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Anne Bradstreet Returns Upon The Burning Of Our House Summary

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In “Verses Upon the Burning of our House”, Anne Bradstreet expresses a common example of trust from human relation towards our creator, God. She is confused and also finds it difficult to accept his sacred will. As a loyal Puritan, she manifests her devotion to God, as a way of being a good worker and also trusting on His will; which promised future and great prizes. The poem is made up of a series of rhyming couplets. This poetic pattern reveals pressure between her attachments to earthly things, displayed by her “house” and her recognition that she is supposed to leave her ties and worship the Lord, displayed by this “Holy Architect”. A common bond exists between these two points that is key in order to maintain a firm relationship with Him. These elements, despite being different, are part of a greater idea that combines and depended on each …show more content…

This is her most important point: Through the whole poem, Bradstreet’s suggests that terrestrial experiences and challenges have to happen in order to achieve an authentic faith towards God. After the disastrous series of events she suffered during the poem, in lines 8-14, we can see this extensive and religious practice from her. She is willing to accept what had happened and also to stop repining about how it happened, due to the fact that God left her with everything she needed in order to survive. In line 14, Bradstreet addresses one of the many different religious references from the Bible to her own poetry, “gave and took”. This small phrase appears on the book of prophet Job in the Bible, which expresses that God has the power to give and take your possessions since they belong to them. This is a clear sign that Bradstreet is afraid and respects His dive power. Making sure that she feels reliefs by writing this references. After the house was just ashes she discovers and recognizes that

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The Colonial Period was from 1492 to 1763. During this time many new writing styles and opinions were established by various different writers. Anne Bradstreet, a female poet known as the first Colonial settler and the first woman in England to publish a book of poems. One of her famous poems, “ The Burning of Our House”, refers back to religion and her belief in God/Him many times. The last line of the poem, “ My hope and treasure lies above”, influences the theme to be, spiritual possessions are more important than material possessions.

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677 Words | 3 Pages

While both poets try to be optimistic about the death of their loved ones, Wheatley, the more religious poet of the two, emphasizes the importance of religion by using her almost artistic sculpting of descriptive adjectives and robust nouns such as “The glowing stars and silver queen of light/ At last must perish in the gloom of night” and in using this word choice, she shows how much weight her religion holds (19-20). As Wheatley praises her God and his doings in her poem, Bradstreet makes sure to underline how much her relationship with her husband and kids mean to her. “Look to my little babes, my dear remains./ And if thou love thyself, or loved’st me,/

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682 Words | 3 Pages

Material Possession vs Religion In “Verses upon the Burning of our House”, about the religious and human view of material things, Anne Bradstreet tries to hide the fact that during the burning of her house she secretly grieves the lost of her material things. The poet struggles in the debate of spiritualism and non spiritualism as she goes on in the poem describing her feelings and thoughts about her house burning down. As I read the poem I felt a bit of controversy from Bradstreet point of view because of her seesaw in how she illustrates the importance of possession, contrary of her religious beliefs. Bradstreet´s final point is that unlike the importance of possession, people, including the poet herself, craves and desires all material things. Bradstreet opens her poem by telling her readers about the impact caused on her when she woke up form a “silent night” (1), term she uses to later express the great impact made on her by the roaring sound of fire burning down her house, and that awakens her from her sleep.

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1138 Words | 5 Pages

In this essay, I will analyze the poem Verses Upon the Burning of Our House (July 10th, 1666) by Anne Bradstreet, a puritan who most critics consider to be America’s first “authentic poet. The poem is based on a true story as Anne’s house really did burn down and illustrates her meditations on this event, the pain she felt after losing her home and the effect it had on her faith. The main theme is Anne’s struggle to not become attached to material things. I will begin by explaining the rhyme, style, and tone of the poem, continue by explaining which literary devices and interesting features we can find and the effect they have on the reader, then I will analyze the poem and finally I will give a brief conclusion. Verses Upon the Burning of Our House is a poem written in couplets in iambic tetrameter scheme which makes the story flow nicely.

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1250 Words | 5 Pages

This stanza demonstrates to the readers the contention of tension the public arena with men and women. In the fourth line of the poem, Bradstreet portrays her disappointment with the Puritan 's thought of the place of a woman. By saying

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1089 Words | 5 Pages

Bradstreet creates a deeper meaning in her poem through her discussion of earthly value versus eternal value and how she discovers the importance of eternal value through the loss of her earthly possessions. The first example of her discovery is her feeling that she has lost her earthly possessions. In her recount of the flames overtaking her house, Bradstreet says, “I blest His name that gave and took, That laid my goods now in the dust” (Bradstreet ll. 14-15). In these lines,

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508 Words | 3 Pages

Anne Bradstreet is one of the most controversial poets of her time. Choosing her lover and materialistic items over religion. This is best shown in her works "To my dear loving husband" and "Upon the burning of our house" Which solely focuses on her Ironic lover as well as her home. In these poems she talks about how nothing can replace the happiness she feel with the main topic of each poem. While very similar in black and white.

