Bradstreet Heritage
Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672), although born in England, is considered
to be the
first American poet. She is also revered as the first woman to be
published.
Married to Simon Bradstreet at age sixteen, she ventured with
her family to the
Massachusetts colony. Simon, the governor of
Massachusetts colony, served a
major role in her life and her literary
career. He was the subject in many of
the poems included in the two volumes
Bradstreet had published. A Puritan all
her life, Bradstreet led a simple
life guided by principles of grace, plainness,
and divine missions. In "To My
Dear and Living Husband", she shows her
devotion to her husband in a smooth
and simple manner. We can see from the poem
the strong feelings she has for
her husband. However, she contradicts some of
her Puritan beliefs at certain
points in the poem. To Anne Bradstreet, her
husband is exactly what he should
be; the love of her life. Over and over again
she expresses her devotion to
him with a repetition of images. One such image is
presented in lines 5-7.
She states... "I prize my love more than whole mines
of gold Or all the
riches that the East doth hold. My love is such that rivers
cannot
quench,..." She states here that she would accept nothing in return for
the
love that she shares with her husband and that no power, great or
small,
could destroy it. Love is a tricky subject to many, and to some: a
fictional
thing. On a personal note, I hope to one day find this love that
she speaks of.
Bradstreet’s love for Simon is untouchable and eternal.
"To My Dear and
Living Husband" is a beautiful and well-written poem. In
breaking apart the
structure, we see that the poem contains twelve lines,
each containing ten
syllables. Since each line is write in the iambic fashion
of alternating
unstressed syllables and stressed syllables, we can conclude
that the poem is a
sonnet. However, since the rhyme scheme is AA BB CC DD EE
FF, we see that it
does not fit in as one of the more famous Shakespearean or
Petrarchian sonnets.
In the first line, we see the togetherness Anne and
Simon share as she says the
two of them are one. Physically, this is a
paradox. No two people can be united
as one. But, however, spiritually, the
two complete each others’ life , so
that, in marriage, they are one.
Throughout lines 1-3, Bradstreet gives their
relationship as an example to
others with phrases like, "If ever two were
one", "If ever one were loved by
wife", and "if ever wife was happy in a
man." In lines 1 and 3, we see two
sound examples of alliteration. The "w"
sound is repeated in the phrases "two
were one" and "ever wife was". In
line 4, the author seems boastful of her
relationship. But I will address that
subject later. As I mentioned earlier,
lines 5-7 present images which show her
love for Simon. Some may view these
three lines as a hyperbole, but love can
completely change a person. And as a
Puritan, Bradstreet has no desire or need
for "mines of gold" or eastern
riches anyway. In lines 7-8, we see an
insignificant fault in the poem. The
rhyming pattern throughout the entire poem
is exact rhyme. Lines 7-8 are a
forced rhyme (quench & recompense. In the
9th line, she says that his
love for her can in no way be repaid. This can be
seen as a symbol of how
great her love is, or as an example of synaesthesia; for
there is no way to
purchase or pay for true love. Metonomy is seen in line 10
with the word
"heavens". When the author speaks of the heavens repaying him,
heaven is
symbolic of God or life. Soundwise, line 11 is one of the most
beautiful and
flowing lines of the poem. When the author says, "while we live,
in love
let’s so persever", we see alliteration of the "w" sounds,
alliteration and
consonance of the "l" sounds, and alliteration and
consonance of the "s"
sounds. This allows for the words to flow well and
just roll of your tongue.
Lines 11 and 12 each contain a ceasura. These pauses
in the middle of the
line make the statement seem to add emotion to mere printed
words. Finally,
in line 12, we reach what I consider to be the strongest
statement in the
poem: "That when we live no more, we may live ever.". This
line is a paradox.
Although Anne Bradstreet insists that their love is eternal
and that after
they die, they shall continue loving one another, it is
physically impossible
to be dead yet still living. The poem is written in a 17th
century,
old-English style. We can base this on the use of words such as"thee", "ye",
"thy", and "doth". Although Anne Bradstreet was a
Puritan for the
entirety of her life, "To My Dear and Loving Husband" may or
may not be a
reflection of Puritan life. The Puritans were Protestants who
sought to be
simple, yet religiously and morally strict. One other Puritan
belief is that
one should not become too emotionally attached to anything.
Throughout
the poem, we see that Bradstreet is attached to Simon to the point
that she’d
love him after their death. Also, as I mentioned earlier, in line 4
she seems
boastful of their love for each other. She calls out to other women in
a
bragging manner, "Compare with me...if you can". However, she redeems
herself
in the last three lines. Here she prays to the heavens and speaks of
the
afterlife. It is a difficult to decide whether this poem is a reflection
of
Puritan life. That is left open to opinion. In conclusion, we can
plainly see
the great love Anne Bradstreet had for her husband Simon. She
expresses this
through imagery, symbolism, and many other poetic devices. A
devout Puritan, it
is left to opinion whether or not she reflected the
Puritan lifestyle, but one
thing is for sure. Anne Bradstreet had a love for
her husband that could not be
matched by anything on this world.