Kira Bender Mrs. Dafoe APEL: Period 4 15 September 2014 Bradstreet Rhetorical Précis In her poem, “Upon the Burning of Our House (1666),” Anne Bradstreet, the first female writer in the British North American colonies to be published, employs the capitalization of specific words and a shift in point of view in order to inform us of a situation in which her devotion to God was challenged and yet consequentially strengthened. Bradstreet opens her poem with the burning down of her home and the amount of fear it caused her. She then gives thanks to God, since she believes all things are his and he has the right to take what he wants.
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,/
Ambrose Bierce’s “The Boarded Window” uses rhetorical devices such as irony and foreshadowing to develop the themes of death and failure in the story, advertently relating the narrative to events from his past. “The Boarded Window” follows the tale told by an unnamed narrator about the mysterious character of Murlock, a man in his 50’s who was recently found dead in his cabin in the woods just outside of Cincinnati; in his home they find a mysteriously boarded window. In a brief summary, the narrator explains that the window was boarded up soon after a young Murlock’s wife died, it’s revealed that when she fell ill, his lack of medical knowledge and recurring failure while treating her only prolonged her suffering. “The Boarded Window” has
During Bradstreet’s time, society was dominated by men who felt superior to women. Men did not believe that women had any intellectual or spiritual value to add to the society. Anne uses irony by belittling herself and her work, but when the reader digs deeper they learn she is also showing her intelligence and writing ability by alluding to the Greek culture and male “superior” poets. In the opening stanza, Bradstreet states it would be almost laughable for her to even attempt to right of her superiors, which leads the reader to believe this poem is just about Anne being critical of herself. Anne uses this sarcasm and irony technique to state that women deserve the recognition that men receive for the same action in a manner full of
Bradstreet/Edwards Compare and Contrast Essay “Holiness appeared to me to be of a sweet, pleasant, charming, serene, calm nature; which brought an inaccessible purity, brightness, peacefulness and ravishment to the soul.” Jonathan Edwards was an effective and persuasive preacher in the 1700s (Meet the Author: Jonathan ... 122). In his sermon “Sinners In the Hands of An Angry God”, we receive a look at not only his writing style, but also his personality. Anne Bradstreet is considered the first notable American poet. In her poems “To My Dear and Loving Husband” and “Upon the Burning of Our House”, we gain a look at not only a mother, but also a wife.
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.
Both Bradstreet and Edwards are puritan writers, they are both believe in a higher more powerful God. In their writings “Upon the Burning of Our House”, by Anne Bradstreet and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, by Jonathan Edwards they both talk about the higher being of God. They both are powerful writers and have a way of getting their points across, but they do it differently. They are both great writers and even though they have different religious views and different writing styles both of their poems, “Upon the Burning of Our House” by Anne Bradstreet and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards, have the same goal of converting people.
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.
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
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.
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.
Anne Sexton was born in Newton, Massachusetts and was raised in the town Weston. As a child, Anne Sexton’s relationship with her parents was difficult and was said to be sexually abused by her parents. Anne’s closest confidante was her maiden great-aunt because her parents were never there for her. Later on, Anne went to boarding school and then enrolled in Garland Junior College after graduation for a year (poetry foundation). Anne Sexton was a foundational leader in a ‘Confessional Movement’ through her literary works, including 45th Mercy Street, An Accident of Hope, and Live or Die.
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,
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.
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,”.
