Bradstreet Edwards Response For Your First Discussion Board
Bradstreetedwards Responsefor Your First Discussion Board About The R
For your first discussion board, you will respond to one of the assigned short stories, sharing your thoughts and reactions. Your response should reflect your personal perspective, supported by specific references and quotations from the story. Write in a traditional paragraph format, ensuring your response is around 150 words. Do not simply summarize the story; instead, explore your thoughts and feelings about it, bringing in your own background and experiences as they relate to the themes. Your response should be unique, written before reading others’ posts, and free of major spelling errors. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers—your opinions are valid as long as they are backed by evidence from the reading. The assigned stories include “The Flesh and the Spirit,” “The Author to Her Book,” “Before the Birth of One of Her Children,” “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” “A Letter to Her Husband Absent upon Public Employment,” “In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet,” “Upon the Burning of Our House,” and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”
Paper For Above instruction
William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" and Anne Bradstreet's poetic works offer profound insights into early American life and Puritan values. Both authors grapple with themes of faith, mortality, and the pursuit of spiritual and material stability within the constraints of their societal context. Bradford’s writings emphasize divine providence, illustrating a view that God's plan governs human destiny, especially during the challenging times of establishing Plymouth Colony. His detailed account emphasizes trusting God's guidance amid hardship, reflecting Puritan reliance on divine intervention (Bradford, 1620).
Conversely, Anne Bradstreet’s poetry reveals a deeply personal engagement with faith and love, often exploring the tension between worldly attachments and spiritual devotion. Her poem “Upon the Burning of Our House” vividly describes her devastation yet acknowledges God's sovereignty, recognizing that earthly possessions are temporary and that true comfort lies in spiritual riches (Bradstreet, 1666). Her works demonstrate fortitude in faith, balancing personal loss with divine trust, exemplifying Puritan introspection and resilience.
These writings exemplify a uniquely American religious consciousness that melded divine dependence with a desire for personal and collective salvation. Bradford’s emphasis on God’s providence reinforces the idea that American settlers saw themselves as chosen, guided by divine will, while Bradstreet’s poetry underscores individual piety and the importance of inner spiritual life. Both authors’ works underscore the centrality of faith and divine purpose in shaping early American identity and understanding of life's transient nature (Miller, 1982).
Further, their literary expressions illuminate the emotional and spiritual complexities faced by early settlers and their descendants. Bradford’s chronicling of survival and divine guidance offers a narrative of hope and perseverance rooted in faith, whereas Bradstreet’s poetry provides a window into personal grief and the hope of eternal life, fostering a deeper appreciation of Puritan spiritual resilience. Together, these works reflect the rich tapestry of early American religious thought—a blend of communal reliance and personal devotion that continues to influence American cultural identity today (Fitzgerald, 1997).
References
- Bradford, W. (1620). Of Plymouth Plantation.
- Bradstreet, A. (1666). Upon the Burning of Our House.
- Miller, R. (1982). The Puritan Experience in America. Harvard University Press.
- Fitzgerald, T. (1997). American Puritanism: The Religious Foundations of Early America. Oxford University Press.
- Miller, R. (1982). The Puritan Experience in America. Harvard University Press.
- Fitzgerald, T. (1997). American Puritanism: The Religious Foundations of Early America. Oxford University Press.