Tuesday 1 November Ann Bradstreet

yesterday's bonus: 40 points to Kerry and Arieanna-- good job
REMINDERS: vocabulary 4 due Friday
essay due Friday; please attach your dialectical journal and corroboration table.
send along your introduction by Wednesday night, if you would like me to review it.

Background information on Anne Bradstreet




Anne Bradstreet, 1612-1672




Anne Bradstreet was born Anne Dudley in Northhampton, England, in 1612. She lived in a time when the amount of education that a woman received was little to none. Even though she did not attend school, she was privileged enough to receive her education from eight tutors and from her father, Thomas Dudley, who was always more than willing to teach her something new. She was a very inquisitive young person who satisfied her hunger for knowledge through her extensive reading of some of the greatest authors ever known. Thanks to her father's position as the steward of the Earl of Lincoln estate, she had unlimited access to the great library of the manor. This is where she became exposed to the writings of many well known authors. In 1628 she married Simon Bradstreet, her father's assistant.
In 1629, her father and husband had joined a group of very successful men, whose goal was to protect Puritan values from people like the Bishop of Laud and establish their own society in a new land. On March 29, 1630, Bradstreet and her family immigrated to the New World. Bradstreet was not too happy with the idea of giving up all of the benefits of the Earl's manor for what the wilderness of the New World had to offer. Nevertheless, Bradstreet spent three months on her ship, the Arbella, before she reached Salem on June 12, 1630. Ten other ships reached the Salem port soon after hers.
When Bradstreet stepped foot on the soil of the New World, she was overwhelmed by the sickness, lack of food, and primitive living conditions. Regardless of all this hardship, she refused to give in and return to England and instead made the best of her new life. She struggled to raise eight children, take care of her home, and she still found time to write. Bradstreet lived a hard life, but she proved to be a strong women and this internal resolve is reflected in her writings.







In class: poetry of Anne Bradstreet.



We are reading and analyzing Anne Bradstreet's poem. See copy below and questions for which you will reponsible for as class work. If you are absent, be prepared on your own and discuss with me any questions you might have.




Here followes some verses upon the burning of our house, July 10th, 1666.

By Anne Bradstreet

In silent night when rest I took,
For sorrow neer I did not look,
I waken'd was with thundring noise
And Piteous shreiks of dreadfull voice.
That fearfull sound of fire and fire,
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
And not to leave me succourlesse.
Then coming out beheld a space,
The flame consume my dwelling place.







And, when I could no longer look,
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.




He might of All justly bereft,
But yet sufficient for us left.
When by the Ruines oft I past,
My sorrowing eyes aside did cast,
And here and there the places spye
Where oft I sate, and long did lye.







Here stood that Trunk, and there that chest;
There lay that store I counted best:
My pleasant things in ashes lye,
And them behold no more shall
I.Under thy roof no guest shall sitt,
Nor at thy Table eat a bitt.



No pleasant tale shall 'ere be told,
Nor things recounted done of old.
No Candle 'ere shall shine in Thee,
Nor bridegroom's voice ere heard shall bee
In silence ever shalt thou lye;
Adieu, Adeiu; All's vanity.







Then streight I gin my heart to chide,
And didst thy wealth on earth abide?
Didst fix thy hope on mouldring dust,
The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?
Raise up thy thoughts above the skye
That dunghill mists away may flie.



Thou hast an house on high erect
Fram'd by that mighty Architect,
With glory richly furnished,
Stands permanent tho' this bee fled.
It's purchased, and paid for too
By him who hath enough to doe.

A Prise so vast as is unknown,
Yet, by his Gift, is made thine own.
Ther's wealth enough, I need no more;
Farewell my Pelf, farewell my Store.
The world no longer let me Love,
My hope and Treasure lyes Above






Line 11: beheld a space, watched for a time
Line 14: I blest his name that gave and took, see Job 1:21
Line 24: Sate, satLine 40: Arm of flesh, see 2 Chron. 32:8; Isa. 9:18-20; Jer. 17:4-7
Line 42: Dunghill mists, see Ezra 6:9-12.
Line 43: House on high erect, see 2 Cor. 5:1; Heb. 11:10
Line 48: Enough to doe, ie. enough to do it
Line 52: Pelf, property, possessions
Line 54: Treasure lyes Above, see Luke 12:34

Class questions
1. What does the speaker do when she can no longer look at her burning house?
2. What does the speaker see when she passes by her house?
3. In the end, where do the speaker’s “hope and treasure” lie?
Interpreting:
4. Why does the speaker bless God as her house is burning down?
5. With what emotions is the speaker filled when she passes by the ruins of her house?
6. To what is the speaker referring when she speaks of the “house on high”?
7. On the basis of this poem, what generalization would you make about the Puritan attitude toward worldly goods?
8. What is the theme of the poem?
9. Point out three basic, plain words referring to everyday items.