Anne Bradstreet And Jonathan Edwards Compare And Contrast

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Vuong Dinh
Mrs. Staber
Honors English 2
25 January 2023 Anna Bradstreets and Johnathan Edwards are two important characters in early American literature. Anne Bradstreet was a Puritan housewife and a famous poet who had writtens many works of poetry including “ To My Dear and Loving Husband” and “Upon the Burning of Our House ''. Meanwhile, Jonathan Edwards, was a Puritan minister who’s famous for his passionate and intense sermons. His most well known speech is called “ Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. Despite their religious beliefs, their styles and views on God contrast each other. Bradstreet poems are often focused on topics such as love and motherhood. Edwards, on the other hand, was known for his sermon. Despite their different styles and practices, they had made a significant impact on early American literature. …show more content…

For example, Jonathan Edwards preaches fear to his listeners, as he speaks of a God who abandons his creations, a vengeful and untrustworthy deity. In his sermons, he states "God has many unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and casting them to hell". Edwards describes the position of "natural men" in God's hand as worms, unworthy of forgiveness. Unlike Edwards' vengeful and vindictive God, Bradstreet envisions God as rewarding, forgiving, and comforting to those who believe in him. In the second stanza of "Upon the Burning of Our House", the author states "And to God my heart did cry/ To strengthen me in my distress/ And not to leave me succorless". In this stanza of the poem, Bradstreet imagines heaven as a perfect place constructed by God where people can't do wrong, a peaceful place and a reward for those who try to do