1. THE POETRY OF ANNE BRADSTREET

2. “Upon the Burning of Our House ”

3. LITERARY ELEMENT METAPHOR: a figure of speech that compares or equates two seemingly unlike things.

4. LITERARY ELEMENT EXTENDED METAPHOR: to develop a metaphor beyond a single line.

5. LITERARY ELEMENT INFERENCE: a general statement based on the information in a text.

6. LITERARY ELEMENT SPEAKER: the voice of the poem, similar to the narrator in a work of prose.

7. Sometimes the speaker’s voice is that of the poet; sometimes, it is that of a fictional person—or even a thing.

8. LITERARY ELEMENT AUTHOR’S PURPOSE: his or her intent in writing a literary work.

9. AUTHOR’S PURPOSE Authors typically write for one or more of the following purposes:

10. AUTHOR’S PURPOSE FOR WRITING 1.To persuade 2.To inform 3.To explain 4.To entertain 5.To describe

11. “And when I could no longer look,/ I blest His name that gave and took, /That laid my goods now in the dust.” lines 13-15

12. In the preceeding passage, Bradstreet believes that God is responsible for all things, good and bad, and that she must trust God’s will.

13. INTERNAL CONFLICT Lines 27-36 suggest that the speaker is presenting a dialogue or debate with herself.

14. TRIGGERED BY FIRE The speaker’s thoughts focus on the tragic destruction of her material possessions.

15. CHANGE OF HEART In line 37, however, Bradstreet “chides” her own heart, as she recalls that true wealth does not abide on earth.

16. LITERARY ELEMENT METAPHOR “Thou hast an house on high erect, Framed by that mighty Architect,…” Lines 43-44

17. LITERARY ELEMENT METAPHOR The “almighty Architect” is God.

18. EXTENDED METAPHOR Bradstreet is describing a heavenly home, built by God for her.

19. ALLUSION In an allusion to Jesus’ death on the cross, Bradstreet explains that the home has been purchased and paid for.

20. SORROWFUL EYES Possessions were important to the speaker. Her “sorrowing eyes” look over the ashes and mourn for all the “pleasant things.”

21. Later, Bradstreet decides that her possessions really belong to God; HE is most important in her life.

22. CELESTIAL SHORES Bradstreet states that her “hope and treasure” are “above,” or in heaven.

23. HEAVENLY HOME The speaker suggests that her home and possessions are important and not her own.

24. SUMMARY Anne Bradstreet comes to terms with the loss of her home and her possessions to a fire.