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Connection to Puritan Beliefs and/or Time Period

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Connection to Puritan Beliefs and/or Time Period

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Bradstreet's poem connects to the Puritan belief of the predetermination of the elect and the 17th century idea of gender roles. Bradstreet tries to correct her imperfections, but only to find more flaws. This shows that only a select few can experience God's grace, others like Bradstreet, receive God's punishments. In Puritanism, those who are part of the "elect" are predetermined, tying in with Bradstreet's ideas. Bradstreet's poem describes her role of being a mother to a child and the hardships she faced. This represents the patriarchal society of the 17th century. Bradstreet challenges these standards by her display of nonconformity to rebel against the set gender roles that were evident in the 1600s.

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1. Bradstreet's poem shows that religion and faith play a role as a burden through the indication that religion could be a source of tension and intolerance to nonconformity. Bradstreet wrote that her book was not meant for public view as she was in fear of being an outcast to her own community. This stigma was created by the Puritan religion, as it did not tolerate views that were against theirs. Tension between her and her community was created based on her differences. She also wrote that she even tried to conform to the others by "amending her blemishes." Without the strict rules set by religion, Bradstreet and others who thought differently would not have had to suppress their ideas and have faith play such a burden in their lives.

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Figurative Meaning: Ideal Puritan/ Conversion Narrative

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Figurative Meaning: Ideal Puritan/ Conversion Narrative

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Bradstreet supports Puritan beliefs as she portrays the idea of the predetermined elect. She states, "Thy blemishes amend, if so I could: / I wash’d thy face, but more defects I saw, / And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw" (Bradstreet 12-14). She explains that she attempts to correct her flaws, but it makes it worse and more imperfections. This could represent the Puritan belief of God predetermining your fate and that one cannot change it no matter what. Bradstreet also states, "I stretched thy joints to make thee even feet, / Yet still thou run’st hobbling than is meet” (13-16). She describes the disciplining of her child (her book). This draws parallels between the Puritan belief of shaping and guidance of children at a young age.

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Bradstreet subtly opposes/doubts Puritan beliefs by her opposition of gender roles and display of noncomformity. She states, “If for thy father asked, say thou hadst none; / And for thy mother, alas she is poor, / which caused her thus to send thee out of door” (Bradstreet 21-24). By showing that she herself can raise the child without the help of a father, she is opposing the stigma that women are dependent on men. This goes against Puritan beliefs, as they strongly condemned women who were not submissive. She also states "Till snatched from thence by friends, less wise than true, / Who thee abroad, expos’d to publick view" (Bradstreet 3-4). She indicates that her book was not supposed to be for the public. This shows that she had different ideas and thoughts that she suppressed in fear of being an outcast to her community. Puritans were intolerant to nonconformity, so Bradstreet subtly opposes their ideas.

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1. Bradstreet's poem shows that faith and religion are a central component in literature by references to the Bible, usage of epithets, and poetry type. Bradstreet references Psalm 56:8 and John 1:7, both derived from religious texts. With this evident in her poetry, it shows that religion is a common theme among literature. Bradstreet also uses epithets, as she uses the word "Saviour" to refer to God. By doing this, she is praising God, a religious figure. Her portrayal of her faith in God indicates how religion can play a central role in literature. Finally, Bradstreet's poetry type is a hymn, a religious song to praise God. The usage of hymnal measures show that religion and faith influence are a central component in literature.
2. Bradstreet's poem also shows that faith and religion are used as guidance in people's lives by her interaction with God in times of desperation, the relief she found in God, and her diction/repetion. Since she called out to God when she was in a time of need, Bradstreet shows that one can reach out to religious figures for guidance. She also expresses the relief she found in God, as she shows her gratitude for aiding her. This also shows how the common person could use religion and faith as guidance if they need peace and tranquility in their lives. Finally, Bradstreet's diction and repetition of the phrase "I sought him" shows her strong faith and how one can use faith as guidance for reassurance in their lives.

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Figurative Meaning: Ideal Puritan/ Conversion Narrative

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Figurative Meaning: Ideal Puritan/ Conversion Narrative

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First, Bradstreet exhibits her support for Puritan beliefs and suggests that her poem is a conversion narrative by her indication that her savior is God. She states, “I sought him whom my Soul did Love, / With tears I sought him earnestly. / He bow’d his ear down from Above” (Bradstreet 5-7). By capitalizing above words like “Above,” she is referring to Heaven and she expresses her admiration and respect for God. Puritans believed that if they were faithful to God, their life would be preserved and enriched. Next, Bradstreet shows that she is the ideal Puritan and her poem is a conversion narrative by describing her personal experience with God. Bradstreet states, “My hungry Soul he fill’d with Good; / He in his Bottle put my tears,” (9-10). This indicates her intimate contact and interaction with God, a crucial aspect for a conversion narrative since one must explain their engagement with the divine.

