Anne Bradstreet Poem Explication Anonymous College

In “Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th, 1666” Anne Bradstreet delves into the topic of a tragic fire in her home. In the poem, her house is represented as a keepsake for all of her memories made within it and now the fire has seemingly turned it all to ash. She expresses her ambivalence between her devastation and her Puritan beliefs by displaying both initial sorrow and eventual acceptance. Various aspects of this poem are used to show Bradstreet’s momentary quivering faith in her providential beliefs. The poem’s changing mood, few instances of enjambment, shifts in tone of diction, and use of rhetorical devices express the theme of acceptance.

The content of this poem is focused around the despair and damage caused by the fire in Bradstreet’s home. The author is awoken by loud noises and voices, which alert her to the calamity happening around her. The first half of the poem explores the damage caused by the fire and all the tangible items the author has lost. However, due to Bradstreet’s Puritan beliefs, the poem shifts into a more providential theme as opposed to the theme of loss shown in the beginning. She believes that the fire, the loss of her home and all the memories made within it, is...