Colonial (Puritan/Planter) Period 1650s –1750s

Colonial Literature This literature is noted for its simplicity compared to the literature of Europe during that period The Colonists recorded their feelings and thoughts in diaries, journals, and letters; there is less poetry and non-fiction during this literary period

The Puritans More than even their Colonial contemporaries, the Puritans were writing about their relationships with God and their dreams for a new country Many Puritans are also known for their sermons and legal documents, which will be covered in a later unit

Anne Bradstreet Puritan Poetry American Poetry Anne Bradstreet Puritan Poetry

Anne Bradstreet c. 1642 – 1729 Born into a Puritan family in England Her entire family came to America in 1630 She was well-educated and intelligent She raised a large family and wrote poetry for personal enjoyment

at 16 Anne married a Puritan minister named Simon Bradstreet. He, Anne, and her parents settled as a part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony where both her father and husband served as governor. Her poetry was usually about everyday life and probably would never have been read.

However, her brother-in-law took several of her poems without her knowledge back to England and had them published. His hope was that men would see that a young woman could be educated, use her mind, and write beautifully while not having to compete with her husband for attention or fame.

Her Wayward “Children” Anne was mortified that the poems were published, not considering them her best work. They were well-received, however, even by prominent Puritan minister Cotton Mather, so she was encouraged to continue writing. A second volume of poems was published after her death.

A Woman of Faith She was not always healthy, suffering the effects of smallpox and TB, and saw the deaths of two of her children. However, she always had a strong faith in God, believing that every affliction was an opportunity for God to draw her closer to Him and keep her focused and grounded in her faith.

Term to Know Inversion – The reversal of the usual order of words in a sentence– Yoda style! Inversion was often used in earlier poems to accommodate meter and rhyme Heroic Couplet - Two successive lines of rhymed poetry in iambic pentameter that express a complete thought

Terms to Know Apostrophe – A figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or a personified object is addressed as if it were present and capable of responding Extended Metaphor - a metaphor that is extended throughout a poem

Terms to Know Approximate Rhyme - the final rhyming sounds are close, but not the same

The Author to Her Book, page 218 Anne Bradstreet

Focus Points Determine the theme of a poem using evidence from the text Determine whether elements in the poem are implied, inferred, or explicit in their meaning Determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in the text

Identify word meanings based on their dictionary definition, through inference, context, denotation, and connotation Comprehend poetry appropriate to the student’s grade level Determine the level of formality in the language of the poem and whether the language is symbolic or literal Hypothesize the poet’s purpose when he produced the poem

Classwork Read the poem; identify examples of literary terms included in power point Discussion points Complete Literary Critique, page 219, #s 1-6