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Bradstreet opposes/doubts Puritan beliefs by the lack of specification that her savior is God and the suggestion that it could be her husband. She states, "I’ll serve him here whilst I shall live/ And Loue him to Eternity"(Bradstreet 15-16). With the inconsistent capitalizing of pronouns such as "him," she is subtly hinting that her savior is not God, but could be her husband since she uses the word "love." This is directly going against Puritan beliefs, as they highly condemned the public display of affection within romantic partners, valuing modesty in their lives. Second, Bradstreet forms an analogy that depicts her hesitation in faith compared to others in her community. She states, "And hath at once both ease and Rest,/ My waking eyes were open kept," (Bradstreet 2-3). Showing that she is in some type of distress as she is awake while the others are asleep, she could be referencing her uncertainty in Puritan religion. Since the others are sleeping soundly, they are satisfied with their faith in God, but she is subtly opposing Puritan beliefs because of her nonconformity to their values.

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Connection to Puritan Beliefs and/or Time Period 

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Connection to Puritan Beliefs and/or Time Period 

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First, Bradstreet's poem connects with Puritan beliefs because she displays a strong faith in God. She describes her experience with God and how God helped her through her rough times. Puritans believed that if they were faithful, God would aid them in life. Next, Bradstreet expresses gratitude for the lord, which ties in with Puritan beliefs. Since Puritans believed that their life was predetermined by God, they respected and were grateful for God's decisions. This is similar to Anne Bradstreet, as she was thankful that God fulfilled her "hungry soul." Finally, Bradstreet's poem was also influenced by the time period. Bradstreet's poem describes the role of women and their dependency on males, such as the "savior." This ties in with 17th century beliefs, as women were not seen as fully independent, capable, or equal to men.

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1. Bradstreet's poem shows how faith and religion can blind people from the truth by the indication of religious misinterpretation. In the Bible and many other religious texts, there have been many instances showing God's grace and miracles through hard work and kindness. However, as Bradstreet shows, even if someone has an excellent work ethic and does no wrong, they can still face hardships, like their house burning down. Religion can blind people from the reality of hardship by creating a false narrative of constant hope and happiness.
2. However, religion and faith can also reveal the truth to people, as Bradstreet's poem shows through her religious intervention with God. The burning of Bradstreet's house revealed to her that she had a lack of faith in God, as God had decided to this. She then did not worry about the materialistic things she lost, but how she could strengthen her faith. It revealed to her the true things that really mattered in her life.

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Connection to Puritan Beliefs and/or Time Period 

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Connection to Puritan Beliefs and/or Time Period 

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Bradstreet shows her connection to Puritan beliefs by her intervention/devotion to God and the idea that salvation was predetermined by God. She sought God's help in desperation after her house burned down. She immediately prayed to God for emotional strength. This type of rigorous faith in God was endorsed in Puritanism. Bradstreet also represents the idea of predetermination by God. After her house burned down, she later let go of her lamentation and realized that God's decisions were just. This ties in with the Puritan belief that God has planned out and made decisions of everyone's lives, whether one receives salvation or damnation..

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Figurative Meaning: Ideal Puritan/ Conversion Narrative 

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Figurative Meaning: Ideal Puritan/ Conversion Narrative 

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First, Bradstreet supports Puritan beliefs by showcasing the idea that God has supreme authority in her poem. She states, “I blest His name that gave and took, / That laid my goods now in the dust: / Yea, so it was, and so ‘twas just” (Bradstreet 15-17). The capitalization of "His" indicates that she is speaking about God. By saying he "gave and took," she is explaining that God has the authority to make decisions about people's lives and that they are just. This ties in with Puritan beliefs because they also believed that God predetermined everything and should be respected. Next, Bradstreet shows her poem is a conversion narrative by her reception of God's grace. Bradstreet writes, “Then straight I ‘gin my heart to chide” (37-38). Bradstreet shows her guilt and remorse; in Puritanism, this is a sign that one has received God's grace. The poem could serve as a conversion narrative because one must describe their experience with God's grace and divine engagement.

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Bradstreet subtly opposes Puritan beliefs through her disregard for material wealth. Bradstreet asks herself, "And did thy wealth on earth abide?” (38). By stating this, she undermines the value of material success. In Puritanism, God's grace directly correlated to the amount of wealth someone acquired. She also says, "There’s wealth enough, I need no more" (Bradstreet 52). Since she does not place a high value or need on material wealth, she opposes the Puritan beliefs of money and success being equivalent to one's election from God.