a harsh place that required strict rules and religious guidance and “Faith in God’s providential plan” to endure the circumstances (Martin 1984:4). This reassurance had already taken place on their way to the New World when John Winthrop delivered his speech, according to which the Puritan community was as a “City upon a hill” representing a model of “biblical commonwealth”(Westerkamp 1999:10). Consequently, the community established fixed power relations wielding much authority to the ministers who often also were medical authorities and, consequently, caused an intersection of spiritual and medial issues (Lutes 1997: 314). The announcements of the Puritan misters influenced the community strongly since the people’s interpretations were based on them (Lutes 1997: 313). Moreover, the Puritan community comprised strict gender roles (Boschmann 2005: 247) as can be seen by the example of Anne Bradstreet. Even though she joined the journey, she was mainly following her father and husband. Her reluctance was indicated by her statement that by living in the new community her “heart rose”(Martin 1984: 20). In particular, within
In 1634, a woman that would play one of the biggest roles in the development of early America came to Massachusetts from England. Before immigrating to the New World though, Anne Hutchinson lived in London with her husband William Hutchinson. There, a minister, John Cotton, who believed you didn’t need to follow the laws and rules of society to connect with God, resonated greatly with Anne. The idea that religion is based on personal views would be taken with her to the New World, where she would become an icon for conservative Puritanism and steadfast determination.
Thesis: Francis J. Bremer advocates the need to understand the New England colonists’ struggling attempts to define the perimeter fence - not just their positions - in order to help us define the limits of acceptable behavior and beliefs today. Main Points of Evidence: I. The Puritans had different opinions on how they lived their life. A. John Winthrop believed that they were unworthy of God’s love and imperfect.
Puritans are a people with a very strong belief in both God and the power of God. When people see power, they interpret it in different ways. Some know of power through anger and impulse, while others see power through the goodness the powerful one shows. Although Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards are both puritan poets, their writings convey mainly different, though sometimes similar, views on God because they have different perceptions of His will and the use of His power. Anne Bradstreet listens to and accepts anything that God wishes, and that is shown through her poem Upon the Burning of my House.
The Puritan’s goal of coming to the New World was not to create a new life, but to create the ideal model of living for the “corrupt” inhabitants of England. This was coined “The Errand”, the Puritans desire to establish a City Upon a Hill that others could look up to and imitate in order to receive God’s grace. The Puritans failed at building their City Upon a Hill (creating a perfect religious, economic, and political community), however the long-term effects of their efforts have influenced American moral politics throughout its history. The Puritans forever had the attitude of a community that had successfully established a City Upon a Hill. The Puritan lifestyle was heavily influenced not only by religion, but also inside of that, morality.
The ideas constructed by the Puritans were not simply a principal starting point for American culture because they were the first in the country, but because they offered distinct ways of thinking that are still deep-seated in our culture today. Although many of the ideas of Puritans have evolved or vanished over time, it is important to give credit to the Puritan writers and thinkers such as John Winthrop and John Cotton who offered ideas that were new at the time and that stayed with the American consciousness—culturally, socially, and politically. “John Winthrop's legacy can be seen primarily in the fields of government, commerce, and religion. It was religion that would most impact John's life; his religion would ultimately impact the
To those living in British America in the 1700’s, religion was a central fixture of everyday life. One’s denomination was intrinsically tied up in one’s ethnic and social identity, and local churches in the mid-Atlantic depended upon the participation and donations of their parishioners to survive. However, as the 18th century progressed, poorer farmers and ministers across the diverse sects of colonial America came to resent the domination of church life by the upper class. In a parallel development, a split had grown between the rationalists, who were typically wealthy, educated and influential men who represented the status quo, and the evangelicals, who disdained the impersonal pretention of the rationalists and promoted a spiritual and
Taking Matters into Their Own Hands The tables and tides are turning more and more each day, allowing the writings of people from all classes of life and gender to be studied. The poetry of Isabella Whitney, an educated servant and writer from the second half of the sixteenth century, remained long in obscurity, but like Elizabeth I, whose poetry is often neglected in favor of studying her reign and rhetoric, light is being shed on their creative works. The two female writers, although separated by class, display the fears and frustrations of women who are down on their luck as Fortune imprisons their hearts and bodies and leaves them powerless to change their situations.
