The discussion in class was based around more of Anne Bradstreet's poetry. In her Prologue, Bradstreet continues to state her concurrence with the inferiority expected from a women of the time, describing that "Men have precedency," yet she urges others not to deny that women have skill. She also asks to be recognized for what she does, by being rewarded with practical items, thyme and parsley.
In "Verses upon the Burning of our House, July 18th, 1666," Bradstreet goes on somewhat of a rollercoaster, from describing her desire for fire, to accepting that this is the way it is, to mourning over what she has lost, to saying that her "hope and treasure lies above." The poem is a constant battle between the Intellectual and the Emotional which concludes with the ideas of hope and faith.
We also started to discuss "In Memory of My Dear Granchild Elizabeth Bradstreet, Who Deceased August, 1665, Being a Year and a Half Old;" that her content with such a child was too much so, perhaps implying that her contentment had moved her focus away from God.
Please mention anything I missed.
1 comment:
In the poem, "In memory of my dear grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet" I was wondering if Anne Bradstreet was using nature in a different way that is typical of the time period. We had learned that puritans believed that nature was evil and not good, but she seems to use it in a different way in this poem. Is it because she is referring to mostly foods? Do they represent something? I am not even sure that this is significant, so let me know what you think.
-Kelsey W.
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