Anne Bradstreet The Flesh and the Spirit - 1698 Words

Anne Bradstreet: The Flesh and the Spirit Anne Bradstreet Anne Bradstreet was born in 1612 in Northampton shire, England. Anne along with her husband and parents emigrated to America with a Puritan group. They settled in Massachusetts. She became one of the first poets to write English verse in the American colonies. However, the idea of the women writer was not popular at this time. It was quite rare and uncommon thing to find a woman writing poems or essays. She was also a daughter of a Puritan called Thomas Dudley. In America, her father and husband became governors. It was during this time that she wrote many poems that were taken to England by her brother-in-law, and published in 1650 without her knowledge under the title The†¦show more content†¦The poet presents the Flesh first. This shows that the Flesh is more predominant. There is a syntactical inversion in One Flesh was calld, who had her eye. There is a change in the word order or structure. The poet initiates the line with the Flesh in order to make an emphasis on this word, and draw the readers attention to it. The use of the passive voice reflects the importance of the object. The poet wants to shed light on it, because it is more important. This also shows the ambiguity of the subject. The word Flesh is capitalized as the poet personifies the Flesh as a woman who keeps an eye on worldly things. She is obsessed with materialistic things. The poet presents the Flesh as a feminine character. This reflects the preconceived idea about women who are mainly interested in wealth, richness and money. Moreover, the feminine element connotes seduction and lust. The word worldly is the antonym of heavenly. It refers to things that are related to the earthly life. The word Spirit is also capitalized to emphasize the importance of this element and to draw the readerss attention to it. The dialogue begins with Flesh chastising Spirit for her concern with spiritual matters and suggesting that she turn to earthly matters and thus put an end to their struggle. Flesh asks of Spirit: whatShow MoreRelatedPuritanism And Its Negative Portrayal Of The Body1641 Words   |  7 Pagesthis by analyzing Puritanism philosophies, their biblical view of the Body, how they were able to resist this urge, and also their literary work. A work from Puritan times that allows us to further explore this idea would be â€Å"The Flesh and the Spirit† by Anne Bradstreet. In Bradstreet’s writing we are able to see how The Body’s immense power over Puritans was a constant threat. This paper will analyze Puritanism and its negative portrayal of The Body. Understanding Puritanism First and foremostRead MoreLiterary Elements Of The Flesh And The Spirit1472 Words   |  6 PagesLiterary Elements in â€Å"The Flesh and the Spirit† The struggle between â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† is a conflict in which the human race faces. For puritans, the common substance is only a shadow and immediate, while everything in the Heavens is interminable. Puritans weigh on self-control and thoughtfulness to keep their hearts clean so that after their passing they can enter Heaven and be eternal. The battle between the common substance and religious confidence is regularly so warmed that one can not generallyRead MoreAnalysis Of Anne Bradstreet s Writing1105 Words   |  5 PagesAnne Bradstreet is a poet of the seventeenth century who has an extremely solid Puritan voice. The Puritans were an assembly of English Protestants that formed in the sixteenth century. 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The poemRead MoreAnne Bradstreet: Thoughts Towards of Her Husband1318 Words   |  6 PagesKhadija 1 Raisa Khadija MD. Mohibul Hasan ENG 201 18 February 2011 Anne Bradstreet: Thoughts towards of her husband To me, the poem â€Å"A letter to her husband, Absent upon Public Employment† is a reflection of the poet’s own self. I think that, it is so sweet and forlorn because she misses her husband so much. However, from the poem’s title I guess that, her husband went for public employment and she wrote a letter for taking a holiday from job. So it is a common scenario of her