Levine 1
Laurel Levine
Ms. Nagi
11 AP English
4 November 2014
Our Divine Babysitter
Throughout history it is evident that a higher power or a god is present in the everyday
lives of those who choose to believe. But for those who choose not to believe or even not to
worship, their lives are seemingly synonymous with those of believers. The only noticeable
difference in the course of their human existence is the explanations they give for what occurs in
their lifetime. It can be noted in Anne Bradstreet’s “Upon the Burning of Our House” in the
juxtaposition of her feelings in the beginning towards her current situation being depressed and
hopeless; however, when looking to God for guidance, changes to a positive outlook, which
resulted from a change in attitude, rather than the power of the divine. It can also be seen in
“Genesis” during the creation story with humans being almost equal and at peace with the divine,
to being inferior and shunned by God when gaining the knowledge that the divine possesses.
Through the use of juxtaposition and a pleading tone towards the divine, it can be seen in both
“Upon the Burning of Our House” and “Genesis” that the authority of the divine is granted solely
through man’s given beliefs rather than the divine’s innate power over man.
Through a skewed perception of the authority the divine, man unknowingly gives the
divine power through their own change in perspective. Using juxtaposition, it is clear that man
dictates how much control the divine has over their state of mind and their overall life. In Anne
Bradstreet's “Upon the Burning of Our House” the narrator has just lost all their worldly
possessions and is looking for an escape from their grim reality. In order to move on from the
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current awful situation, man gives power to the divine to shift some of the weight of their
struggles onto something other than themselves. Initially Bradstreet expresses her grief of losing
everything she owned saying, “My pleasant things in ashes lie, and then behold no more shall
I”(Bradstreet 27-28) while she then when she “raises thy thoughts above the sky”(Bradstreet
41) she finds comfort in The Lord knowing that he will take care of the situation. This idea that
the divine will somehow take care of all of her needs is derived from man needing to imagine a
life without struggles and through that they unknowingly give power to the divine so that a
higher power can rule over their lives. In Genesis is can be seen that when man sins, they are
almost looking for punishment, bringing the divine in as the judge to decide their fate. When
Adam and Eve were living in the Garden of Eden they were almost equals to the divine except in
the case of knowledge “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you
will be like God, knowing good and evil”(Women’s devotional bible, Genesis, 3.5). Then when
they ate the forbidden fruit, they were down casted for their mistakes. “Cursed is the ground
because of you”( Women’s devotional bible, Genesis, 3.17) .Through defying the rules of the
divine, man is almost looking for punishment for their inherent sinful nature. In order for them to
feel truly forgiven for their sins, they need to feel like they were punished, which in turn leaves
the divine as the Almighty ruler. This idea that the almighty has power over us comes solely
from the belief of man that a higher power constantly rules over us, but we see in today’s society
that those who choose not to believe are not cast down by the Lord, but rather lead the same lives
as those who do believe.
Man uses the divine as a source for the explanation of the unknown, and as a way to scare
those who are not following the moral beliefs of others into conformity. With the use of a
pleading tone in both “Genesis” and “Upon the burning of my house” towards the divine it can
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be seen that when man places the divine above themselves to a position in power, they give the
divine supreme rule over their lives. It is present in the bible during the creation story, that the
disobeying of a higher power has lead to man's everyday struggles. As a result of disobeying a
higher power “Cursed are you above all the livestock and the wild animals” (Women’s
devotional bible, Genesis, 3.14). This leads to mans consistent begging and pleading that it was
not their fault and that their sin was justified. Man counters Gods will with a pleading response
that “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Women’s devotional bible, Genesis, 3.14) in order to
shift the blame onto something other than them .Using a pleading voice towards the divine only
furthers the power that they have over man. The use of a pleading tone sets the divine in a
position where man has to beg in order to be forgiven by the divine; that through belief man
gives the divine power to be something that humans would have to ask forgiveness towards. In
“Upon the burning of our house” the narrator is hopeless, recounting their life spent with their
worldly possessions, saying “No candle e’er shall shine in thee, nor bridegroom’s voice e’er
heard shall be”(Bradstreet 33-34). This depressed outlook on the situation is then reflected onto
the divine. The narrator uses a pleading tone to question both the divine and her own actions.
“The straight I ’gin my heart to chide, and did thy wealth on earth abide”(Bradstreet 37-38). This
questioning adds to the divine’s power because the narrator is looking for the divine’s opinion
on the situation, therefore giving them the power to decide mans fate. By placing so much value
and belief in a God’s ability to alter a human situation is to add to the power of religion.
The divine only have power over those who choose to believe because the span of their
rule over man comes from the beliefs of humans rather than their given divine power. For those
who choose not to believe or even not to worship, they are not cast down by the divine: instead
they lead the same lives as though who do place their beliefs in a higher power. In both “Upon
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the Burning of Our House” and “Genesis” with the help of Juxtaposition and a pleading tone,
the point that the authority of the divine is granted solely through man’s given beliefs rather than
the divine being inherently better than man is exceedingly present and is well justified.
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Works Cited
Bradstreet, Anne “Upon the Burning of Our House.” American literature. Evansron: McDougal
Littell, 2008. 114-115. Print
Women's devotional Bible, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Corporation,
2006. Print.