Anne Bradstreet’s poetry interests modern readers because it presents a dissenting voice, which reveals tensions between private feeling and Puritan ideals. In Bradstreet, readers can see the conflict between doubt and faith, flesh and spirit, between accepting religious will and rebelling against it. These themes are developed in a rich vein of figurative language revealing both intensely private and familiar experiences.

Figurative language is vividly descriptive language that paints a picture and make non-literal comparisons that help the reader to better visualize the author’s concepts. You will see how Anne Bradstreet’s poetry demonstrates this technique, uses all the common forms of figurative language, and provides inspiration to better your writing.

Essential Questions

• What is figurative language, and how is it used?
• How does early American poetry compare with early American prose?
• What are appositives and prepositions?