God's Beauty
Anne Bradstreet was the first poet to be published in North America. "Contemplations" one of her longer works explores nature and her relationship with God. In this poem Bradstreet discusses the after life as well as the present. Bradstreet explores the morality of man through pride, vanity, and temptations. Her language throughout the poem is graphic and full of allusions and imagery. Bradstreet does come to realize that the physical world though full of beauty is of less concern than that of the spiritual world. The splendor of God's creations are what starts this poem Bradstreet uses imagery to express the natural beauty of the world, which only God could have been the creator. "Their leaves and fruits seemed painted, but was true, Of green, of red, of yellow, mixed hue:" (5-6), of course in the speakers view God had a hand at painting these leaves. No one nor anything else has the capacity to create such splendor. The speaker continues with "Rapt were my senses at the delectable view"(7), acknowledging the beauty even further. These earthly creations are so marvelous what must life in Heaven be like? The speaker can foresee that is must b
And in the splendid throne erect so high, ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The more I looked, the more I grew amazed, e great, because the beauty here on earth is not eternal. The reference to the oak tree in this poem is relating to the Garden of Eden and original sin. Sarcastically asking the reader: Who other than the Creator could have done all this glorious work? When looking at her relationship with God, Bradstreet compares herself to the natural beauty around her. Bradstreet questions her worthiness of even looking up at the sun. "My humble eyes to lofty skies I reared (52). God's creatures sing in his glory, yet here I sit mute. Letting self-pride get in the way of her glorification of God. I am not good enough to praise you, so there fore I will sit silent. The speaker chooses the imagery of a river to allude to the path of life. Obstacles are rocks that may challenge the reader's journey. The speaker looks for guidance down this river, (her life), in doing so she looks up to the sun. Once again establishing that the sun represents the "Son of God". The puritan belief accepted by Bradstreet is really driven home at the conclusion her poem. "Honour, wealth, or safety" (22
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 844
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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