To my dear and loving husband

To my dear and loving husbandBy Anne Bradstreet

What do you value most?

Puritans valued religious faith, work, and family above all things, especially private emotionsFamily outweighed material possessions

Puritan family, 1563Anne Bradstreet1612-1672Born Anne Dudley in 1612Arrived with her husband in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 when she was only eighteenArmed with convictions of her Puritan upbringing, she left behind her hometown of Northampton, England to start afresh in AmericaIt was not an easy life for Bradstreet, who raised eight children and faced many hardships

3Anne BradstreetAnne wrote for herself, not for publicationIn 1650, her brother-in-law, John Woodbridge, arranged for the publication in England of a collection of her scholarly poems, The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America, By a Gentlewoman of Those PartsGenerally considered to be the first collection of original poetry written in colonial AmericaThe book examined the rights of women to express themselves

4Anne BradstreetBradstreets later poems, such as To My Dear and Loving Husband, are more personal, expressing her feelings about the joys and difficulties of everyday Puritan life.In one she wrote about her thoughts before giving birth.In another, she wrote about the death of a grandchild.Bradstreets poetry reflects the Puritans knowledge of the stories and language of the Bible, as well as their concern for the relationship between earthly and heavenly life.Her work also exhibits some of the characteristics of the French and English poetry of her day.5How does this picture represent Bradstreet as a poet and Puritan housewife?

Vocabulary

quench: v. satisfy a thirstrecompense: n. Repayment; something given or done in return for something elsemanifold: adv. In many wayspersevere: v. persist; be steadfast in purpose7Literary Analysis: Puritan Plain StyleWriting style reflects the plain style of their lives spare, simple, straightforwardThe Puritan Plain Style is characterized by short words, direct statements, and references to ordinary, everyday objects and experiencesPuritans believed that poetry should serve God by clearly expressing only useful or religious ideasPoetry appealing to the senses or emotions was viewed as dangerous.

8Literary Analysis: Puritan Plain StyleArchaic language: language that was popular is no longerEx: thee = you Syntax: arrangement of words in the sentenceInversion: the structure of the sentences was often flippedsubject came after the verbEx: From far away came the sound of thunder (inverted)The sound of thunder came from far away (normal)

Reading Strategy: ParaphrasingAlthough the poem captures the simplicity of Puritan life, it is not necessarily simple to understandTo help you better absorb the meaning of the poem, take time to paraphrase, or restate in your own words, the ideas expressed by the poetBecause it helps to clarify meaning, paraphrasing will allow you to make accurate statements about the poets ideas10Lets Break it Down! ParaphraseHow would you paraphrase the first two lines?We form the ideal couple, acting as if we were one person; you are the most beloved of husbands

How would you paraphrase the next two lines?If ever there was a woman who is happy with her husband, its me. Compare my love to any other womans love for her husband, if you can.

Reading Strategy: ParaphrasingUse a graphic organizer

My love is such that rivers cannot quench, Nor ought but love from thee, give recompense

My thirst for you couldnt be satisfied with a whole riverOnly love from you can be repayment

Reading of the poemtwice

Inversion: Deals with syntaxIf ever two were one, than surely we.If ever man were lovd by wife, then thee;

How would you invert these two lines to make them more literal?If ever two people were one person, then she and her husband surely are. If ever any man has been loved by his wife, he (her husband) has been.

Figurative Language Iambic pentameter: rhythmic meter Anaphora: repetition of the first part of a sentenceCouplet: two rhymed linesParadox: a statement that contradicts itself but might be trueLyrical poem: poem that expresses personal feelingsMetaphor: comparisonAnapest: metrical footSlant Rhyme: almost rhymes but not quite

Iambic Pentameteran iamb is an unaccented syllable followed by an accented one. Penta means five, and meter refers to a regular rhythmic pattern. So iambic pentameter is a kind of rhythmic pattern that consist of five iambs per line. Its the most common rhythm in English poetry and sounds like five heartbeats:

ba-DUM, ba-DUM, ba-DUM, ba-DUM, ba-DUM.We can scan line 4 in the following way:Com-pare with me ye wo-men if you can. da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM

Take a look at line 10:The hea-vens re-ward thee man-i-fold I pray.There is an extra unstressed syllable, so 11. When a foot has two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one, we call it an anapest. Rhyme SchemeThe scheme for this poem is as follows: AABBCCDDEEFF. We call these rhyming couplets, because the lines come in rhyming pairs. What about lines 7-8?The "-en" sounds of "quench" and "recompense" rhyme, but "ch" and "se" sounds are hardly the same. When two words sorta-kinda rhyme like this, we call it slant rhyme. Why do you think Bradstreet uses it here?Look at lines 11-12Persever and ever: check out the footnote! To My Dear and Loving Husband: What does it all mean?Which lines from To My Dear and Loving Husband compare love to the ownership of physical wealth and property?I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold Or all the riches that the East doth hold. Images/symbolsFind examples of:

Money and payment/material wealth

Lines 5-6: symbolizes exotic, wealthy (personification)Line 8: metaphor comparing love to a transactionLine 9: transaction should even out in the endLine 10: use of the word reward

What does the word ought in line 8 communicate?Either anything or expression of duty.If its anything shes saying nothing but his love can repay her for her love.If its expression of duty shes saying that her husband should express his duty to his wife through his love for her, which is the only repayment she wants.It shows that they value love and duty over material goodsCommon ExperiencesLine 7: My love is such that rivers cannot quench

What common experience does the poet refer to in this line?

Lets start to wrap upWhat is the metaphysical argument?Poet vs. loverWhat are the themes?Physical deathReligionPhysical loveHow about those first line and last two lines?If ever two were one, then surely we

How can two people be one person?

Then while we live, in love lets so persevere,That when we live no more, we may live ever.

How can you live no more but live forever?What aspect of the speaker is more important in this poemthe private or the public self?

To My Dear and Loving Husband: Reading of the Poem