Anne Bradstreet: Poems Lesson Plan

Describe the nature of Old England’s concerns in “A Dialogue Between Old England and New,” and explain how this poem is reflective of the Puritan mission in America.

In the poem, Old England, personified as a mother talking to her daughter, explains that she is saddened by the immorality and encroaching Catholicism in England. She believes that the Gospel is “trodden down,” and that “The Pope had hope to find Rome here again.” In addition to a specific fear of Catholicism, she is also concerned about the general immorality of her citizens, who turn to “Sabbath-breaking and drunkenness.” New England, the daughter, who represents the American colonies, promises her mother...