McKenna Dean

Dr. Lydia Postell

English 2130
22 November 2015
The Two Anne Bradstreets
In her poetry, Anne Bradstreet writes in two different forms. These forms are not
the type of poetry she writes, but the style of her writing as an author in each of them.
She either writes as Mistress Anne or True Anne. Mistress Anne writes as she ought,
which is based on the ideas and restrictions of feminism at the time of her writing. True
Anne writes what she feels, regardless of how society says she should write or talk. The
progression from Mistress Anne to True Anne is best seen in her many poems about the
deaths of her grandchildren. As time goes by, she focuses less on conforming to what
society thinks should be written and more on her true feelings.
Anne Bradstreets life greatly influenced her work. In fact, a majority of Annes
work is based on events that happened in her life. The works that will be looked at today
are about the deaths of her family members. Anne lived most of her life in the shadows of
her dad and husband, who were both governors of Massachusetts (Woodlief, Ann). Her
writing provides an outlet for her as well as an opportunity to be her own person instead
of just the governors wife. Though a Puritan, she defies the thought that Puritan women
should be silent and takes on more of a feminist role (Woodlief). Anne Bradstreets works
have reached there height of significance with the feminist movement in the last 100
years or so. Feminists today seem to find that her work has a special value to it
(Woodlief). Her works and biography fit right into todays feminist movement.

McKenna Dean
Dr. Lydia Postell
English 2130
22 November 2015
Before digging into her work, one needs to understand how Bradstreet fits into the
feminist perspective of her time. The answer is simple: she does not. Bradstreet refuses to
be the housewife that society suggests she be. In her literary criticism. Ileana VESA says
feminine is a better descriptor of Anne Bradstreet rather than a feminist writer. She states
that Puritan women believed their femininity would bring a fresh, sensitive approach to
the long established, routinized craftsmanship. This craftsmanship is writing (The
Complementary Poetic Vision). Bradstreet very quickly set a name for herself with her
work. Most of the authors of her time were writing on political and economic issues.
These were mostly based on the European identity in the New World. On the other hand,
Bradstreet focused more on writing about family and events that happened in her life
(Hilliker, Robert). Hilliker refers to Bradstreet as the lone woman poet on the American
frontier in his writing. Anne Bradstreet broke all of the social models in her writing and
was very successful with it. Many critics consider Bradstreet the first feminist in
America; she had no fear about pushing her status as a writer in Puritan society (VESA).
In her poem, In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet, Who
Deceased August, 1665, Being a Year and a Half Old, Anne Bradstreet writes as Mistress
Anne. Although Bradstreet is writing about death, she writes so eloquently that ones
mind strays from the topic of death. In this work, Bradstreets perspective is eternal rather
than temporal. Bradstreet portrays this idea in these lines from this work: Blest babe,
why should I once bewail thy fate,/ Or sigh thy day so soon were terminate,/ Sith thou art

McKenna Dean
Dr. Lydia Postell
English 2130
22 November 2015
settled in an everlasting state. (5-7). These lines express her thought that there is no
reason to be bitter about Elizabeths death because Elizabeth is now living her eternal
destiny. Later in the work, Bradstreet writes, Is by His hand alone that guides nature and
fate. (14). This line reinforces the puritan belief that God directs all things by His will
and brings all things in life to an end (Koernig). All throughout this poem, Bradstreet
exemplifies the qualities of Mistress Anne. She writes with proper language and tiptoes
over the topic of death by referencing it in relation to her Puritan faith.
In the second poem on one of her grandchildren, Bradstreet begins to shift from
writing in a prim and proper fashion to displaying her true emotions in a realistic way.
Instead of trying to cover up her emotions by word choice, Bradstreet rebels against the
feminist ways and expresses her emotions in raw form. The poem, In memory of My
Dear Grandchild Anne Bradstreet, Who Deceased June 20, 1669, Being Three Years and
Seven Months Old, begins with the lines, With troubled heart and trembling hand I
write,/ The heavens have changed to sorrow my delight. (1-2). These two lines provide
an immediate contrast from the first poem talked about. In this poem, Bradstreet writes
immediately about being sad and sorrowful upon Annes death; in the first work she
writes that there is no reason to be bitter or sad about Elizabeths death. When reading the
two works consecutively, the reader automatically notices Annes change of heart. Within
the four years between these two grandchildrens deaths Anne has moved from relying
on the belief that God is all-knowing to saying that God turned her feelings of delight to

McKenna Dean
Dr. Lydia Postell
English 2130
22 November 2015
feelings of sadness. Instead of trusting that He is in control, Anne blames the heavens for
her feelings of sadness. Throughout this second poem, Bradstreet shows glances of True
Anne. She is beginning to unleash her true feelings; however, at the end of the poem, she
turns her feelings back to God. The last two lines of In memory of My Dear Grandchild
Anne Bradstreet, are written, Meantime my throbbing hearts cheered up with this:/
Thou with thy Savior art in endless bliss. (17-18). Throughout the poem, Bradstreet
wrestled with her true feelings of sorrow, but in the end, chooses to rely on the Saviors
plan.
In On My Dear Grandchild Simon Bradstreet, Who Died on 16 November, 1669,
Being But a Month, and One Day Old, though Anne Bradstreet frequently references God
and His will, she expresses it with constant doubt. For example, Bradstreet says Such
was His will, but why, (6). As she is writing, Bradstreet questions why the Lord
would let it be His will to take a one day old child to be with Him. Mistress Anne would
never doubt her puritan beliefs or God in any way. Throughout this poem about Simon,
she speaks in a negative tone; the negative tone she uses makes her saddened heart more
obvious. The constant doubt reveals that the loss she has suffered is great enough to make
her doubt what she has believed her entire life. Later in On My Dear Grandchild Simon
Bradstreet Anne says, Lets say Hes merciful as well as just, (8). In this line, she is
not only speaking with doubt, she is speaking in the theoretical. Bradstreet is in a sense
denying that God is in control throughout the rest of the poem. The words Lets say (8)

McKenna Dean
Dr. Lydia Postell
English 2130
22 November 2015
are a powerful clue that Bradstreet is straying farther and farther from her faith, as well as
falling deeper into her own despair. At the very end of the poem, Bradstreet vaguely
states that she would rather be dead and with her grandchildren than here on earth
suffering. She states, go rest with sisters twain;/ Among the blest (11-12). She calls
the dead the blest (12) which comes across to the reader as her preferring to be dead. As
one reaches the end of this poem, he can see that Bradstreet no longer writes with any of
her Mistress Anne qualities.
Throughout her lifetime, Bradstreets poetry became more and more real. These
three poems are just a glimpse at the two sides of Anne Bradstreet. In these three pieces
of poetry, one can see the shift from Mistress Anne to True Anne quite clearly. Through
this shift, Anne showed that she was not afraid to defy the social models in order to
achieve the greatness she knew she was capable of. Anne opened a window for many
other female writers and even went on to be an influence to a lot of them. Through the
use of the two Annes, one can see how she really feels about the loss of her three
grandchildren. She helps to show the reader how deeply these losses have affected her,
and in turn show a dark side to writing that has not been seen before her writings.