Anne Bradstreet was born in 1612 to a former soldier of Queen Elizabeth, Thomas Dudley. In 1630, he sailed with his family to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America. Simon Bradstreet, 25, was also sailing on that ship and later married Anne Dudley, 16. Anne had been well tutored in literature and history in Greek, Latin, French, Hebrew, as well as English. She was very well educated for a woman of that time.
Historically, Anne is primarily linked to her prominent father and husband, both governors of Massachusetts who left portraits and records. She states, "any woman who sought to use her wit, charm, or intelligence in the community at large found herself ridiculed, banished, or executed by the Colony's powerful group of male leaders." She was to be a house-wife, because that was the standards during the 1600s. Women did not go out and get an education; they stayed home with the children and took care of the house. She had to stay separated from the linked affairs of church and state, even "deriving her ideas of God from the contemplation of her husband's excellencies," according to one document.
Anne Bradstreet was the first woman to be recognized as an accomplished New World Poet. Her volume of poetry "The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America..." received much attention with it was first published in London in 1650. Even though she had eight children to take care of, she found time to write poetry which showed her commitment. Her work reflects the religious and emotional conflicts she experience as a woman writer and as a Puritan. Throughout her life, Bradstreet was concerned with the issues of sin and redemption, physical and emotional frailty, death and immortality. Much of her work indicates that she had a difficult time resolving the conflict between pleasures of sensory and experiences with her family and promises of Heaven. As a Puritan, she struggled to subdue her attachment to the world, but as a woman, she sometimes felt more strongly connected to her husband, children, and community than to God.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literature that uses rhythmic qualities of language. It has a long history dating back to the Epic of Gilgamesh. Most poetry evolved from folk songs or the need to retell oral epics, such as the Odyssey. Ancient attempts to define poetry focused on the usage of speech in rhetoric, drama, and song. Later attempts used more repetition, verse form, and rhyme. From the mid-20th century, poetry has sometimes been though of as "fundamental creative act employing language."
Figures of speech such as metaphor and simile are used to compare things that are commonly known by people. Some poetry types are specific to particular cultures and genres and respond to characteristics of the language in which the poet writes. The rejection of traditional forms and structures for poetry that began in the first half of the 20th century coincided with a questioning purpose and meaning of traditional definitions of poetry and of distinctions between poetry and prose. The methods for creating poetry vary among languages and poetic traditions. Languages are often described as having timing set primarily by accents, syllables, or moras. Japanese is a mora-timed language. Syllable timed languages include: Latin, French and Spanish, while English, Russian, and German are stress-timed languages. Depending on which language is used, is the difference between poetry among these countries.
Rhyme, alliteration, assonance, and consonance are ways of creating repetitive patterns of sound. They may be used as an independent structural element in a poem, to reinforce rhythmic patterns, or as an ornamental element.
In conclusion, poetry has many different forms, and while it may have rules on certain types of poems, poetry has a wide range of structures that can work for anybody. "Anyone can be a poet"
Figures of speech such as metaphor and simile are used to compare things that are commonly known by people. Some poetry types are specific to particular cultures and genres and respond to characteristics of the language in which the poet writes. The rejection of traditional forms and structures for poetry that began in the first half of the 20th century coincided with a questioning purpose and meaning of traditional definitions of poetry and of distinctions between poetry and prose. The methods for creating poetry vary among languages and poetic traditions. Languages are often described as having timing set primarily by accents, syllables, or moras. Japanese is a mora-timed language. Syllable timed languages include: Latin, French and Spanish, while English, Russian, and German are stress-timed languages. Depending on which language is used, is the difference between poetry among these countries.
Rhyme, alliteration, assonance, and consonance are ways of creating repetitive patterns of sound. They may be used as an independent structural element in a poem, to reinforce rhythmic patterns, or as an ornamental element.
In conclusion, poetry has many different forms, and while it may have rules on certain types of poems, poetry has a wide range of structures that can work for anybody. "Anyone can be a poet"
Anne Bradstreet v. Puritan Beliefs
The Puritans believe that women should not be writers. Anne Bradstreet, while being Puritan, continues to pursue her desire to write. She writes poetry that follows the structure that male Puritans use when writing poetry. It starts with the story, transitions into a message, and ends with a prayer. I feel as though she is not looked down on because of her writing. She took a social standard, decided to ignore it, and continue to write. Her poems have a lot of meaning behind them, and can be looked up to as a form of example for how Puritans should act. One of her poems that we have read in class was called " Upon the Burning of Our House." The story was about her house burning down. She was going through her house and reminiscing on everything she lost and everything she could not get back. She realized the material things were gone; however, she talked about how she was going to miss the genuine happiness of her family more than anything. This is a very mature way of thinking, and for this, I think she is looked up to by the Puritans. She is setting an example for people of their religion. She shows them that God gives gifts, and takes gifts away; therefore, everyone should be thankful for what they have while they had the opportunity to have it. She is a very wise woman who keeps her priorities in order. She is able to overcome the human instinct of feeling hostile and not being able to understand. Of course she is upset, but she is able to realize that God has a better place for all of us that is better than any house any of us will ever have the opportunity to live in. The Puritans should definitely follow this example. They revolve their life around God and follow the way of God, so she sends a very good message to her readers.
Friday, October 2, 2015
Golf and The Crucible
This year I decided to try something new. I decided to play a new sport that I had no idea how to play. I joined the Newton-Conover golf team. I had no idea how golf was played and I knew no terminology, but I decided to take a leap of faith and fully emerge myself in the sport. In the Crucible, the girls went into the forest to try something that they knew nothing about. They knew it could fail; however, they wanted to try anyway. In golf, I knew I could fail, but I decided to do it anyway. The girls decided to partake in witchcraft led by a woman from Barabados. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into, but they were willing to try something new. They took part in throwing things into a fire, drinking charms, and dancing. These were all things that they would not normally partake in. However, they felt the need to go outside of their normal, daily lives and do something out of the ordinary. I felt the same, even though it was not something as cinnical and witchcraft.
The Crucible: The Movie
This week we finished the movie of The Crucible. There were many similarities to the play; however, there are also some differences. The characters connected very well to the play. They were exactly what I imagimed while reading the play. They portrayed the characteristics and personalities of the characters almost perfectly. There were some parts where I felt as though they could have made their acting a little more believable. They made sure to include the major parts tht had drastic effects on the play, such as: Betty faking her illness, Abigail threatening the girls, and John Proctor protecting his name. Betty faked her illness as part of a game, and the only person who had the sense to think of this conclusion was Rebecca Nurse. Abigail threatened the girls that she would kill them if they told of anything they did in the forest. She claimed she had no trouble with this because she had seen her parent get murdered right in front of her. John Proctor at first confessed, but then when they made him sign his name too it, he refused. He knew he was a good man and refused to associate himself with a name accused of witchcraft. In the movie, John Proctor and Abigail talked outside. In the play, they talked in Reverend Parris' house in front of Betty Parris. This is significant because Betty didn't hear about the affair and the feelings between Abigail and John. There were many similarities and differences, but overall the movie did a very good job of portraying the play.