I know we haven't extensively discussed Edward Taylor's "Upon a Wasp Chilled With Cold", and I know that we haven't even touched upon Anne Dudley Bradstreet's writing, but I just thought I'd share some of my own personal observations before we begin class discussion. This way, we might have something to build/extrapolate from.
I interpret Taylor's utilization of metaphysical conceit in his writing as a warning to the reader. It demonstrates a cause and effect relationship between earthly, materialistic life and heavenly, divine afterlife. If one allows himself/herself (fly) to be entangled within the web of the spider (devil), then he/she deserves to be sent to hell. Paradoxically, the nightingaile is the only individual (the elect) worthy of eternal salvation. So why did the Puritans even bother? Well, because that's what a good Puritan did. There was always a chance of proving yourself to be one of the higher members of the Church. Or maybe, it is that we are but mere wasps, too insignificant to be acknowledged in God's world.
Anne Bradstreet, however, met ambivalence on her unsuccessful journey to believe blindly. What caught my eye was that her father exposed her to the writing of Hobbes at a young age. He was a thinker of the Enlightenment era, known for his secularism, atheism, and encouragement of self-interest. In her "Contemplations", Bradstreet concluded her poem by committing herself to the concept of salvation. She did this, however, because of her love of earth. Her ideal heaven was one that eternally extended the pleasures that she met on earth through her children, husband, and community.
Both of these poets were greatly renowned. Yet, to me, it seems that they wrote at opposite ends of the spectrum. Just some thoughts..
(Sam Maliha)
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3 comments:
I think that Bradstreet's and Taylor's writing styles are reflective their feelings, thoughts, and emotions (as all poetry is). As Mr. Lazarow mentioned in class today, these two poets have different approaches to writing poems. Taylor tends more to reflect on external things, while Bradstreet seems to focus on more personal issues.
One point worth noting is that Bradstreet used "I" and "my" much more often than Taylor. It seems that Bradstreet tends to focus more on her personal experience. On the other hand, it seems that Taylor's poems are more applicable on a general basis for the average Puritan.
Another difference between the two styles is that Bradstreet seems to focus more on doubt, and seems to write humbly. There is a sense that she gives in to God's will, but not completely willingly. Looking at Taylor's poems, though, he seems to be more struck by man's weakness and inadequacy, and the absolute necessity of faith. Generally, maybe Taylor's works highlight the necessity of faith, while Bradstreet's works, the inevitability of doubt...
Emily T.
I just want to apologize because after reading over what I posted, it seems that I confused HOBBES with HUME. I was referencing to Hume, actually. But all in all, Hobbes was not very positively impacted by humanity. He felt that our state of nature was one of disorder and that a social contract was a necessity. Sorry for the mix up!
(Sam Maliha)
As Emily said, Bradstreet's style of writing is much more personal. Instead of utilizing the metaphysical conceit to construct a detailed metaphor of the Puritan people's relationship to God, she allowed her own personal opinions and experiences to enter into her work. And in contrast to Taylor's high-flown writing style, Bradstreet is much more humble, calling her writing the "ill-formed offspring of my [her] feeble brain."
-Eric Wei
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