Bradstreet's Tensions

Anne Bradstreet had a gift to use poetry as a medium to express her inner tensions and conflicts. In her poem, "Prologue," she expresses her frustration with the views of women in society. Since she was a woman, she argued that her poetry wouldn't be published or well-read compared to that of her male colleagues. Her feminist ideas were far ahead of her time and the irony was that many of her poems were the first published works in the New World.

Bradstreet also discussed her faith in "Here Follows Some Versus upon the Burning of Our House." Her inner tension was very similar to the Old Testament story of Job. She revisits the pain and anger of losing her house like any normal human being would but then she explains how she still holds on tightly to her faith and understanding of God's will. It's very powerful and realistic material that helps one understand the difficulties of living in the New World.