Similarities Between Sedgwick And Anne Bradstreet

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Although Catharine Sedgwick and Anne Bradstreet lived about two centuries apart I found that Sedgwick mirrored some of the same themes that Bradstreet had in her literary works.They both discussed religion,sickness,family values, and also feminism frequently. One similarity between Sedgwick and Bradstreet was that they were both pious women. Sedgwick a calvinist and Bradstreet a Puritan. Sedgwick mentions a few different religions in her novel: Calvinists, Methodists, and Quakers. The Calvinists and Methodists were nearly both christian but had different beliefs regarding afterlife. Calvinists believed that there was almost no hope and God had already made up his mind that you were going to heaven or hell; Methodists were a little more lenient; and Quakers were for being benevolent towards people of all walks of life.Most of the characters in A New …show more content…

Bradstreet was a Puritan living in Salem in the 17th century; trying to live as a christian should because at the time it was the only way to secure a place in heaven. Having faith in God was an important issue in these times because there was not a lot of scientific explantations for why things happened so it was a way of coping. There is a passage in A New England Tale “ make the bible your counselor; you will always find some good word there, that will be a bright light to you in the darkest nights; and do not forget the daily sacrifice of prayer…”(18). In this passage Mary is giving Jane advice, saying that she should turn to the bible when she needs guidance and also to help her cope with the loss of her mother, moving out of her family home, and being a servant for her Aunt Wilson. Jane never lost faith and always had a hope things would improve and was able to treat others kindly even when they were unkind to her. Anne Bradstreet also has to deal with a few unfortunate things in her lifetime including loss