Anne Bradstreet was one of the first feminist poets to live in the thirteen colonies. With her revolutionary love poetry, as well as her poems about religion, she is now regarded as a significant figure in the realm of this art. In her time, she was considered a loving wife and mother, as well as a devote Puritan. Despite her disagreement with the male hierarchy that was the Puritan leadership, she still remained faithful to her beliefs. She enjoyed nature as well, spending time outdoors and learning as much about this word as she did the next. One of her most important works was a poem titled “Upon the Burning of Our House”. In analyzing this poem, there are many questions that leave the reader pondering what Bradstreet is trying to convey.
The text itself states something of a spiritual event. An emotional and religious cataclysm. The audience of such a poem include those who understand the realm of religion and spiritual, but is not limited to these readers. It also can act as a testimonial of sorts. A written witnessing of a higher power. Likewise, this poem could be used to seal her beliefs to her God, as well as tell others what she has experienced. Being in the section of spiritually in terms of context and tone, it is easy to say that this poems genre is religious and even inspirational.
Upon reading this poem, each stanza seems to serve a different purpose. A stanza, in itself, is used by poets to separate individual thoughts and feelings most of the time. It seems as though this poem by Bradstreet is no exception. A great question to ask while reading this poem would be: How does the train of thought and feeling progress from stanza to stanza? Also, what is the significance of each stanza in terms of what she is thinking and feeling? There are many different directions this question could take someone. However, each direction can be summarized and understood.
Within the poem, in the first stanza, Bradstreet writes:
“Let no man know is my Desire.
I, starting up, the light did spye,
And to my God my heart did cry
To strengthen me in my Distresse”
Looking at this from a religious standpoint, it seems to hold great importance to the rest of the text. She mentions God from the very first stanza. This indicates that this is her ultimate starting point for the rest of the poem. Bradstreet continues to the next stanza saying:
“I blest his Name that gave and took,
That layd my goods now in the dust:
Yea so it was, and so ’twas just.
It was his own: it was not mine;
Far be it that I should repine.”
Normally, in poems of spiritual natures, the writer is praising God for what they have. They give gratitude and express joy. However, this stanza sounds like she is stating her discontent for what she has. Interestingly, she breaks her mold of being a devote puritan ever so slightly.
Possible answers to these questions include that maybe during this period Bradstreet was experiencing something of intense difficult. It seems the poem goes up and down in terms of her praise for God. This could have been caused by her trials of faith in dealing with the the hierarchical male dominated Puritan church. Another answer includes that this was her testimonial encompassing not just a belief in God, but a belief in the world as well.
Anne Bradstreet has played a major influence on American feminist poetry, as well as other countries academic poetry. She is known for her spirituality and religiosity, as well as her extremely liberal views at the time. Consistently questioning the leadership of the male dominated church, she kept her beliefs in tact. However, was this poem a sign of struggle in her mind? Or was it simply a combination of her overall beliefs? It seems each stanza presents a clue to what she might feel.
Michael Tavernier American Lit 