Question

In the poem, Anne Bradstreet discusses the themes of death and solace, or relief from pain. Analyze the development of these themes in the poem. How and why does the speaker relate these two concepts? Cite evidence from the poem to support your answer.

Answer 1

Bradstreet was an avowed Puritan, and her poems almost always evoke God, her faith, and/or her desire for eternal life. Her marriage fulfilled the Puritan ideal of a loving, respectful partnership, and she embraced the traditional feminine role of motherhood. However, through her poems, Bradstreet demonstrates her fortitude through the vicissitudes of life and shares her contemplations on God’s grace and might. When she suffers from some kind of pain or tragedy, she tries to place it within the larger context of God’s will, and reminds herself to turn her thoughts heavenward. She regularly explores the tension between the joy of her Earthly life and is not always willing to abjure it in favor of her putative eternal life. She always comes to the conclusion that Heaven is superior to Earth, but she shares her thought process with the reader, which is what makes her work so relatable four centuries after her death.

Answer 2

Answer:

Anne Bradstreet discusses the beauty of death and how it can alleviate any worldly sorrow. Upon death, one feels no more pain; one just feels relief. Initially, Bradstreet speaks about the death of a loved one and how that person will suffer no more. As we read further, she too begins to wish for death to take away her suffering, brought upon by age. The lines "And my clay house mold'ring./ Oh, how I long to be at rest" corroborate this view.

Explanation:

Plato Answer - page 16 - Part A