Is Anne Bradstreet an enraged rebel because she is a woman? Anne Bradstreet could have been exploring Puritan ideas and concepts. Bradstreet’s writings can be misunderstood if Puritan values and ideas are not understood. This question can be complicated by her poetic nature. This critical analysis will examine and analyze various literary pieces and poems to determine if Anne Bradstreet resented her gender.
Anne Bradstreet was a New England Puritan and a major figure in women’s literature. Bradstreet’s poetry was published in 1650 in The Tenth Muse Recently Sprung Up In America. After her death, documents and poems were also printed. Bradstreet and other women’s voices are effectively silenced by historians who have adopted her’state-of-mind’. English Puritanism is also a literate tradition. Literature was the preferred method of communication between its supporters and critics. Puritan writers have a wide range of activities. Anne Bradstreet exalted Puritan politicians and encouraged godliness in her 1642 article, “A dialogue between old England and new”With regards to their current troubles”. Marilyn Westerkamp addresses this question in her 1999 book, Women through Early American Religion 1650-1850. Westerkamp states that “women are praised for being submissive and fulfilling spiritual roles.” She claims that Puritanism granted women spiritual status as mothers and wives in their community. In her next verse she acknowledges Bradstreets voice as active, but also indicates an unintentional revolt. Bradstreet is a woman, but despite this she would not be considered a feminist. Her Puritan heritage is evident in the works she has written. She’s also known for her historical, theological, or ellizabethan style of writing. Her feminist viewpoint is more significant for this cause: She’s a Puritan author who’s energized with her Puritan heritage, which contrasts sharply with 21st-century constructs. Bradstreet’s interpretation of Puritanism gives her story a legitimate meaning.
Bradstreet, like many Puritan writers, wrote extensively about faith. Her feminist views are not the only thing that makes her stand out. She also talks about the female role in society. It is possible to read her discussion on gender roles as simply expressing the realities of the world in which Bradstreet worked. There was no feminist agenda. Bradstreet’s poem, ‘In memory of the high and mighty goddess, Queen Elizabeth,’ confirms her as a feminist. Bradstreet lauds Queen Elizabeth in the most ardent way. Bradstreet praises Queen Elizabeth for her many accomplishments as a monarch. One stanza states: “There can’t be any thoughts, numbers or The Nine Olympics Her Happi Reign. This work is a reflection of a patriarchal society. The work not only acknowledges and respects another woman (Queen Elizabeth in her role as monarch, and Bradstreet who is a female author, published), but it also suggests that the revolution will continue to defy traditional gender norms. She says that Queen Elizabeth changed the world’s view of women and published her ideas in a time when gender issues were so prevalent.
Anne Bradstreet gives her opinion about marriage and gender roles from the perspective “To My Dear and Loving Husband”. She begins the poem by declaring, “If we were ever two, then certainly we”. In this poem, Bradstreet expresses her deep love and devotion to her husband. Bradstreet assures him of her commitment and love by stating that she loves him much more than any other woman ever has. This is an excellent claim because there are many lovers on the planet. She assures him that she is happy to be with her. She compares to other women, and proclaims that her marriage to him makes her the happiest. She tells her husband in the fifth and sixth line that she values his love more than money. She declares that her love for him is more valuable than “all the riches the East has to offer”. It shows that she values human affection and devotion to another person more than any material wealth. In the 7th line, the speaker shows that, despite being the happiest of all, she is still not completely satisfied. The nature of her affection for him makes her feel that there is never enough. She says this because she feels that her love for him is so great. “My love can’t be quenched by rivers”. She claims that her husband and she will continue to be in love until death. Bradstreet believes that her husband and she will be together until death. She says “Let’s persevere in love while we are alive”. Evidently, she did not feel the oppression that many girls must have felt in her day. This poem shows Anne as being in an enduring and loving marriage. Her husband didn’t oppress her anymore, no matter how much she was loved or esteemed. This poem explores gender and the idea that it’s perfectly fine to hold puritanical views about such outlooks, while still being a good spouse. The woman’s role is to show love for her husband. That should not in any way be viewed as being a bad thing. Bradstreet might have intended that the woman should only be present to love her husband.
The American Literature has not had many major female writers, and traditionally writing was seen as masculine. Bradstreet’s works are full of women. Bradstreet’s feminism, however, seems to be held back by Puritan principles. Bradstreet’s writing reflects a conflict between Puritan patriarchy and the woman she was. Bradstreet’s poetry is centered on the simple pleasures that can be found in the reality of today. She enjoys the natural world, and not Jesus and Puritanism (as Phyllis Wheatley). Bradstreet has to deal with the fact that she is a woman living in a predominantly male society. Bradstreet acknowledges the fact that women are underrepresented in society, but also questions this. Puritan women were subordinated in patriarchal families, and their options were severely limited. Anne Bradstreet, as a woman living in an overwhelmingly patriarchal culture, uses the reverse-psychology technique to explain her view of the unfairness and inequality of treatment that women face in her society. Bradstreet thought girls in society were treated unfairly. She also believed gender must be unimportant. Bradstreet defends the rights girls have to education and the expression of their thoughts. Her poems address broad and common topics, encouraging them to be open-minded and questioning, rather than rebellious.