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547 Words | 3 Pages

Theses writings were for personal use and despite their wishes were eventually published. Because of this, their writings showed true emotion and not that for entertainment or religious persuasion. Once released to the public their experiences were valued and passed on for generations to come. There was many simulates in the works of Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson’s describing signs from God to appreciate the nature, family and most importunely to put God first. Because of these signs and resulting tragedies, Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson had a very positive outlook on life and inspired many to follow and appreciate the simple things in life.

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1091 Words | 5 Pages

Furthermore, by using end rhyme, Bradstreet symbolically shows restraint. In the same way that a poet controls oneself by specifically using end rhyme, the poet is controlling her emotions when dealing with a sad experience and accepts her mortality. Similarly, in “Verses Upon the Burning of our House,” proof of Bradstreet’s faith is indisputable. After being initially distraught at her house burning down and losing all of her belongings, Bradstreet recounts how she reorients herself and blesses “His name that gave and took,

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1079 Words | 5 Pages

Bradstreet knows the goodness in God and rather than fearing him she thanks Him or asks for help. While her house was burning she asked God “to strengthen [her] in [her] time of distress”(9) because she knows everything that happens is through the will of God and only He can help her through this difficult situation. Bradstreet sees God as a just one even though he took all of her physical possessions. She takes His justness a step further by saying in lines 18 and 19 that even if He took all of her belongings, it would still be reasonable. Bradstreet also believes in a positive afterlife for herself and most people around her.

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322 Words | 2 Pages

During the Cold War, the tension between the United States and Soviet Union heightened as both nations fought for the title of ultimate superpower. Attempting to exhibit superiority, the two countries challenged each other through satellite and spacecraft technological advancements. Satellites, at the time, were not a recent innovation; the United States government already used communication satellites for intelligence gathering and military operations (Rob Frieden 697). Yet, the USSR's launching of Sputnik and the Yuri Gagarin flight in 1957 and 1961 respectively, the Kennedy administration sought to develop an international satellite communication system that would "directly benefit people throughout the world and enhance national prestige"

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755 Words | 4 Pages

Critics have argued that while the explicit message conveying in some of her poems is that “love of God is of greater weight than love of husband or children”, the underlying notion is that she gives “equal if not greater weight to the bonds of marriage and parenting” (Hall 188). In “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, Bradstreet discusses the idea of salvation. In puritanism, marriage and the procreation of children is viewed as one of the duties for puritan couple, and that people have no control over their destiny in afterlife. Yet, Bradstreet’s tone suggests that the virtuous love is not a duty but a blessing as she glorifies her love with her husband. Furthermore, love can eventually earn them a place in heaven and lead to heavenly redemption.

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286 Words | 2 Pages

In the poems “To My Dear and Loving Husband” and “Upon the Burning of Our House” the author Anne Bradstreet allows the reader a glimpse of what she values. The two poems are alike because they both explore her religion and show her love for God. In these two poems they let you get a glimpse of the way she looked at things and saw the good side of everything. For example, in “ To My Dear and Loving Husband” it says “ if ever a man were loved by wife, then thee; if ever wife was happy in man,”.

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1075 Words | 5 Pages

“Verses upon the Burning of our House, July 10th, 1666” is an poem written by Anne Bradstreet that, at its surface, is about internal conflict that is experienced when the author (in this case a devoted and faithful Christian woman) believes she has become too fond of material or, rather yet, earthly things. However, once the reader has had the chance to appreciate all its aspects respectively, they uncover underlying layers that add meanings that would otherwise be overlooked. Throughout the poem, Bradstreet utilizes a number of literary devices in order to ensure that the poem’s theme is recognized and fully comprehended by the reader. The most significant theme of “Verses upon the Burning of our House, July 10th, 1666” is that no matter how dark times get, with the grace of God all will be well because He has better in store for His believers in their eternal life and in Heaven. When the sequence of the poem is intertwined with the poet’s personal background (which gives insight into how the author

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1694 Words | 7 Pages

She talks about how incredible the heavens must be if he could do such wonderful things here on the earth. I believe that is how Bradstreet believes it should be, based on her puritan background. According to puritan values, you should look to God’s word for everything knowing you will one day get to be with him forever. She also knew it wasn’t always the case in a world where, through Adam and Eve, sin was born. The next seven stanzas are dedicated to Cain, Adam and Eve’s son, who “With sullen hateful looks he goes his ways.”

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