Anne Bradstreet's "To My Dear and Loving Husband"

THESIS: In "To My Dear and Loving Husband," by Anne Bradstreet, it is through hyperbolic metaphors, paradox and diction that conveys a genuine emotion as she struggles with the security of puritan doctrine alongside the insecurity of how she needs reassurance for love.

"I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold Or all the riches that the East doth hold.

My love is such that rivers cannot quench, Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense.

Thy love is such I can no way repay, The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.

Then while we live, in love let's so persevere That when we live no more, we may live ever."

I like this part of this poem because it shows Anne Bradstreet as a human. It shows a puritan as a human. It is like she is having an argument with herself. She is saying "oh he is probably cheating," or "Oh I don't think he loves me as much, he's changed." Then she says "no he does, I'm worrying too much." This segment of "To My Dear and Loving Husband" also states that she loves her husband more than all the riches in the east." So she is saying she loves her husband more than the gold, but she isn't supposed to like material items at all. But she accepts the fact that she is human and she isn't and never will be: perfect. Where as other puritans will pretend that they are perfect and won't accept the fact that they will mess up or have already messed up. Instead they lie to others, to themselves, and therefore to God.

Anne Bradstreet diary entry

Dear Diary,

Today my husband left again to go on a business trip. He didn't even have "time" to stop and say goodbye. I am deeply concerned by this and I'm either praying or daydreaming of what he might really be doing! I can't stop thinking of things such as: cheating or just lying to me to get away from me. The thing killing me the most is last night's argument. But it was over such a silly thing: whether or not Johnny is allowed to go with him on his next business trip to learn more about the family business. You see the next opportunity for Johnny to learn is a year from now. That is too long to wait. I wanted Jim (my husband) to take Johnny but Jim said no he was too young. Then it escalated into a fight. I never got to tell him I'm sorry and that I love him, which is probably why I am so disturbed. I fear that because of our argument he will be more likely to do unfaithful things. I hope he knows that I love him.

That was the inspiration for my poem.

Sincerely,

Anne Bradstreet

Anne Bradstreet Political Cartoon

Even though the military has integrated women into their organization, women still suffer from injustices today because of unfair and unjust prejudices. For example, this carton depicts men in the army and someone praising them by saying how great and noble they are. This suggests how men are so great and looked upon as leaders and controllers. This idea also existed during Puritan times, because women had no rights at all and men had all the control. This cartoon further depicts someone criticizing the woman in the military and calling them dainty daisies and it shows women as cheerleaders as opposed to soldiers. This further suggests how women are segregated from the men and their training isn't as intense, because some see men as "the stronger and better sex." This can be reflected to the 18Th century where the men were in control and the head of the house and the women, unfairly, didn't have a say or any "power." Even today as the US comes to realize our past mistakes there is one that still exists: women's rights; people have prejudices and can be charlatans who claim men are better than women.

Responce to Huswifery

The thing that impressed me the most was definitely the conceit of the spinning wheel throughout the whole poem and how it turned into his robes of glory. Not only how it turned into the robes but also how it transitioned into the robes. How it explained the different parts of the spinning wheel. For example: the distaff was the holy word, and his soul was the spool. The most interesting thing is how it all fits. For example the poem talks about how the thread is the conversation and how it is wrapped around the distaff, which is the holy word. The speaker asks for God to make the holy spirit the wind quills (the object that the thread is wound around). Then it goes to the spool, the soul. So he wants their holy conversation and the holy spirit to be wrapped around his soul. And he later incorporates understanding, will, affections, judgement, conscience, memory, his words, and actions into the robe wrapped around his soul. It is a great metaphor, especially for people during their time to understand who can relate to the house-hold chore of spinning thread.

Thesis of Huswifery

In the poem "Houswifery" Edward Taylor expresses his faith towards God through a conceit where he starts out as a sinner then slowly obtains God's grace.

collage for Edward Taylor

In real life (obviously 3D) you will see this was once a shoe box. so, you can fold the cardboard the way you want. The bottom part is Hell, the middle :Earth (in between/us) and the upper part, farthest to the right is going to heaven, then heaven.

Essential question relating to Olidah Equiano's story

What does it mean to be an American?
To slaves, they weren't American, they weren't African-American, they were chattel. To be an American ment more like freedom than it did an honor. They saw Americans only as the slave owners and to escape that torment was to join them. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." That is how they saw it. They wanted to become an American to escape slavery, but it would be much better if they had never left. Looking back today, I bet some African-Americans are content with living over here. Whereas the slaves would much rather live back in Africa, but even they knew that was impossiable. (after everything was over they had the chance to go back, some did, some didn't). Blacks today have never grown to love that contenent they way their ansestors did. They never lived there and had the same lifestyle. If they did, maybe that thought would have changed. To be an american was, to be more than a slave, which is what only matter to them.

Montouge