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Religion In Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven

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1. While thematically different, the literature that has been read over the course of this semester shares a commonality of religion. This may come as no surprise for the texts over Puritanism, but the texts over Transcendentalism and dark romanticism also allude to concepts of religion. This can be seen in the poem, The Raven, by Edgar Allen Poe in the line “Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn/ It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore”. “Aidenn” from the quote means “paradise” derived from the term Eden, referring to the Garden of Eden. The poem's narrator is asking if he’ll ever see his dead lover again in the “afterlife” or “Heaven”. Even though the overall nature of this poem is dark and morbid, …show more content…

The quote “As soon as the man is at one with God, he will not beg. He will then see prayer in all action” serves as an excellent example. Emerson believes that once people are one with God, all their troubles will disappear, and this is a belief seen in Puritan texts as well. In the sermon, Sinners in The Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards centers his preaching around the idea of God and salvation. The quote from the sermon “But here you are in the land of the living and in the house of God” conveys this, Edwards is alluding to religion by saying God made the Earth on which mortals live. The presence of religion in these immensely different types of texts supports the idea that they have at least one correlation between them, that being …show more content…

In the poem, Verses Upon the Burning of Our House, Anne Bradstreet illustrates how Puritans are expected to devote themselves completely to the lord, spiritually and physically; giving readers a deeper understanding of Puritan culture. This poem follows the stages of grief experienced by the author after her house burns down, however, due to the Puritan beliefs, she does not allow herself to completely feel her emotions. Bradstreet describes the aftermath of the fire as “Yea, so it was, and so 'twas just/ It was his own; it was not mine/ Far be it that I should repine”. In layman’s terms, the fire “is what it is”, God gave her all the possessions in the fire, and he has every right to take them away so she should not complain. This exemplifies the Puritans placing importance on God and the lack of attachment they have for worldly possessions, in a world where so many people are materialistic, this characteristic causes the Puritans to stand out among the rest. Furthermore, Bradstreet gives way to the idea that Puritans are simply waiting to be reunited with God, and the quote “Thou hast a house on high erect/ Fram'd by that mighty Architect” supports that. The author is grieving the fire by reminding herself that there is a house in heaven waiting for her. This poem outlines the extremes of Puritanism by highlighting their devotion to God and religion, so much so that they give up experiencing mortal life to the fullest to honor God. The extremities of the culture

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As the firemen arrive to burn the house and books they are confronted by an elderly lady who instead of fleeing or trying to escape was just standing still with her mouth murmuring something she's trying to remember. as the firemen all enter she starts to recite the verse bradbury page 7) “ play the man, Master ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by god's grace, in england, as i trust shall never be put out. The elderly lady is quoting hugh latimer who recites this verse to his friend Nicholas Ridley, as they were both about to be burned as heretics for their teachings and beliefs. After the firemen escort her out they start to soak the house and everything in kerosene. before they set everything ablaze they try get her to enter the fire truck and she refuses she then instead reaches a match out of her pocket and lights the house and herself on fire.

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Jonathan Edwards’s sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and Anne Bradstreet’s “Upon the Burning of Our House” seem at first glance quite similar to one another regarding context, however, after taking a closer look, it becomes apparent that there are some substantial differences. These differences cannot be understood without the knowledge of cultural context concerning the Puritan belief system and their lifestyle. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” was written with the sole purpose of scaring and intimidating the people that purtinans believed to be sinners. Edwards’s work contributed to a movement called “The Great Awakening”. It’s objective was to make the so-called ‘sinners’ aware of their wrongdoings and compel them to repent.

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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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Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards are two famous Puritan authors, living in Colonial America. Bradstreet is a poet who wrote the famous poems, “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” and “Upon the Burning of Our House.” Edwards wrote more than one thousand sermons to preach, with his most famous one being, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” They are both puritans, heavily influenced by their faith, but they go about expressing their faith in different ways, as shown by their different tones and word choice. Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards use their religion to heavily influence their literature.

