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The Role of Religion in Bradstreet's Poetry

Anne Bradstreet was a poetess active in the seventeenth century whose verses convey the

coeval worldview. The latter includes a spiritual understanding of the world’s origin.

Bradstreet’s spirituality roots both in the Puritan religion and in her own beliefs.

The combination of these theoretical platforms is evident in her poem “Before the Birth

of One of Her Children.” Bradstreet writes: “And if I see not half my dayes that’s due, / What

nature would, God grant to yours and you” (lines 13-14). In these lines, she wishes a long life to

her husband and children. The reference to God indicates that she perceives the divinity as a

giver of life, in accordance with the Puritan faith. The poetess also names nature as the origin of

life, which reveals the author’s own believes. Thus, the verse combines a scientific approach

with religious ideas within the spirituality of the seventeenth-century author.

Another Bradstreet's poem, “Here Follows Some Verses Upon the Burning of Our

house…,” offers significantly more references to religion. The poetess watched her home burn

down and sought consolation in God “And when I could no longer look, / I blest His name that

gave and took,” confesses the woman (lines 13-15). The author does not blame God for

depriving her family of their home and possessions but accepts the event as an expression of the

divine will. This attitude to life and God are definitely Puritan in their nature.

However, also this poem contains a reference to Bradstreet’s own beliefs. She describes

the heaven: “Thou hast a house on high erect / Frameed by that mighty Architect” (lines 43-44).
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The author perceives God as the Architect of the world, which idea belongs to her own views

instead of the Puritan belief.

Bradstreet combines the Puritan religion with a philosophical perception of the world.

Her literary work gives references to both these theoretical platforms. Their combination helps

understand the complexity of mind of a seventieth-century female author.

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Works Cited

Bradstreet, Anne. Poems. Class Handout, 2021.