Anne Bradstreet, the author of "To My Dear and Loving Husband" was a Puritan. This had great influence on the meaning and theme of her poem. This poem was actually not published until almost 40 years after she died. She lived in a harsh religious world where it was looked down upon for women to be courageous and smart.
She lived a life that where she was unspoken and obedient to because of her religious belief. She had many concerns and doubts about her puritan beliefs and lifestyle. These doubts are presented in her poem. The main theme of Bradstreet's poem is her undying love for her husband.In this paper I will discuss how tone and imagery help the reader to understand the theme of this poem. Tone is the manner in which a poet m
...akes his statement; it reflects his attitude toward his subject.
Tone is hard to hear in the written word so therefore the reader must make a distinction of how the poet is attempting to sound in the reader's own mind. In this poem, Bradstreet delivers a tone that is soft and loving. Even though she has harsh criticisms against her beliefs she puts those aside and lovingly expresses her love for her husband.The love in which she describes is almost like a fairy tale. Despite the fact that I can not hear her recite this poem I can imagine in my own mind that her voice is soft and gentle and like that of a person in love.
The first three lines state, "If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee
if ever wife was happy in man. " These three lines are significant not only because they are the first three, making them the introduction but they also elude a graceful tone to the poem.The words in these first three lines are grouped together so that they flow extremely well that it makes it easier to read and it flows nicely through the minds ear. Love is a complicated thing to understand but Bradstreet keeps it on a level that is easy for the reader to relate to and maintain the mindset that you know exactly how she is feeling. Imagery is what occurs when poets use words that appeal to our senses: we perceive, through his or her words, a sense idea or image: these images can appeal to all six senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, and balance.
Bradstreet uses imagery in her poem to when she describes the love between her and her husband. For example: In lines 8-10 Bradstreet writes; "My love is such that rivers cannot quench, thy love is such I can no way repay, the heavens reward thee manifold. I pray. " In these three lines Bradstreet is using imagery by explaining that the love between her and her husband is so great. She explains that the love she has for her husband is so abundant, satisfying and fulfilling that even a river, which holds a massive amount of water could not even quench their love if it were ever to be thirsty, (in a non-literal sense of course).
Bradstreet also writes in lines five and six, "I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold or all the
richer that the east doth hold". She explains here, while comparing her love for her husband to riches and gold, that not even all the riches in the world could make her as happy as her husband does. Even though it might be hard to put a price of the emotion we call love, Bradstreet does and she puts a big price on it. She compares it to things that are considered to be the most expensive in the world.Bradstreet lived in a world where women were forced to be quiet and obedient.
She breaks all these rules with this poem. She uses her intelligence and free heart to describe her love for her husband. With the use of imagery and tone, Bradstreet allows the reader to understand and recognize the theme of her poem. She helps the reader to understand that her love for her husband is undying by comparing it to riches, wealth, and voids that heaven can not even fulfill.
Bradstreet's description of love is one that is priceless and straight from the heart.
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