Anne Bradstreet Response

Anne Bradstreet is a very talented poet with a lot of famous publications. One of these famous poems is "To My Dear and Loving Husband". This poem talks about her relationship with her husband and how precious he is to her. This poem pours out so many deep hidden thoughts that are so gentle and fragile. The exigence of this poem is obviously to explain her deep affection and love for her husband. Her audience in truth are those who have experienced love to understand the deep meaning of her passion. For example she says "compare with me, ye women, if you can."(Bradstreet 4) meaning that her love is so precious only few if lucky enough are able to compare with what she has; what she has been blessed with. Another audience of course is the heavens because in the poem she prays that the heavens (God) should repay her husband manifold for the priceless love which he bestows upon her.The title of the poem is " To My Dear Husband" however this poem was not meant for her husband to read, for her poetic life was kept a secret from everyone.

The purpose of this poem is, in one way to appreciate what she has for she declares that love which she has been blessed with. " is such that rivers cannot quench, thy love is such i can no way repay, heavens reward thee manifold, i pray." with theses words, one can tell of her struggle to release her appreciation of the love she has.
Anne speaks of love as a base and the summit of wealth. " I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold or all the riches that the East doth hold." ( Bradstreet 5-6) It's amazing how blinding and overcoming love can be to make one feel like riches mean nothing once love is in the equation. However when one reads this poem once one may confuse the tone of the poem as love being blinding and not able to recognize common sense. However this is not so.
Letting this poem sink into your mind you can understand better the tone and the theme of the poem. Love does not blind those who fall but makes them see clearly. It demolishes you of all selflessness, which in the time of Anne Bradstreet was the main goal of puritans. Another theme in this poem is how love lives on forever. "That while we live, in love let's so preserver that when we live no more, we may live ever" (Bradstreet 11-12) This figurative device is so strong it could move mountains. When she says this " we may live ever" (Bradstreet 12) she means their love. Her and her husbands undying, unquenchable, un-price-able everlasting love will live on forever. For good or bad they will overcome and in spirit their love will endure everything and anything when they are no more. This kind of love is rare which is one message she tries to communicate. Love as rare as one she describes endures all and love like one she describes carries on forever.