McKenna Dean

Dr. Lydia Postell

English 2130

22 November 2015

The Two Anne Bradstreet’s

In her poetry, Anne Bradstreet writes in two different forms. These forms are not

the type of poetry she writes, but the style of her writing as an author in each of them.

She either writes as ‘Mistress Anne’ or ‘True Anne.’ Mistress Anne writes as she ought,

which is based on the ideas and restrictions of feminism at the time of her writing. True

Anne writes what she feels, regardless of how society says she should write or talk. The

progression from Mistress Anne to True Anne is best seen in her many poems about the

deaths of her grandchildren. As time goes by, she focuses less on conforming to what

society thinks should be written and more on her true feelings.

Anne Bradstreet’s life greatly influenced her work. In fact, a majority of Anne’s

work is based on events that happened in her life. The works that will be looked at today

are about the deaths of her family members. Anne lived most of her life in the shadows of

her dad and husband, who were both governors of Massachusetts (Woodlief, Ann). Her

writing provides an outlet for her as well as an opportunity to be her own person instead

of just the governor’s wife. Though a Puritan, she defies the thought that Puritan women

should be silent and takes on more of a feminist role (Woodlief). Anne Bradstreets works

have reached there height of significance with the feminist movement in the last 100

years or so. Feminists today seem to find that her work has a special value to it

(Woodlief). Her works and biography fit right into today’s feminist movement.

McKenna Dean

Dr. Lydia Postell

English 2130

22 November 2015

Before digging into her work, one needs to understand how Bradstreet fits into the

feminist perspective of her time. The answer is simple: she does not. Bradstreet refuses to

be the housewife that society suggests she be. In her literary criticism. Ileana VESA says

feminine is a better descriptor of Anne Bradstreet rather than a feminist writer. She states

that Puritan women believed “their femininity would bring a fresh, sensitive approach to

the long established, routinized craftsmanship.” This craftsmanship is writing (“The

Complementary Poetic Vision…). Bradstreet very quickly set a name for herself with her

work. Most of the authors of her time were writing on political and economic issues.

These were mostly based on the European identity in the ‘New World. On the other hand,

Bradstreet focused more on writing about family and events that happened in her life

(Hilliker, Robert). Hilliker refers to Bradstreet as “the lone woman poet on the American

frontier” in his writing. Anne Bradstreet broke all of the social models in her writing and

was very successful with it. Many critics consider Bradstreet the first feminist in

America; she had no fear about pushing her status as a writer in Puritan society (VESA).

In her poem, In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet, Who

Deceased August, 1665, Being a Year and a Half Old, Anne Bradstreet writes as Mistress

Anne. Although Bradstreet is writing about death, she writes so eloquently that one’s

mind strays from the topic of death. In this work, Bradstreet’s perspective is eternal rather

than temporal. Bradstreet portrays this idea in these lines from this work: “Blest babe,

why should I once bewail thy fate,/ Or sigh thy day so soon were terminate,/ Sith thou art

McKenna Dean

Dr. Lydia Postell

English 2130

22 November 2015

settled in an everlasting state.” (5-7). These lines express her thought that there is no

reason to be bitter about Elizabeth’s death because Elizabeth is now living her eternal

destiny. Later in the work, Bradstreet writes, “Is by His hand alone that guides nature and

fate.” (14). This line reinforces the puritan belief that God directs all things by His will

and brings all things in life to an end (Koernig). All throughout this poem, Bradstreet

exemplifies the qualities of Mistress Anne. She writes with proper language and tiptoes

over the topic of death by referencing it in relation to her Puritan faith.

In the second poem on one of her grandchildren, Bradstreet begins to shift from

writing in a prim and proper fashion to displaying her true emotions in a realistic way.

Instead of trying to cover up her emotions by word choice, Bradstreet rebels against the

feminist ways and expresses her emotions in raw form. The poem, In memory of My Dear

Grandchild Anne Bradstreet, Who Deceased June 20, 1669, Being Three Years and

Seven Months Old, begins with the lines, “With troubled heart and trembling hand I

write,/ The heavens have changed to sorrow my delight.” (1-2). These two lines provide

an immediate contrast from the first poem talked about. In this poem, Bradstreet writes

immediately about being sad and sorrowful upon Anne’s death; in the first work she

writes that there is no reason to be bitter or sad about Elizabeth’s death. When reading the

two works consecutively, the reader automatically notices Anne’s change of heart.

Within the four years between these two grandchildren’s deaths’ Anne has moved from

relying on the belief that God is all-knowing to saying that God turned her feelings of

McKenna Dean

Dr. Lydia Postell

English 2130

22 November 2015

delight to feelings of sadness. Instead of trusting that He is in control, Anne blames the

heavens for her feelings of sadness. Throughout this second poem, Bradstreet shows

glances of True Anne. She is beginning to unleash her true feelings; however, at the end

of the poem, she turns her feelings back to God. The last two lines of In memory of My

Dear Grandchild Anne Bradstreet…, are written, “Meantime my throbbing heart’s

cheered up with this:/ Thou with thy Savior art in endless bliss.” (17-18). Throughout the

poem, Bradstreet wrestled with her true feelings of sorrow, but in the end, chooses to rely

on the Savior’s plan.

In On My Dear Grandchild Simon Bradstreet, Who Died on 16 November, 1669,

Being But a Month, and One Day Old, though Anne Bradstreet frequently references God

and His will, she expresses it with constant doubt. For example, Bradstreet says “Such

was His will, but why,…” (6). As she is writing, Bradstreet questions why the Lord

would let it be His will to take a one day old child to be with Him. Mistress Anne would

never doubt her puritan beliefs or God in any way. Throughout this poem about Simon,

she speaks in a negative tone; the negative tone she uses makes her saddened heart more

obvious. The constant doubt reveals that the loss she has suffered is great enough to make

her doubt what she has believed her entire life. Later in On My Dear Grandchild Simon

Bradstreet… Anne says, “Let’s say He’s merciful as well as just,” (8). In this line, she is

not only speaking with doubt, she is speaking in the theoretical. Bradstreet is in a sense

denying that God is in control throughout the rest of the poem. The words ‘Let’s say’ (8)

McKenna Dean

Dr. Lydia Postell

English 2130

22 November 2015

are a powerful clue that Bradstreet is straying farther and farther from her faith, as well as

falling deeper into her own despair. At the very end of the poem, Bradstreet vaguely

states that she would rather be dead and with her grandchildren than here on earth

suffering. She states, “…go rest with sisters twain;/ Among the blest… (11-12). She calls

the dead ‘the blest’ (12) which comes across to the reader as her preferring to be dead. As

one reaches the end of this poem, he can see that Bradstreet no longer writes with any of

her Mistress Anne qualities.

Throughout her lifetime, Bradstreet’s poetry became more and more real. These

three poems are just a glimpse at the two sides of Anne Bradstreet. In these three pieces

of poetry, one can see the shift from Mistress Anne to True Anne quite clearly. Through

this shift, Anne showed that she was not afraid to defy the social models in order to

achieve the greatness she knew she was capable of. Anne opened a window for many

other female writers and even went on to be an influence to a lot of them. Through the

use of the two Anne’s, one can see how she really feels about the loss of her three

grandchildren. She helps to show the reader how deeply these losses have affected her,

and in turn show a ‘dark side’ to writing that has not been seen before her writings.