Sign in or 
Share this
The American Dream and Anne Bradstreet
Jamie Culbertson
ENH 241, Section 17859
Insight Paper 2
The American Dream and Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet is recognized as America’s first published poet, and was also the first woman to be published in Colonial America (Wikipedia). Bradstreet was born in Northampton, England, in 1612 and immigrated to America in 1630 with her parents and husband, Simon Bradstreet (Wikipedia). She was a reluctant immigrant and cherished her life in England. True to her Puritan beliefs, Bradstreet was an obedient daughter and did as her parents instructed (NPR). Dutifully, she hid her distain for her new country and only later admitted how resistant she had been to coming to America. ‘I found a new world and new manners,’ she wrote, ‘my heart rose,’ meaning not that she rejoiced but that she retched” (NPR). At that time, Bradstreet didn’t realize the impact she would have on American literature and the colony that she helped establish.
“Much of Bradstreet's poetry is based on observation of the world around her, focusing heavily on domestic and religious themes” (Wikipedia). On July 1, 1666, the Bradstreet family home caught fire and burned to the ground, leaving them with no shelter and no possessions. Included among the items lost, were Bradstreet’s own personal library, rumored to be around 800 books, her writing, papers, and research. She had intended to complete a poetical account of the Roman Monarchy but after the fire destroyed her work, she never completed the project (Ellis). Of this event, Bradstreet reflected on the experience in her poem, “Upon the Burning of Our House July 10th, 1666.” This poem while expressing the loss of her possessions and sadness stays true to her Puritan religious beliefs. “She rejects the anger and grief that this worldly tragedy has caused her and instead looks toward God and the assurance of heaven as consolation” (Wikipedia).
“And, when I could no longer look,
I blest his Name that gave and took,
That layd my goods now in the dust:
Yea so it was, and so 'twas just.
It was his own: it was not mine;
Far be it that I should repine”
Most interestingly, Bradstreet doesn’t lose her faith in God or her new country even with all that she’s been through in this “new world.” She does not express regret and believes that the fire was God’s will and she needed no more wealth. In this poem, as well as her other works, Bradstreet stays faithful to her Puritan beliefs and life, as shown below in her poem, “Upon Burning of Our House:”
“A Prise so vast as is unknown,
Yet, by his Gift, is made thine own.
Ther's wealth enough, I need no more;
Farewell my Pelf, farewell my Store.
The world no longer let me Love,
My hope and Treasure lyes Above.”
Specifically, in “Upon the Burning of Our House,” Bradstreet’s writing implicates the time of day; cultural and religious themes; and a visualization of her waking up to a fire and later walking around the ashes placing in her head, where many of her possessions previously sat – all characteristics of well defined setting.
“Here stood that Trunk, and there that chest;
There lay that store I counted best:
My pleasant things in ashes lye,
And them behold no more shall I.
Under thy roof no guest shall sitt,
Nor at thy Table eat a bitt.”
“Against all odds and in the midst of unthinkable hardships - privation, freezing cold and blistering heat, hunger, disease, loneliness, and self-doubt - Anne would raise eight children to adulthood, help found three different towns, and run the family's busy household. Even more remarkably, she would find the strength and the time to write verse, diligently and fiercely, until finally in 1650 she had compiled enough poems to publish a book, The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America. To her surprise, her words would catch fire and she would become the voice of an era and of a new country. Having composed the anthems of a faith, she would be famous” (NPR). Anne Bradstreet, the reluctant immigrant, came to America with her family and was among the first settlers of our country – in turn she became the epitome of the American Dream and became one of America’s most respected authors.
Bibliography
Anne Bradstreet. Wikipedia. Last modified on 16 June 2010. Web. 25 June 2010.
Simon, Scott. “Anne Bradstreet: America’s First Poet.” NPR. 23 April 2005. Web. 22 June 2010.
Ellis, John Harvard, ed. The Works of Anne Bradstreet in Prose and Verse. Google Books. Press of John Wilcox and Son, Cambridge, MA. Web. 25 June 2010.
Bradstreet, Anne. Upon the Burning of Our House. Wikipedia. Web. 25 June 2010.
