“The Flesh and the Spirit” by Anne Bradstreet
Reading Focus/Questions
Background: Anne Bradstreet was born in England but moved to America in
1630. She was the first American woman to be published as a poet. Her work
was based on her observation of the world around her and focused heavily on
domestic and religious themes; it was influential to Puritans during her time.
Purpose for Reading: You will be actively reading one of Bradstreet’s poems,
“The Flesh and the Spirit,” to gain an understanding of Puritan values and the
role religion plays in creating these values.
Directions: You will actively read the poem, according to the purpose above.
To do this, follow the directions below:
1. Read the poem through at least once to get the gist of the poem. Using
one color, take notes in the margins to help you understand the main
ideas of the poem.
2. Read the poem through again. Using a different color than before,
identify the figurative language in the poem. Identify the kind of
figurative language and take brief notes about the meaning of the
figurative language.
Once you have identified the main idea and the figurative language in the
poem, you are ready to begin analysis of the poem. To do so, please answer the
following questions:
1. What complaint does Flesh have about Spirit? How does Spirit answer
these complaints?
2. How does Bradstreet use figurative language in Flesh’s argument?
3. Hoes does Bradstreet use figurative language in Spirit’s argument?
4. What is the main conflict between Flesh and Spirit? How does this
conflict relate to what each sister values?
5. What role does religion play in each sister’s argument?
6. Based on the poem, what do Puritans value? How is this reflected in the
poem?
MEG 4/10