During the Puritan times gender roles in the society were very anti-feminist. Women were required to act as housewives and do womanly duties such as cook, clean, and take care of their children. Women had very little freedom as far as their rights were concerned also. Puritan writers, Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson both experienced the struggle of the anti-feminist movement. From their writings we see that they both were against anti-feminism and they tried their best to abandon the whole idea.
During the colonial period many settlers came to the New World to escape persecution for their Puritan beliefs. Writers such as William Bradford, John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, and Mary Rowlandson all shared their experiences and religious devotion throughout their literature that ultimately inspired and influenced settlers to follow. This essay will discuss the similarities in Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson’s work as they both describe their experiences as signs from God. Anne Bradstreet came to the New World as a devoted Puritan as she repeatedly talked about it in her poetry. In her poems she discusses many tragedies that happened in her life such as; the burning of her house and the death of her two grandchildren all of which she thinks were signs from God.
Speaker: The speaker of this sermon is John Winthrop. Winthrop was a wealthy male Englishmen, lawyer, and Puritan who ventured towards the New World. I’m assuming this writing would be religiously bias, due to his beliefs in the Puritan faith. With the previous knowledge of him being a first-generation colonist; he’s presumably coaxing the colonist to become prosperous in the New World. Occasion:
The arrival of the first Europeans in the Americas is dramatically captured through the many writers who attempted to communicate what they saw, experienced and felt. What is more, the very purposes of their treacherous travel and colonization are clearly seen in their writings; whether it is poetry, history or sermons. Of the many literary pieces available today, William Bradford and John Winthrop’s writings, even though vary because the first is a historical account and the second is a sermon, stand out as presenting a clear trust in God, the rules that would govern them and the reason they have arrived in the Americas. First of all, William Bradford provides an in-depth look into the first moment when the Puritans arrived in the Americas. In fact, he chronicles the hardships they face on their way to Plymouth, yet he includes God’s provision every step of the way.
During the Puritan times gender roles in the society were very anti-feminist. Women were required to act as housewives and do womanly duties such as cook, clean, and take care of their children. Women had very little freedom as far as their rights were concerned also. Puritan writers, Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson both experienced the struggle of the anti-feminist movement. From their writings we see that they both were against anti-feminism and they tried their best to abandon the whole idea.
Spotlights in Time of Charlotte Bronte “Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not a religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last” (Bronte). Charlotte was not a conventional woman in her time. Charlotte and her sisters were compelled to learn how to survive in a man’s world.
Charlotte Bronte was a famous English poet and novelist from the nineteenth century. Though shy and often socially awkward, Bronte was clever, strong-minded, and ambitious. She was fiercely independent and was determined to defy society’s standard for women of the time, though she also took her role of responsibility in the family seriously. Like women through the ages, Charlotte often struggled to balance her responsibilities and her ambition. Because of her life experiences and tenacious spirit, Charlotte Bronte was a woman ahead of her time, determined to forge her way into a literary career where she could support herself financially doing something she loved – writing.
Anne Bradstreet (1612 – 1672) has been a long-lasting leading figure in the American literature who embodied a myriad of identities; she was a Puritan, poet, feminist, woman, wife, and mother. Bradstreet’s poetry was a presence of an erudite voice that animadverted the patriarchal constraints on women in the seventeenth century. In a society where women were deprived of their voices, Bradstreet tried to search for their identities. When the new settlers came to America, they struggled considerably in defining their identities. However, the women’s struggles were twice than of these new settlers; because they wanted to ascertain their identities in a new environment, and in a masculine society.