Themes Of Faith And Hope In Anne Bradstreet's Poems

Faith, a powerful form of trust by an individual, is a defining characteristic in relation to religion. It can be used as a coping mechanism for people in times of need, or it can provide an individual with a goal to pursue. In many of Anne Bradstreet’s poems, she illustrates a time of hopelessness and misfortune and then reclamation of faith. This can be seen in her poems “For Deliverance from a Fever” and “Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House”. Through both pieces of literature, she alludes to how being in God’s good graces has provided her with sense of solace. Overall she illustrates how her faith in God provides her with a sense of clarity, hope, and provides her the strength to persevere.

In the poem, “For Deliverance from a Fever”, Anne Bradstreet speaks about the agony her body experienced while having fallen ill. For example, she explains how her, “aching head did break, From side to side for ease I toil.” It simply states that her illness had escalated to an unbearable fever that could be interpreted as nearing fatal conditions. As she goes on to explain her condition through the poem, she begins to expand on her growing fears from the fever. She states that she felt, “beclouded was my soul with fear, of thy displeasure sore.” By this it seems as if her pain has begun to distract her and has become her only thought. As she continues to succumb to her agony the illness is causing her, she begins to beg God for relief. As she does this it seems as if she is plummeting further into hopelessness and despair. However as she enters a monologue in prayer, rather than lose faith and doubt her lord and savior she praises him and continues to beg for his empathy. In this way her faith provided her with the strength to push through the illness, and a sense of clarity. Simply throughout the poem she provides a reader with a sense of gloom and misery; but instead of falling to natural human behavior by blaming the world or spreading negativity she continues to believe in her God and to ask for his kindness.

As for her other poem “Here follows some verses upon the burning of our house”, Anne recalls the event in which her house burn down. To the many who experienced a similar situation, naturally they would begin to blame God for such a terrible occurrence, or begin to lose faith for having to suffer with no good to come from it. However, the author looks back on the situation and shows that her faith never falters as she still believes in the rewards God will provide. For instance, as she end her poem she states that her “hope and treasure lies above.” as if she still has faith in reaching heaven and finding true happiness there. Interestingly she states that all of what she had lost in fire was not hers, rather they belonged to God. In this way she displays a belief that all worldly possession are objects that belong to God and in extension to his followers. She continues to show how strong her faith in god is by letting go of her connections to the physical world in this instance, and looking towards what is promised to her by God. All-in-all she shows how her faith provided her with hope instead of hopelessness, and a sense of peace rather than misery.

In conclusion, Anne Bradstreet illustrates puritan beliefs throughout her poems by recalling events where she experienced misfortune. Through these events she shows how her faith provided her with hope, a sense of clarity, and strength to persevere. She shows how faith can be a powerful force that can allow an individual to overcome any adversity.