Analysis Of Anne Bradstreet s Poetry Essay - 2677 Words

As a devoutly religious wife and mother, much of Anne Bradstreet’s poetry appears to be quite conventional. The themes of her poetry range from religious matters to musings on motherhood to love letters to her husband, which correspond with the social and cultural expectations for a woman in her time. However, there are moments in her poetry in which she argues in defence of women, and appears to seek some recognition for her work which is a far less traditional stance. While Bradstreet’s poetry in many ways appears to be quite complicit with the gender roles and social expectations of the period it is reductive to say that she bows to social and cultural norms completely as some of her poetry directly challenges these oppressive ideas. Her writing is indicative of a conflict within Bradstreet between the patriarchy based Puritan society in which she lives and her identity as a woman. Bradstreet’s role as a wife is complicit with the societal and cultural expecta tions for a woman of the time but contributes to this inner conflict as it is in part consuming in that it strips her of her individual identity, but she also does not let her status as a wife stop her from writing. In Bradstreet’s poem â€Å"To My Dear and Loving Husband† she describes their marriage by saying that â€Å"if ever two were one, then surely we† (1). Using the traditional religious notion of two becoming one to express her love for her husband, while quite complicit with the ideals of the time, is alsoShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Anne Bradstreet s Poetry1075 Words   |  5 PagesAnne Bradstreet, a well-educated woman, strong in her Puritan beliefs, captured her thoughts by writing poetry, which included works such as â€Å"Contemplations† which was preceded by â€Å"The Prologue†. Written in the mid 1600’s as the colonies were beginning to form, Bradstreet’s poem included themes of religion, nature, and family. Although she claims to have written them without the intent of publication, a collection of her poetry was printed in 1650. She identifies her struggles with faith, yet writesRead More`` Contemplations `` By Anne Bradstreet Essay1462 Words   |  6 Pagesevident in the poem â€Å"Contemplations† by Anne Bradstreet. In order to fully understand how Bradstreet foreshadowed later themes in â€Å"Contemplations†, the context of the Colonial time must be examined, along with famed works from the Transcendental period. For starters, Anne Bradstreet was fathered by a man named Thomas Dudley. Dudley was the â€Å"manager of the country estate of the Puritan Earl of Lincoln†. At the tender age of sixteen, Anne met Simon Bradstreet, a man who shared the same Puritan idealsRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Anne Bradstreet s The Prologue Essay2567 Words   |  11 Pagesneedle better fits†: A Literary Analysis Reading of Anne Bradstreet’s â€Å" The Prologue Does gender explain the importance of a poet? Gender is just the state of being male or female. When it comes to gender no gender is superior than the other. Some individuals would imagine a poet becoming important by them excelling intellectually, being able to write about the things one could relate to, and sometimes being that voice for those who cannot be heard. Anne Bradstreet, an early American poet, takesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Phillis Wheatley 1037 Words   |  5 PagesChandler Helmers Mr. Campbell English 3 Honors 10/12/14 An Analysis on the work of Phillis Wheatley Phillis Wheatley is a Gambian born African American poet. She was bought off of the slave trade by the Wheatley family from Boston. Her love of writing was influenced by the reassurance of the Wheatley family who taught her how to read and write. The family encouraged her poetry and helped develop her literature skills. Phillis is known for becoming the first published African American poet. ManyRead MoreElements of English Lit ; Contrast Compare Two Stories and Poem2705 Words   |  11 Pagesand the conflicts that keep the reader’s interest. Many readers are only interested in certain types of literature or certain authors. This study is based on an analysis of one poem, and two short stories, â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner, â€Å"A Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin, and â€Å"To My Dear and Loving Husband† by Anne Bradstreet. Both the short stories and poem show some similarities and differences in their settings, characters, and confli cts. I will examine how the authors have madeRead MoreHow to Write a Research Paper11497 Words   |  46 Pagestopic: Benjamin Franklin s political life Evaluative paper topic: The effect of Benjamin Franklin s writing style upon his career 3. Working Bibliography The first step in researching a topic is to compile a working bibliography of potential sources of information, both primary and secondary. The subject area of a research paper determines, in part, the nature of the source materials. If you have been asked, for example, to analyze the poetry of Anne Bradstreet in relation to the accepted