One use of symbolism in Bradstreet 's saddening poem is relating her granddaughter, Elizabeth Bradstreet, to a fair flower. The line from the poem states "Farewell fair flower that for a space was lent" (line 3). The
Both Bradstreet and Edwards are puritan writers, they are both believe in a higher more powerful God. In their writings “Upon the Burning of Our House”, by Anne Bradstreet and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, by Jonathan Edwards they both talk about the higher being of God. They both are powerful writers and have a way of getting their points across, but they do it differently. They are both great writers and even though they have different religious views and different writing styles both of their poems, “Upon the Burning of Our House” by Anne Bradstreet and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards, have the same goal of converting people. Both Edwards and Bradstreet portray God as more powerful being, but while Edwards portrays him as and angry and revenge seeking, Bradstreet describes him differently as being loving and giving.
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.
Furthermore, by using end rhyme, Bradstreet symbolically shows restraint. In the same way that a poet controls oneself by specifically using end rhyme, the poet is controlling her emotions when dealing with a sad experience and accepts her mortality. Similarly, in “Verses Upon the Burning of our House,” proof of Bradstreet’s faith is indisputable. After being initially distraught at her house burning down and losing all of her belongings, Bradstreet recounts how she reorients herself and blesses “His name that gave and took,
In “The Author to Her Book”, Anne Bradstreet deceives everyone, even herself. The poem uses a metaphor to describe her poems. ; her “children” refer to her poetry, and she employs vivid imagery to describe these “children” as ugly, deformed and abhorrent. Nevertheless, she employs this poem to tell the world that her works are ill-formed since poetry is the best way she can communicate to the world. However, she lies in this poem.
Furthermore, she found the time to write magnificent poetry. Bradstreet’s writings are a window into her life. This letter portrays her husband as the center of her life and her inspiration, which becomes palpable at the beginning when she states: “My head, my heart, mine eyes, my life, nay, more,” (1). Bradstreet uses her poetry to communicate with him, and in this particular poem, which she wrote, while he was working away from home, she tells him how much she misses him when he is not around. For her, the issue it is not that she has to take care of all the responsibilities in the house while he is not present, rather than the loneliness she feels not having him by
In the second poem, Bradstreet writes as if she is more shaken and broken. She uses symbols of things that are easily broken. Much like glass and bubbles in her writing. At the end though she still believes that the child is in good hands of God, in belief that it happened for a reason. Finally, in the third poem, her grandson dies.
Writers like Edwards and Bradstreet both wrote about God and the impact although they had different notions; from them having different points of view of how God felt, to the way they wrote and made their readers feel throughout their writings. In the early time there were believers of a powerful God, although they thought God was powerful they saw different points of view towards God’s emotions. Bradstreet thought of God as a helpful, kind, and powerful being, Edwards on the other hand saw god as a powerful, harsh, and strict being. To show Bradstreet’s view of God in her last stanza of “upon the burning of our house, july 10th 1666” she states “ A price so vast as in unknown.. Yet be his gift is made thee own; there’s wealth enough, I need no more..”.
Anne Bradstreet emphasizes romantic love and eternal love in her writing, which are not typical puritan beliefs. In her poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, she expresses her unconditional love towards her husband, which makes the readers assume that, for her, the most important person was her husband. Anne Bradstreet emphasizes romantic love in her writing, which is not a typical puritan belief. Free Reformed Churches of North America states that puritans “emphasized that married love should always be subordinate to the love of God” (Rev. C. Pronk) meaning that it was not right for Anne Bradstreet to have these strong emotional feelings towards her husband because they were bigger than her feelings towards God.
Both these women overcame their difficulties through their beliefs to God. Anne Bradstreet mostly wrote about everyday life while making it seem remarkable. Being a Puritan woman, Anne Bradstreet had trouble writing poetry in colonial society. She was expected to behave as a normal Puritan woman who should stay at home and be a housewife. However, she did