Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
First, his use of rhyme is incredibly heavy, and quickly becomes awkward and intrusive:
Ye sons of men that durst contemn the Threatnings of Gods Word,
How cheer you now? your hearts, I trow, are sthrill'd as with a sword.
(stanza 8)
The internal rhyme in the odd numbered lines of each stanza, especially when coupled with the end rhyme in the even numbered lines (this pattern repeats in the second half of the stanza), gives the poem a condescending feel as though it is an instruction for children, while at the same time hammering itself into the mind of the reader in an obsessive manner. The complete lack of enjambment strengthens this effect, especially when reading the poem out loud.
In comparison to this, Bradstreet's sometimes stilted rhyme comes out very favorably. In one of her most well-known poems, "To My Dear and Loving Husband," even her twelve straight lines of rhyming couplets do not seem as oppressive as the rhymes utilized by Wigglesworth. The final couplet of this poem is indicative of the rest: "Then while we live, in love let's so persever / That when we live no more, we may live ever" (lines 11-12). Not only does the rhyme not feel as heavy, but it is also used to reinforce the logic of the line, tying the ideas together and presenting a meaningful analysis and interaction with the situation described in the poem. This is clear in the construction of the other couplets of the poem, as well. Wigglesworth's rhymes appear blindly conventional; Bradstreet's have a more definite purpose.
It should already be clear that two very different personalities reflecting two different examples of Puritanism are at work in these poems. Wigglesworth reflects the blind and obsessive adherence to certain "rules" that many associate with Puritanism in his poetry, whereas Bradstreet takes more agency in determining the use of certain devices. Another example...
Bradstreet's poems show a definite relationship to other contemporary poems, with her construction and even certain stylistic elements resembling Shakespeare's sonnets. She also uses the phrase "whilst there is world or time" in her poem "In Honour of that High and Mighty Princess, Queen Elizabeth," which is a clear echo of a line in Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress," which was written in England in the same time period (line 4). Wigglesworth, in contrast, draws only on the Bible and certain other Puritan beliefs that were themselves derived from Biblical interpretations. Again, his single-mindedness surfaces as an example of an oppressive type of Puritanism, while Bradstreet demonstrates a better poetic skill aided by her engagement with worldly things, such as the monarchy and other poetry.
Qualitative judgments are, of course, inherently impossible to prove. But the differences between the poems of Bradstreet and Wigglesworth reflect clear differences in style and construction that necessarily create differences in the quality of the poems. The Puritanism that Wigglesworth reflects leads to heavy handed and unpleasing poetry; Bradstreet's more open minded nature is reflected in the depth and breadth of her poems. The connection between an open mind and good art is an important lesson to remember.
Works Cited
Bradstreet, Anne. "To My Dear and Loving Husband." Accessed 5 May 2009. http://www.annebradstreet.com/to_my_dear_and_loving_husband.htm
Bradstreet, Anne. "In Honour of that High and Mighty Princess, Queen Elizabeth." Accessed 5 May 2009. http://www.annebradstreet.com/in_honour_of_that_high_and_mighty_princess_queen_elizabeth.htm
Wigglesworth, Michael. "The Day of Doom." Accessed 5 May 2009. http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/doom001.htm
Works Cited
Bradstreet, Anne. "To My Dear and Loving Husband." Accessed 5 May 2009. http://www.annebradstreet.com/to_my_dear_and_loving_husband.htm
Bradstreet, Anne. "In Honour of that High and Mighty Princess, Queen Elizabeth." Accessed 5 May 2009. http://www.annebradstreet.com/in_honour_of_that_high_and_mighty_princess_queen_elizabeth.htm
Wigglesworth, Michael. "The Day of Doom." Accessed 5 May 2009. http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/doom001.htm
Despite this hardship she still managed to publish the first volume of poetry written by a woman in the New World. This volume of poetry marked a milestone and reflected her faith, as did her other works, in the goals of her Puritan faith, and are not without skepticism. Martin 4) God doth not afflict willingly, nor take delight in grieving the children of men: he hath no benefitt by my
" Mather 22) Hawthorne clearly stepped away from the Puritan ethic by consistently alluding to the existence of the earthly supernatural. Though this was a fear of the Puritans, clearly it was associated with Satan and possession of the living. In Hawthorne's works the supernatural was associated with less grand sources, such as those seen in Young Goodman Brown. (Hoeltje 39-40) Hawthorne allows his characters to explore concepts that would have been
Young Goodman Brown In the story "Young Goodman Brown," much of the story is centered on Goodman Brown and his struggle to use his faith to suppress his evil impulses and his internal doubts. This struggle is undoubtedly a representation of some of the same struggles that Nathaniel Hawthorne must have faced within his own life in which he embraced the Puritan way of life and its beliefs. Given Hawthorne's background
Rather than continue the process that began in the first two books, in which the Rosicrucian Order first announced themselves, gave their history, and then responded to certain criticisms while making their position within Christian theology clearer, the Chymical Wedding can almost be seen as the first instance of literature written within the Rosicrucian tradition, rather than as part of its manifesto-like founding documents, because it does not seek to
Self-Made Man and the Recipient of Divine Grace: Benjamin Franklin vs. Jonathan Edwards Despite the fact that both Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Edwards are honored as two of the greatest authors of colonial America, they could not be more different in their ideological orientations. Edwards (1703-1758) is perhaps most famous for penning the image of the human soul as a spider in the hand of a merciful God, suspended above the
" (Hawthorne, 71) This statement of intent strikes as a core romantic value, contending with no small degree of irony that there is a sense of moral authority in the air which bears a dominant effect on the lives of New Englanders. Indeed, this is consistent with our understanding of Hawthorne's critical response to the forces of Puritanism. That the author is from the infamous settlement of Salem, Massachusetts, commonly referenced