Anne Bradstreet explores the tragedy of a fire that occurred in her house. The poem depicts her house as a treasure for all the memories she has made there, and the fire seems to have turned them all into ash. In expressing her ambivalence, she displays both initial grief and eventually acceptance. Bradstreet’s faith in providence is shown through the poem. The changing mood of the poem, its few enjambments, changes in tone and diction, as well as the use of rhetorical devices, all express acceptance.
This poem is about the destruction and despair caused by Bradstreet’s fire. The author wakes up to loud voices and noises that alert her to what is happening. The first section of the poem focuses on the physical items and damage that was caused by fire. Bradstreet is a Puritan and, therefore, his Puritan beliefs have led him to change the initial theme to one of providential themes, rather than the loss theme. She believes the fire and the destruction of her house, along with all the memories that were made there, was caused by God and had a purpose. In the poem it is clear that her transition from mourning her loss to accepting her fate due to providential thinking is a very natural one. Bradstreet’s words in lines 14-17 are particularly striking: “I blessed His holy name, that gave and tore, That laid all my goods into dust” show this. This poem excerpt shows how Bradstreet accepts the fire as it is because she believes that it’s predestined. The poem is in iambic-tetrameter, and only contains rhyming couples. The majority is written in enjambment. This makes the fire and destruction sequence seem chaotic and desperate. The enjambment created between lines 3-4 of “I awakened was with piteous shrieks and thund’ring” mimics the rapid pace of fire.
Bradstreet becomes more resigned towards the fire as she continues to read the poem. She seems to have a better understanding of why it occurred, and that God was responsible. Bradstreet cannot accept that her house and her most precious possessions are now ashes. This lack of certainty is displayed in the different way she speaks from the start to the end. As Bradstreet’s Puritan belief system is trusted, her mood in the poem changes from one of despair to one of acceptance. Bradstreet’s use of emotive diction shows this change in mood. The opening lines are laced in negative language such as, “sorrow,” “piteous,” “succourless,” and more. When her providential faith is mentioned, the tone of this poem dramatically changes. The author uses words that are more positive, like “mighty architect” (line44), “glory abundantly furnished”, “hope,” and “treasure,” in line 54. This poem is closely tied to the tone of the language.
Bradstreet’s similes and metaphors have a major impact on the meaning of this poem. One extended metaphor reinforces the Puritan worldview and theme of this poem. Bradstreet’s belief that God would have a better home for her in Heaven, despite the destruction of her earthly home, is what inspired this metaphor. Bradstreet explains her faith in the words: “A price that is so large as to be unknowable,/ Yet His gift has made it thine;/ I have enough money, and don’t want more.” (lines 49-51). The author uses a metaphor that represents God’s home in heaven, which is a “…house erect on heavenly heights. Bradstreet uses this metaphor to show that even though she’s in despair, she understands that God had a plan for her. Bradstreet makes a comment about the memories Bradstreet will no longer make in this house and the memories Bradstreet will leave behind. She says: “Under Thy Roof, No Guest Shall Sit/ Nor At Thy Table, Eat A Bit.” (lines 28-30). This shows that even though she accepts the tragedy, the loss is great.
The Puritans’ theology is muddled by the natural emotions of their people. This tension can be seen in “Here Are Some Verse upon the Burning of Our House, 10th July 1666.” Anne Bradstreet feels conflict between what she believes to be her human emotions and the Puritan beliefs that tell her how to feel. The poem is filled with ambivalent language, extended metaphors and two opposing moods. This is expressed in the conflicting tone of the poem, which is due to Bradstreet’s uncertain loyalty to the Puritan belief of providence. Bradstreet, at the end of the poem, accepts her loss and stays loyal to Puritan values despite all her other losses.