ENH 241, Section 17859
Insight Paper 2
The American Dream and Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet is recognized as America’s first published poet, and was also the first woman to be published in Colonial America (Wikipedia). Bradstreet was born in Northampton, England, in 1612 and immigrated to America in 1630 with her parents and husband, Simon Bradstreet (Wikipedia). She was a reluctant immigrant and cherished her life in England. True to her Puritan beliefs, Bradstreet was an obedient daughter and did as her parents instructed (NPR). Dutifully, she hid her distain for her new country and only later admitted how resistant she had been to coming to America. ‘I found a new world and new manners,’ she wrote, ‘my heart rose,’ meaning not that she rejoiced but that she retched” (NPR). At that time, Bradstreet didn’t realize the impact she would have on American literature and the colony that she helped establish.
“Much of Bradstreet's poetry is based on observation of the world around her, focusing heavily on domestic and religious themes” (Wikipedia). On July 1, 1666, the Bradstreet family home caught fire and burned to the ground, leaving them with no shelter and no possessions. Included among the items lost, were Bradstreet’s own personal library, rumored to be around 800 books, her writing, papers, and research. She had intended to complete a poetical account of the Roman Monarchy but after the fire destroyed her work, she never completed the project (Ellis). Of this event, Bradstreet reflected on the experience in her poem, “Upon the Burning of Our House July 10th, 1666.” This poem while expressing the loss of her possessions and sadness stays true to her Puritan religious beliefs. “She rejects the anger and grief that this worldly tragedy has caused her and instead looks toward God and the assurance of heaven as consolation” (Wikipedia).
“And, when I could no longer look,
I blest his Name that gave and took,
That layd my goods now in the dust:
Yea so it was, and so 'twas just.
It was his own: it was not mine;
Far be it that I should repine”
Most interestingly, Bradstreet doesn’t lose her faith in God or her new country even with all that she’s been through in this “new world.” She does not express regret and believes that the fire was God’s will and she needed no more wealth. In this poem, as well as her other works, Bradstreet stays faithful to her Puritan beliefs and life, as shown below in her poem, “Upon Burning of Our House:”
“A Prise so vast as is unknown,
Yet, by his Gift, is made thine own.
Ther's wealth enough, I need no more;
Farewell my Pelf, farewell my Store.
The world no longer let me Love,
My hope and Treasure lyes Above.”
Specifically, in “Upon the Burning of Our House,” Bradstreet’s writing implicates the time of day; cultural and religious themes; and a visualization of her waking up to a fire and later walking around the ashes placing in her head, where many of her possessions previously sat – all characteristics of well defined setting.
“Here stood that Trunk, and there that chest;
There lay that store I counted best:
My pleasant things in ashes lye,
And them behold no more shall I.
Under thy roof no guest shall sitt,
Nor at thy Table eat a bitt.”
“Against all odds and in the midst of unthinkable hardships - privation, freezing cold and blistering heat, hunger, disease, loneliness, and self-doubt - Anne would raise eight children to adulthood, help found three different towns, and run the family's busy household. Even more remarkably, she would find the strength and the time to write verse, diligently and fiercely, until finally in 1650 she had compiled enough poems to publish a book, The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America. To her surprise, her words would catch fire and she would become the voice of an era and of a new country. Having composed the anthems of a faith, she would be famous” (NPR). Anne Bradstreet, the reluctant immigrant, came to America with her family and was among the first settlers of our country – in turn she became the epitome of the American Dream and became one of America’s most respected authors.
Bibliography
Anne Bradstreet. Wikipedia. Last modified on 16 June 2010. Web. 25 June 2010.
Simon, Scott. “Anne Bradstreet: America’s First Poet.” NPR. 23 April 2005. Web. 22 June 2010.
Ellis, John Harvard, ed. The Works of Anne Bradstreet in Prose and Verse. Google Books. Press of John Wilcox and Son, Cambridge, MA. Web. 25 June 2010.
Bradstreet, Anne. Upon the Burning of Our House. Wikipedia. Web. 25 June 2010.
JamieCulbertson |
Latest page update: made by JamieCulbertson
, Jun 26 2010, 12:48 AM EDT
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by JamieCulbertson
786 words added view changes - complete history) |
|
Keyword tags:
None
More Info: links to this page
|
There are no threads for this page.
Be the first to start a new thread.
