Anne Bradstreet

• Born 1612, died 1672• First poet and female writer published in

British American Colonies• Grew up in a cultured and well-educated

English household (extremely well-educated for her time, especially for a woman)

• Emigrated to America in 1630 with her parents and husband, Simon Bradstreet (father was wanted for treason)

• Moved twice in MA before finally settling in Cambridge, MA.

• Afflicted with smallpox as a teenager, an illness that she suffered from for her entire life and left her paralyzed in her older years

• Birthed 8 children (eight!) and moved throughout the colonies a total of six times.

• Wrote all of her poetry in a journal, not intending for any of it ever to be read by a wide audience

Puritan Women• Women viewed as inferior to men• Primary roles were to be wives and mothers

and provide the family’s everyday needs– Expected to serve their husbands and homes in an

obedient manner– Wives were considered their husband’s property– Inferiority stemmed from the Puritan thought that

women had a piece of Eve’s impurity and sin within themselves

Major Topics/Themes

• Role of women• Morality/Death• Religion/Faith• Writing

Discussion Questions

• How does Bradstreet's poetry reflect traditional Puritan theology?

• Does she question or challenge such beliefs? • Is there necessarily any contradiction between

her faith and doubt?

Discussion Questions

• How does Bradstreet defend her vocation as a poet?

• What was her motivation to downplay her poetic gifts?

• What does her poetry tell us about the vocation of motherhood and marriage in Puritan families?

Discussion Questions

• What classic stereotypes of a Puritanical wife appear in “To My Dear and Loving Husband”? How do these stereotypes clash with modern expectations for women?

Discussion Questions

• Anne Bradstreet’s poetry is fascinating for many reasons, among them is the rhetorical posture she assumes due to her time period; that is, as a woman she feels the need to humble herself before her potential male (Puritan) readers. Find examples of her humility. Is it sincere, or merely a necessary rhetorical posture? Explain.