The Tenth Muse
Anne Bradstreet is considered a mother of poetry in America. She lived during a period that precluded literary professions. However, she managed to use her pen to inspire different developments. Born in Massachusetts, she turned poetry into an intellectual discipline where she used the avenue as a way to engage with the community. She also used poetry to express her spiritual concerns. In 1650, she published the poem titled “The Tenth Muse,” which established her as a righteous housewife.
This research examines “The Tenth Muse” by Anne Bradstreet, the concerns she explored, the family, and the role of a woman as a wife and a mother. Her views are based on Biblical teachings on authority, motherhood, and wifehood. She felt that these are not just roles, but they are also sacred divine values that are profoundly entrenched in society. Since she was a Puritan woman, Bradstreet upheld the family values to the latter. Since she was devoted and believed in the sanctity of marriage, she expressed unwavering support to her husband, which is evident in most of her poems. As a mother, she showed great dedication to her children.
The goal of this study is to explore the themes in “The Tenth Muse” by Anne Bradstreet. For example, the theme of motherhood is applied extensively as Bradstreet focused on the most dominant concerns in the family. The research presents an understanding of “marriages as basic units of social order” (Thickstun 15). Additionally, Bradstreet felt a woman was created to help a man. As a Puritan and an advocate of the teachings of the Bible, she followed the Bible to the latter. Once a man marries a woman, they become one. The marital relations draws the man and the woman together in such a way that they fused as one.
Thickstun, Margaret. “Anne Bradstreet’sBradstreet’s Bible.” Notes and Queries (2018).