1. To My Dear and Loving Husband
Anne Bradstreet

2. Engage Context Pass the poster…
What can you remember about Anne Bradstreet’s life?
Add information to the sheet of paper that gets passed around.

3. To My Dear and Loving Husband
Anne Bradstreet,
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay;
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let’s so persever,
That when we live no more we may live ever.

4. MEANING
Bradstreet wrote lots of poems about her husband, whom she loved very much. This poem is a reflection of that love (which is unusual for a Puritan as usually you showed your devotion to god above everything else). However, lots of her poems are more secular than religious and here we see her talk about how perfect her husband and marriage is and how she wouldn’t change it for anything. Ah sweet!

5. Form and structure If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay;
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let’s so persever,
That when we live no more we may live ever.
True or False:
Iambic pentameter
Iambic tetrameter
Alternate rhyme scheme
6 Rhyming couplets
Written like a sonnet but only 12 lines
First person
Third person
Form and structure

6. Why do the opening lines make us think of Adam and Eve?
Anaphora – this repetitive structure for the opening lines of the poem emphasise what?
Inverted syntax – what is different about line 3 compared to lines 1 and 2?
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay;
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let’s so persever,
That when we live no more we may live ever.
Which sentence moods are used?
-declarative
-interrogative
-imperative
-exclamative?
Grammar and syntax
Inverted syntax – end focus used here to emphasise that she prays for heaven to reward her husband for being so wonderful
Why do the opening lines make us think of Adam and Eve?

7. Lexis and imagery LOVE MONEY EVER
Archaic language – ‘thee’ sounds like a formal way of saying you but actually was used for a more intimate or familiar address to someone.
Imagery– why does she use imagery of riches and rivers? Explain the language and use of personification.
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay;
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let’s so persever,
That when we live no more we may live ever.
Comparative adjectives: comparisons used to emphasise how much she loves him
Another Archaic word which means you and is the plural of ‘thou’ and ‘thee’. She is telling other women to try and be as happy as she is but basically she doesn’t think anyone has a happier marriage than hers.
Lexis and imagery
What connotations does the word PRIZE have in line 5? Why is this an unusual choice of lexis?
What does ‘ought’ and ‘recompense’ mean?
What are the religious connotations here?
LOVE MONEY EVER

8. Is PERSERVER an example of eye rhyme or not?
If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me ye women if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay;
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let’s so persever,
That when we live no more we may live ever.
Find examples of:
Alliteration…
The subtle change in meter…
Phonology and sound
Is PERSERVER an example of eye rhyme or not?

9. What the poet is telling us …
Form and structure
Grammar and syntax
Lexis and imagery
Phonology
What the poet is telling us …
(themes, tone, character/narrator)

10. Try these…
What are the elements of this poem that make it a sonnet? (A01)
Which image do you find most interesting and why? (A02)
How might this poem be relevant today and what text might it be compared with (A04)?