considered to be the first American poet. She is also revered as the

first woman to be published. Married to Simon Bradstreet at age

sixteen, she ventured with her family to the Massachusetts colony.

Simon, the governor of Massachusetts colony, served a major role in

her life and her literary career. He was the subject in many of the

poems included in the two volumes Bradstreet had published. A

Puritan all her life, Bradstreet led a simple life guided by principles of

grace, plainness, and divine missions. In "To My Dear and Living

Husband", she shows her devotion to her husband in a smooth and

simple manner. We can see from the poem the strong feelings she

has for her husband. However, she contradicts some of her Puritan

beliefs at certain points in the poem.

To Anne Bradstreet, her husband is exactly what he should be;

the love of her life. Over and over again she expresses her devotion

to him with a repetition of images. One such image is presented in

"I prize my love more than whole mines of gold

images which show her love for Simon. Some may view these three

she prays to the heavens and speaks of the afterlife. It is a difficult to

I consider to be the strongest statement in the poem: "That when we

love let's so persever", we see alliteration of the "w" sounds,

example to others with phrases like, "If ever two were one", "If ever

in as one of the more famous Shakespearean or Petrarchian sonnets.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Anne Bradstreet, Puritan Bradstreet, Anne Simon, Puritans Protestants, Living Husband, Simon Bradstreet, anne bradstreet, Loving Husband, Shakespearean Petrarchian, Patterson English, Bradstreet Puritan, puritan life, dear living husband, sounds alliteration consonance, left opinion, lines 5-7, line 4, bradstreet husband, massachusetts colony, consonance sounds, reflection puritan life, anne bradstreet husband, mines gold, alliteration consonance, alliteration consonance sounds,
Approximate Word count = 1023
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)