Ann Bradstreet info (background) and poems

What life circumstance prompted Anne Bradstreet to write "Before the Birth of One of Her Children"?

The mortal risks and fear of dying during childbirth

In "A Letter to Her Husband," what astrological sign associated with winter marks her husband's southward journey?

Capricorn

In Part II of "In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet," what events are described as natural downfalls in contrast to a child's early death?

Grown trees rotting, ripe plums and apples falling, and corn or grass being mown in season

In "The Author to Her Book," what outcome occurs when the speaker attempts to fix the manuscript's blemishes?

She sees more defects and creates new flaws ("rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw").

What title was given to Anne Bradstreet's poetry collection published in London in 1651?

The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America, By a Gentlewoman of Those Parts

In "Before the Birth of One of Her Children," what specific danger does Bradstreet ask her husband to protect her children from?

"Stepdam's injury" (mistreatment by a future stepmother)

In "In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet," what metaphors does the speaker use for the deceased infant?

A "dear babe", "sweet babe", and "fair flower"

What specific lost household items does Bradstreet point out when passing the ruins of her burnt home?

Her trunk, chest, and favorite stored goods

Where does the speaker place her ultimate hope and treasure at the conclusion of her poem on the house fire?

In heaven ("My hope and Treasure lyes Above")

What biblical phrase from Ecclesiastes does Bradstreet use to bid farewell to her ruined earthly home?

"All's vanity"

In "Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House," why does the speaker chide her own heart?

For placing hope and trust in worldly, temporary wealth ("mouldring dust" and "the arm of flesh")

How does the speaker view her children during her husband's absence in "A Letter to Her Husband"?

As fruits born through his heat and "True living piftures of their father's face"

In "The Author to Her Book," how does the speaker describe the friends who brought her manuscript to print?

As "friends, less wise then true

Which family member prompted Anne Bradstreet's emigration from England to America?

Her husband, Simon Bradstreet

In "The Author to Her Book," what conceit or extended metaphor does Bradstreet use for her manuscript?

An ill-formed, ragged offspring or child born of her feeble brain

In "The Author to Her Book," what is the book instructed to say if asked about its father?

Say that it has no father ("say, thou hadst none").

What solar metaphor does Bradstreet use for her husband in "A Letter to Her Husband"?

She compares him to the Sun ("Sol"), whose presence melts her frigid cold.

What were Anne Bradstreet's lifespan years?

1612–1672

In "In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet," who is identified as the sole controller of premature death?

God ("his hand alone that guides nature and fate")

In "The Author to Her Book," what reason does the mother give for sending her child out of doors?

She is poor ("for thy Mother she alas is poor, / Which caus'd her thus to send thee out of door").

Which three English poets are cited as key literary influences whose work Bradstreet emulated?

Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, and John Donne

In "Before the Birth of One of Her Children," what does the speaker ask her husband to do regarding her faults?

Bury them in oblivion ("Let be interred in my oblivion's grave")

Which relative published Anne Bradstreet's manuscript of poetry in London without her direct knowledge?

Her brother-in-law, John Woodbridge

Why does the speaker refrain from complaining about the destruction of her earthly possessions?

She asserts that the goods belonged to God, not to her ("It was his own: it was not mine")

What are the four subjects explored in Anne Bradstreet's poetic "Quaternions"?

The four elements, four humors, four ages of man, and four seasons

What complex poetic form did Bradstreet utilize consisting of four-part poems focused on four topics of fours?

Quaternions

What is the speaker's immediate reaction upon discovering the fire destroying her home?

She cries to God for strength and assistance in her distress.

What physical action does the speaker request of her husband at the conclusion of "Before the Birth of One of Her Children"?

To kiss the paper on which the poem is written for her love's sake

In "Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House," what biblical allusion expresses submission to God's will regarding her property?

"I blest his Name that gave and took" (alluding to Job 1:21)

How do the closing lines of "To My Dear and Loving Husband" reconcile earthly love with eternal life?

By hoping that their perseverance in earthly love will allow them to live eternally in heaven ("That when we live no more, we may live ever").

What anatomical comparison does Bradstreet use to illustrate the pain of geographical separation from her husband?

A head severed from the heart ("So many steps head from the heart to sever")

What is the primary subject of Anne Bradstreet's poem "To My Dear and Loving Husband"?

The profound unity, devotion, and spiritual nature of marital love

In "The Author to Her Book," what specific warning does the author issue to her published work?

"In Criticks hands, beware thou dost not come"

How was the permanent heavenly house paid for, according to Bradstreet's poem on her house burning?

It was purchased and paid for by Jesus Christ.

How did the style of poems added later to Bradstreet's collection differ from her earlier published works?

They featured greater simplicity, concrete details of daily domestic life, and personal lyricism.

Which family member encouraged Anne Bradstreet's early literary pursuits?

Her father, Thomas Dudley

How is the speaker awakened in "Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House"?

By a "thundring nois" and piteous shrieks shouting "fire and fire"

What biblical allusion to Genesis concludes "A Letter to Her Husband, Absent Upon Publik Employment"?

"Flesh of thy flesh, bone of thy bone, / I here, thou there, yet both but one.

In "Before the Birth of One of Her Children," what request does Bradstreet make regarding her potential legacy?

That any worth or virtue in her live freshly in her husband's memory

Where is the speaker located while her husband is away in "A Letter to Her Husband, Absent Upon Publik Employment"?

Ipswich

On which ship did Anne Bradstreet sail to join the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

The Arbella

In "To My Dear and Loving Husband," what image does Bradstreet use to show that her love cannot be extinguished?

"My love is such that Rivers cannot quench"

What landmark distinction does The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America hold in American literature?

It was the first book of poetry published by an American author.

In "Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House," what metaphor is used for God when describing heaven?

A "mighty Architect" who framed a permanent house on high

In "To My Dear and Loving Husband," what earthly treasures does the speaker prize her husband's love above?

In "In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet," what religious consolation prevents the speaker from grieving excessively?

What English Puritan estate did both Anne Bradstreet's father and husband work for prior to emigrating?

The estate of the Earl of Lincoln

In "A Letter to Her Husband," in which summer astrological sign does she wish her returning "sun" to burn?

Cancer ("the Cancer of my glowing breast")

In "The Author to Her Book," what clothing imagery is used to describe the book's humble appearance?

"Home-spun Cloth"