Anne Bradstreet Allusions

What I was doing with my white teeth exposed like that on the side of the road I don't know.

In the 1600s, many Puritans migrated to the New World, as did Anne Bradstreet and her family. Puritanism included many beliefs such as predestination, love in God, and the importance of motherhood for women. Women were expected to stay home and do typical housework chores such as sew, clean, and watch the children. Although Bradstreet was very religious and God was a huge part of her life, she also believed in equality between men and women, and the idea that women were just as capable as men. She was educated well as a child because of her family’s social status and became well-versed many sophisticated topics, such as theology, politics, and history.

Throughout her poems, Bradstreet proves that she is capable and worthy of writing poetry despite the common belief in the 1600s that only men should be writers. Not only is she very controlled with her use and structure of words, she is also very educated, as shown through her allusions. In “The Prologue,” Bradstreet references many famous people such as Bartas, the French poet, and Demosthenes. Alluding to Bartas shows that Bradstreet is familiar with the works of the famous and admired Puritan poet. She is well-read and literate. Bradstreet’s description of Demosthenes and his struggles - “fluent sweet-tongued Greek, Who lisp’d at first, in future times speak plain,” - proves that she is well-educated in topics that were not normal for women, such as history. Although she uses these allusions to portray herself negatively, they also prove her intelligence. Bradstreet shows society that women can be more than obedient housewives; they are capable of writing complex pieces with double meanings and speaking their minds. Bradstreet also believes in religion and is very devoted to God. She references many biblical stories. In “Upon a Fit of Sickness” Bradstreet talks about the inevitability of death as she is ill. “All men must die, and so must I...For Adam’s sake this word God spake.” This allusion to the story of Adam and Eve shows Bradstreet’s religious devotion. She

In many poems, Bradstreet references God as if he is next to her and listening. Her poems about her children and death, whether it is hers or her family members’, prompt her to pray to God for assistance and talk to him for comfort. She believes God is always there to listen, and she trusts God’s advice and choices. In “Upon a Fit of Sickness,” Bradstreet ponders over her death and comes to the conclusion that “then death’s arrest I shall count best, because it’s Thy decree.” She realizes death is inevitable and what God wants, so she acknowledges that fact by beginning to speak about God as if he is there. She turns to God during difficult times, such as when she is sick. This shows her religious devotion and belief in predestination, a Puritan idea in which everything in life has been pre-determined by God. She uses God as a primary nurturing and guiding force in her life. She is not a savage; instead, she was raised correctly and educated on the importance of believing and trusting