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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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During America’s Colonial Period, there were two groups of people, Puritans and non-Puritans. Puritans were the writers that founded America. During this era of time, many writers disagreed on attitudes toward freedom, religion, and the way to live a daily life. The main people who contributed to these beliefs were: Jonathan Edwards, William Bradford Anne Bradstreet. Anne Bradstreet says in her poem, Upon the Burning of Our House, “Yet, by His gift, is made thine own” (handout), this is an example of Irresistible grace.

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In early puritan American society emotional and spiritual withdrawal was deemed unacceptable by society. The unacceptable nature of puritan society led to many searching for an outlet for their overwhelming negative emotions of loss and spiritual shortcomings. From this unaccepting era emerged several poets, among them, Anne Bradstreet, and Edward Taylor. Although Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor both coped with emotional turmoil and spiritual struggles through poetry they used different literary devices, had different roles in society, and both used poetry to meet the strict expectations of the strict society. In Edward Taylor’s harrowing poem, “Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children”, he shines light upon the horrendous emotional struggles

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In the poem “Upon the Burning of Our House,” Bradstreet explains that she is losing everything she has. She still has a positive outlook towards God. Most people would not be worshipping God if their house had been burnt to the ground. When the sound of fire is heard, Bradstreet says, “That fearful sound of ‘Fire’ and ‘Fire!’ / Let no man know is my desire” (Bradstreet 5-6).

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The Breakdown Of, “Here Follow Some Verses Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10 1666” Ann Bradstreet’s poem, “Here Follow Some Verses Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10 1666” is based on a true event. Bradstreet uses different objects in her house for different meanings throughout the poem. Bradstreet uses a good amount of literary devices in her poem that give a deeper meaning to her valuables lost in the fire and to the poem in general. Two important devices are used and they are, end rhyme and anaphora. Bradstreet has end rhyme throughout her poem to have a sense of control.

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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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During the colonial period many settlers came to the New World to escape persecution for their Puritan beliefs. Writers such as William Bradford, John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, and Mary Rowlandson all shared their experiences and religious devotion throughout their literature that ultimately inspired and influenced settlers to follow. This essay will discuss the similarities in Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson’s work as they both describe their experiences as signs from God. Anne Bradstreet came to the New World as a devoted Puritan as she repeatedly talked about it in her poetry. In her poems she discusses many tragedies that happened in her life such as; the burning of her house and the death of her two grandchildren all of which she thinks were signs from God.

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In Bradstreet’s “The Spirit and the Flesh” the poem’s purpose was to show how the Puritans struggled daily with doing the right thing, but being a victim of sin, they struggled with being perfect in an imperfect world. Bradstreet did a great job of portraying this battle in “The Flesh and the Spirit” by having twin sisters argue about what is right and what is wrong. For example, " 'Sister, ' quoth Flesh, 'what liv 'st thou on nothing but Meditation? Doth Contemplation feed thee so regardless to let earth go" (p.222)? Flesh unlike Spirit believed that it is earthy pursuits of wealth and pleasure that are more satisfying than the spiritual pursuits of meditation and contemplation.

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These differences serve as evidence of an advancement of self-expression and individuality concerning religion over the course of time. This is especially evident in Bradstreet’s poems “Before the Birth of One of Her Children” and “Verses Upon the Burning of Our House” as well as Dickinson’s poems “Heaven is so far of the Mind” and “Remorse – is Memory – awake.” “Before the Birth of One of Her Children” by Anne Bradstreet is a quiet, reflective poem in

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Puritans are a people with a very strong belief in both God and the power of God. When people see power, they interpret it in different ways. Some know of power through anger and impulse, while others see power through the goodness the powerful one shows. Although Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards are both puritan poets, their writings convey mainly different, though sometimes similar, views on God because they have different perceptions of His will and the use of His power. Anne Bradstreet listens to and accepts anything that God wishes, and that is shown through her poem Upon the Burning of my House.

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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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