Introducing the Poem Literary Focus: The Plain Style Reading Skills: Analyzing Text Structures: Inversion Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 by Anne Bradstreet Feature Menu

Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 by Anne Bradstreet

We increase our possessions only to the enlargement of our anxieties. —Anna C. Brackett (1836–1911) Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 by Anne Bradstreet

She escapes from her burning house and then watches the flames consume it. The shock of losing her house causes her to reflect on what truly matters to her. In this poem, the speaker awakens to shouts of “Fire!” Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 by Anne Bradstreet

simplicity Puritan writers favored the plain style—a way of writing that stresses Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Literary Focus: The Plain Style clarity of expression the use of everyday words Puritan writings may now seem hard to read, but to readers in the 1600s, they sounded simple and direct.

According to Benjamin Franklin (not a Puritan) plain style writing should be “smooth, clear, and short.” Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Literary Focus: The Plain Style Perhaps this style has persisted over time because it appeals to American democracy: * its straightforwardness * its ability to be understood by all * the fact that it doesn’t hide the naked truth.

Although Bradstreet uses figurative language in her poetry, her writing is still influenced by strong, simple Puritan style and diction (word choice). Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Literary Focus: The Plain Style “Here stood that trunk, and there that chest, There lay that store I counted best.” Vocabulary: “trunk” and “chest” refer to storage “store” refers to a great quantity or an abundance of items

Figurative language in this poem includes the use of extended metaphor. Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Literary Focus: Figurative language

Bradstreet speaks of another house. The house is Heaven – her heavenly home of the future Bradstreet refers to the “mighty Architect” of that house The Architect (or designer/builder) is God. This house is better than her earthly home because it is furnished with spiritual glory. Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Reading Skills: Analyzing Text Structures: Extended Metaphor Extended metaphor – a lengthy comparison of two seemingly unlike things without the use of a connecting word

Inversion is the reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase. “My pleasant things in ashes lie, And them behold no more shall I.” Inversion Normal order My pleasant things lie in ashes, And I shall behold them no more. Poets often use inversion to accommodate the demands of meter and rhyme. Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Reading Skills: Analyzing Text Structures: Inversion

Tetrameter (number of feet) – Four feet (four sets of iambs) Iamb (the type of foot) U / U / In silent night when rest I took Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Reading Skills: Analyzing Text Structures: Meter Meter - iambic tetrameter - iambic meter creates a meter that closely resembles the way humans speak - ta tah ta tah ta tah ta tah

U / U / In silent night when rest I took U / U / For sorrow near I did not look Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Reading Skills: Analyzing Text Structures: Meter Iambic Couplet – this poem is written in iambic couplets Iambic refers to rhythmical pattern of unaccented syllable followed by an accented syllable. Couplet refers to two successive lines that rhyme.

“I wakened was with thundering noise And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.” End rhyme – rhyming words at the end of a line Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Reading Skills: Analyzing Text Structures: Rhyme Rhyme – repetition of vowel sounds in accented syllables and all succeeding syllables Approximate rhyme (near rhyme, slant rhyme, half rhyme, imperfect rhyme) – close correspondence in sound but not perfect Exact rhyme – perfect rhyme “took” and “look”

“Nor at they table eat a bit No pleasant tale shall e’er be told, Nor things recounted don of old. No candle e’er shall shine in thee, Nor bridegroom’s voice e’er heard shall be.” Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Reading Skills: Analyzing Text Structures: Repetition Repetition – purposeful poetic repetition to create an impact. Ex: lines 30-35

Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Reading Skills: Analyzing Text Structures: Repetition Recurring theme: a theme that occurs in many of an author’s writing. Bradstreet’s poems contain a recurring theme of Puritan belief that one must not become too attached to things of the world. Theme: an insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work; rarely directly stated; different than subject. (Although this poem’s subject is the burning of Bradstreet’s house, this is not its theme.)

Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Reading Skills: Analyzing Text Structures: Turning point Where is the turning point in this poem? The turning point in Bradstreet’s poem begins around line 35 “In silence ever shall thou lie, Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity. Then straight I ‘gin my heart to chide, And did thy wealth on earth abide?” Turning point: the point in the poem where the author finishes narrating an incident and begins to draw conclusions from the incident.

The Puritans Although the Puritans were industrious and often acquired worldly goods, they considered it sinful to place too much pride on personal possessions. What emotional conflict might Puritan poet Anne Bradstreet have felt about losing her home to a fire? Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Background

Quickwrite

Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Quickwrite Make the Connection This poem is a response to a terrible personal loss. In trying to work through her loss, this poet portrays an internal debate, a dialogue between herself and her soul. Notice the points at which Bradstreet questions her thoughts and emotions. Note also your own responses. Before you read, take some notes on what your response might be if all the material things you hold dear went up in flames.

Meet the Writer

Born into a Puritan family in England in 1612, Anne Bradstreet married when she was about sixteen. She and her husband immigrated to New England, where she raised eight children and found time to write poetry. In 1650, her brother-in- law published her poems in England without consulting her. The book’s surprising success encouraged her to keep writing. More About the Writer Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Meet the Writer

Bradstreet, as other Puritan women, believed that men were superior to women. She felt it improper for a woman to appear in print. Too bad for her beliefs…she is considered the 1 st American poet. Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Meet the Writer [End of Section]