
 DAUGHTER OF PURITAN SEPARATISTS IN
ENGLAND
 MARRIED AT 16 TO A PURITAN MINISTER
 EMIGRATED TO COLONIES AT 18

MOTHER OF 8
 EXPOSED TO CONTEMPORARY POETRY OF
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE—ONE OF HER
INFLUENCES

***POETRY WAS FROWNED ON BY THE PURITAN
COMMUNITY—IT WAS CONSIDERED TO BE AN
IDLE VANITY THAT OPENED THE MIND TO THE
DEVIL

BRADSTREET’S POETRY WAS NEVER INTENDED
FOR AN AUDIENCE
 SHE VIEWED POETRY AS A TOOL FOR SELF REFLECTION
 POEMS WERE TAKEN WITHOUT HER PERMISSION BY
HER BROTHER IN LAW—HE PUBLISHED THEM IN
ENGLAND WITHOUT HER CONSENT
 THE TENTH MUSE LATELY SPRUNG UP IN AMERICA

 INVERSION : CHANGING THE NORMAL
WORD ORDER OF A LINE OF POETRY IN
ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE RHYME
SCHEME OR METER
 EXTENDED METAPHOR : JUST LIKE A
REGULAR METAPHOR, BUT IT IS
DEVELOPED OVER SEVERAL LINES OF
POETRY
 ALLITERATION : REPETITION OF
CONSONANT SOUNDS AT THE
BEGINNINGS OF WORDS

 METER : PATTERN OF UNSTRESSED AND STRESSED
SYLLABLES IN POETRY

IAMB : A FOOT OF POETRY CHARACTERIZED BY ONE
UNSTRESSED SYLLABLE FOLLOWED BY A STRESSED
SYLLABLE

ASSUME FIRST THAT THE POEM IS WRITTEN USING
IAMBS…THEN FIGURE OUT HOW MANY STRESSED
SYLLABLES THERE ARE TO DETERMINE THE METER



--3 STRESSED SYLLABLES/LINE: TRIMETER
--4 STRESSED SYLLABLES/LINE: TETRAMETER
--5 STRESSED SYLLABLES/LINE: PENTAMETER
RHYME SCHEME: pattern of end rhyme used in a poem

Assign first line the letter “a”


If the second line rhymes with the first line, it is also “a”
If the second line doesn’t rhyme with the first, label it “b”



 Read thru poem

1. Complete analysis of rhyme scheme and write out rhyme scheme pattern
 2. write out first two lines of poem and scan the meter
(unstressed/stressed)—then determine what the meter of the poem is (trimeter, tetrameter, or pentameter)
 3. list all archaic language used in poem—and translate the archaic language to regular English
 4. list out three comparisons (similes or metaphors) that Bradstreet makes when comparing her love

5. What do the last two lines of the poem mean?

6.
Table Work—Partner Up and turn to p. 140
Paraphrase (summarize in your own words) the following lines
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.


1-12
13-36
37-42
43-54
Write out two lines of the poem, scan them, and determine the meter
Write out the rhyme scheme of the poem (hint: pattern repeats in each stanza)
Explain how Bradstreet feels at the end of the poem about


Her attitude toward wealth and material possessions
Her religious beliefs and values
1.
2.
3.
Identify and explain the extended metaphor in lines 43-50. How does
Bradstreet continue the metaphor over 7 lines of poetry?
Find one example of…
Alliteration
Visual imagery
Auditory imagery