Anne Bradstreet Tone

Bradstreet utilizes an iambic rhythm, rhyming couplets, inverted syntax, and pronounced shifts in tone to exemplify Puritan ideals at the time as well as emphasize the ongoing internal battle between her attachment to material things versus her relationship with God. Throughout the poem, she establishes a consistent eight syllable iambic rhythm accompanied with rhyming couplets. This well structured rhythm mirrors the similar strict lifestyle of Puritans at the time, whose lives were often based on order and a well structured world. Similarly, the rhyming couplets at the end of each line also follows a strict pattern in the poem. This structure is immediately established in the first two lines, as Bradstreet recalls, “In silent night when rest I took, / For sorrow near I did not look,” (1-2). The rhyming
In addition to making the verses sound unnatural and contradict the strict meter, Bradstreet employs this usage in order to reflect the disorder and turmoil her mind. Additionally, the unmistakable shifts in tone and organization of ideas can be seen in Bradstreet’s poem, beginning with the initial shock of the situation accompanied by “that fearful sound of ‘fire’ and ‘fire’” (5). Shortly after the realization of the fire, Bradstreet is quick to ask God for assistance in this time of need, and “not to leave [her] succourless.” (10). Yet as she examines the situation further, the speaker begins to lament the loss of her possessions, describing, “pleasant things in ashes lie / And them behold no more shall I.” (27-28). Struggling with her love for worldly objects, Bradstreet yet again reassures herself that “all’s vanity” and perseus her faith in God again towards the end of the poem. These various changes in tone reflect the author’s inner turmoil and