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Kate Robertson
English 2525
Prof. Mooney
20 October 2011
Bradstreet and Taylor: A Comparative Analysis
Two of the most prominent Puritan poets were Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor.
Both poets expressed distinctly Puritan traits in their writings, but also showed attributes that
stray from Puritan beliefs and culture.
During Puritan times, it was not socially acceptable for women to be properly educated;
instead, they were expected to be quiet, reserved, and subservient to their husbands (The Dating
Advisor). Thus, it was shocking for others to learn of Bradstreet’s brilliant and eloquent
writings. One of Bradstreet’s most famous works is her love poem, “To My Dear and Loving
Husband.” The poem praises her husband and describes her undying affection for him. It is
written in iambic pentameter—five feet of couples of an unstressed syllable followed by a
stressed syllable—and employs a rhyme scheme with couplets. Her words flow peacefully from
line to line, imitating the flow of the “rivers” she mentions in line 7.
Bradstreet speaks abstractly of the marriage of a man and woman in her poem. She
employs a distinct metaphor in the second stanza in doing so, saying: “I prize thy love more than
whole mines of gold / or all the riches that the East doth hold” (Bradstreet 5-6). The fact that a
Puritan woman was aware of treasure in the East signifies intelligence and wit, qualities that
were often believed to drive a woman insane (The Dating Advisor). Bradstreet also alludes to
“rivers [that] cannot quench” her thirsty love for her husband (7). These “rivers” allude to those
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mentioned in the Bible—the Nile, Euphrates, and the Tigris—that provided a water source for
the people who lived near them (Kelm). Just as those rivers nourished the people who drank
from its streams, Bradstreet was nourished—perhaps not enough—by her love for her husband.
This biblical allusion is one Puritan element of her writing. It shows that she is familiar with the
Bible.
Unfortunately, Bradstreet did not experience success herself; her works were not
published in America until after her death in 1672 (The Dating Advisor). Bradstreet’s works are
regarded as some of the finest writings completed by a woman in American history.
Edward Taylor’s writings were not published during his lifetime, either; he requested that
his writings be kept private (Edward Taylor 229). However, his works were later discovered in a
vault at Yale University, and were published in a collection in 1939 (Edward Taylor 229). Many
of Taylor’s writings explore his self-examination and display strict adherence to Puritan law and
values through fiery and passionate imagery and language. However, his “Meditation 150
(Second Series)” is quite different from his other works.
In “Meditation 150,” Taylor employs surprisingly sensual imagery to describe the
maternal relationship between God and his “beauteous spouse,” the Church (1). He compares
the Church to a mother nursing her young. His poem is also written in iambic pentameter, and
the rhyme scheme per stanza is ababcc. Taylor uses enjambment in the first stanza, which is
“the continuation of a sentence or clause over a line-break” (The Poetry Archive).
Compared to his other works such as “Upon a Spider Catching a Fly” and “Meditation
39,” “Meditation 150” steps away from standard Puritan works. The sensual imagery he uses is
very atypical of other Puritan writing; he does not employ any “fire and brimstone” language.
Taylor’s main symbol in this poem is that of milk. It is a constant source of nourishment from
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the breasts of the Church that are “ever full and flow” and that help to “make her babes to grow”
(Taylor 5-6). Like Bradstreet, Taylor expresses his thoughts using the idea of marriage to unite
God and the Church. However, his discussion of this marriage is more concrete than
Bradstreet’s discussion in “To My Dear and Loving Husband.” His imagery and symbols are
much more overt than Bradstreet’s “rivers” and “riches” in the East (6-7). Overall, Taylor’s
“Meditation 150” is much clearer and distinct than Bradstreet’s love poem.
Both poets interpret important Christian matters of their times, but do so in very different
ways. They are Puritan writers, but are not completely true to Puritan teachings and law.
Taylor’s writing is more physical, while Bradstreet is conceptual in her approach. “Meditation
150” and “To My Dear and Loving Husband” are still seen as two prominent works of Puritan
poetry.
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Works Cited
Bradstreet, Anne. "To My Dear and Loving Husband." The Bedford Anthology of American
Literature: Vol. I: Beginnings to 1865. Eds. Belasco and Johnson. Boston/NY:
Bedford/St. Martin's. 2008. Print. 182.
Kelm, George L. “Rivers and Waterways in the Bible.” Holoman Bible Dictionary. Butler, Trent
C., ed. 1991. 24 October 2011.
http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?number=T5367.
“Taylor, Edward.” The Bedford Anthology of American Literature: Vol. I: Beginnings to 1865.
Eds. Belasco and Johnson. Boston/NY: Bedford/St. Martin's. 2008. Print. 229-230.
Taylor, Edward. “Meditation 150 (Second Series).” The Literature of Colonial America: The
Colonies (1608-1765). 249.
The Dating Advisor. 2010. 19 October 2011. http://www.thedatingadvisor.com/love-poem-tomy-dear-and-loving-husband.html.
The Poetry Archive. “Enjambment.” 2010. 24 October 2011.
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/glossaryItem.do?id=8102.