Compare And Contrast Anne Bradstreet And Edwards

“The devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and would fain lay hold on them, and swallow them up.” (Edwards) The differences in the Bradstreet’s poem, God was taking the house to help her move on with her life. “It was His own, it was not mine, far be it that I should repine; he might of all justly bereft.” (Bradstreet)

Anne Bradstreet and William Bradford’s constant references to God’s greatness reveal

Jonathan Edwards, and early American pastor, is remembered today for his speech, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Edwards’s sermon was one of the greatest awakenings or events that occurred in early America. “Next to the Pilgrim’s first Thanksgiving, Edwards’s preaching of this sermon is one of the most famous events in colonial history.” (Kessee and Sidwell; 63) Jonathan Edwards was a man ‘on fire for God’ and his sermon effected the lives of many individuals. While “Sinners in the Hands of and Angry God” may have seemed like and extreme way of painting the position of unsaved man.

She says, “That fearful sound of fire and fire / Let no man know is my Desire,” and later, “I blest his Name that gave and took, / That layd my goods now in the dust,” (lines 5-6, 14-15). By capitalizing the word ‘desire’ and ‘name,’ Bradstreet reveals that God was in

Bradstreet knows the goodness in God and rather than fearing him she thanks Him or asks for help. While her house was burning she asked God “to strengthen [her] in [her] time of distress”(9) because she knows everything that happens is through the will of God and only He can help her through this difficult situation. Bradstreet sees God as a just one even though he took all of her physical possessions. She takes His justness a step further by saying in lines 18 and 19 that even if He took all of her belongings, it would still be reasonable. Bradstreet also believes in a positive afterlife for herself and most people around her.

In Bradstreet’s poem, “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” she states, “The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray” (10). She is telling the readers

Jonathan Edward and Anne Bradstreet are both novel authors of the 17th century. Although their writing has great differences they both use religion in their themes. They view God in totally different perspectives and contrast beliefs about God’s intentions. Bradstreet and Edward writings revolved around God and their beliefs of him. However Jonathan's writing, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, shows how he believes God will punish anyone who has sinned against him.

Here, she grieves over the burning of her house, as she laments, “I blest his name that gave and took,” (line 14 pg.118) As Bradstreet was heartbroken about all of her belongings being burnt up into ashes; her faith helps her find that there is good in bad outcomes. Although she finds relief by staying truthful to her faith, and finds joy in simplicity; there is a moment of fear. Bradstreet draws attention to “That fearful sound of Fire! Fire!” (line 5, pg. 118).

In detailing the events that led up to her change in perspective, she made note of the honeysuckle that covered the walls of the well-house, the warm sunshine that accompanied going outdoors, and the cool stream of water that she felt as she placed her hand under the spout. These details kept the reader with her in the moment as she felt something less simple, but still universal; the returning of a, “ misty consciousness as of something forgotten.” In using rich diction, she maintained a sense of intimacy with the reader which allowed her to call on personal details from her own life and theirs. Later in the passage, she described how, once the reality of language was opened to her, and she returned to the house, “every object which I touched seemed to quiver with life.” She had gone through a complete shift of perspective, one that, to her, was felt entirely through senses other than sight or sound.

Jonathan Edwards’s sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and Anne Bradstreet’s “Upon the Burning of Our House” seem at first glance quite similar to one another regarding context, however, after taking a closer look, it becomes apparent that there are some substantial differences. These differences cannot be understood without the knowledge of cultural context concerning the Puritan belief system and their lifestyle. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” was written with the sole purpose of scaring and intimidating the people that purtinans believed to be sinners. Edwards’s work contributed to a movement called “The Great Awakening”. It’s objective was to make the so-called ‘sinners’ aware of their wrongdoings and compel them to repent.

In this verse, it is saying that all is temporary and meaningless. Bradstreet believed that everything in this world is temporary and meaningless compared to believing in God and going to heaven. Bradstreet also uses symbolism in her writing. For example, “Yet by His gift is made thine own” (Bradstreet 50). She uses a gift to symbolize God giving us heaven if we believe in him.

Jonathon Edwards is another great writer with similar influences as William Bradford and John Winthrop. Bradford and Winthrop writings were influenced through the old beliefs under the Puritan religion such as God is supreme, and nature is evil. However, Edward’s beliefs stem from the Puritan religion, the beliefs and writings are of new beliefs under the Enlightened thought. Edwards, though born in the new world, was well known for his fire and brimstone preaching. He became known as the nature of God preacher because he believed God is revealed in nature and is knowable through reason and natural laws.

The reader does not know what exactly the text is about until the narrator states, “That she will carry this and have it; she has to,” forcing them to make generalized assumptions (162). When Dean explained how “his hands in both of hers [unfroze] him and [made] him look at

In this essay, I will analyze the poem Verses Upon the Burning of Our House (July 10th, 1666) by Anne Bradstreet, a puritan who most critics consider to be America’s first “authentic poet. The poem is based on a true story as Anne’s house really did burn down and illustrates her meditations on this event, the pain she felt after losing her home and the effect it had on her faith. The main theme is Anne’s struggle to not become attached to material things. I will begin by explaining the rhyme, style, and tone of the poem, continue by explaining which literary devices and interesting features we can find and the effect they have on the reader, then I will analyze the poem and finally I will give a brief conclusion. Verses Upon the Burning of Our House is a poem written in couplets in iambic tetrameter scheme which makes the story flow nicely.

Furthermore, by using end rhyme, Bradstreet symbolically shows restraint. In the same way that a poet controls oneself by specifically using end rhyme, the poet is controlling her emotions when dealing with a sad experience and accepts her mortality. Similarly, in “Verses Upon the Burning of our House,” proof of Bradstreet’s faith is indisputable. After being initially distraught at her house burning down and losing all of her belongings, Bradstreet recounts how she reorients herself and blesses “His name that gave and took,