Anne+Bradstreet


 * The Vanity of All Worldly Things**

Background: Anne Bradstreet's poem talks about the pride man feels in having material things. Man believes that wealth allows you to obtain great treasures. She believes that wealth brings about labor, anxious care, and pain, not true happiness. She says that despite man gaining great amounts of wealth with that comes suffering. In the start man feels pleasure for having materialistic things for a time but after that they are left with nothing. Man becomes so consumed with riches that the mind is lost. Man begins to have struggles within **himself** that need to be helped. She says that the solution to **man's** inner problems **doesn't** lie within wisdom, learning, and arts on Earth, but the solution lies elsewhere. Even the people who think they know it all and can figure things out still have trouble easing their mind and inner self from vanity. The place she is looking for is not visible to **man's** eye and man questions its existence. The place she is looking for is heaven. In heaven there are pleasures beyond **man's** dreams, and here nothing fades away and declines. Here there is eternal life and those fortunate to go to heaven and not get left behind to die experience a mind at ease, and no worries. In heaven the soul is finally satisfied and now you can finally rest.

Correlation: The theme that Anne Bradstreet want to rely through this poem is religion. She basically is saying that man enjoys materialistic items **which are** only temporary. The permanent is living eternal life in heaven where you are finally at ease and all the riches in the world doesn't matter. I think this **piece** talks about how getting to heaven is an honor that will never fade away, and how it is a place where instead of death you have come to a **beautiful** place that does not come to an end like fame and the rich**es, instead** live for eternity.

It brings to honor which shall ne'er decay, It stores with wealth which time can't wear away. It yieldeth pleasures far beyond conceit, And truly beautifies without deceit. Nor strength, nor wisdom, nor fresh youth shall fade, Nor death shall see, but are immortal made.

Reflection: I think this poem can be connected to what all human beings experience. A**lmos**t everyone idolizes celebrities and we wish we were just like them. They have all the things in the world that money can buy, but sometimes the riches consume their lives so much that they don't have time for anything else. We see it every day when celebrities go into rehab or decline after they were once child stars. After you take **the** wealth away some become l**ost, they have no clue** **where** to turn so their minds are not at ease. Some have emotional conflicts**, and the loss** of any connection that "normal people" experience. Some stars would do anything to have a normal life. To the contrary **so man**y people have too much pride that they forget what really matters. Some turn to religion to help them deal and cope. They turn to **God and** heaven for the answers to their problems. Here they hope to find peace.

The Flesh and the Spirit

Background: This poem is a conversation between twins. One is Flesh and the other is Spirit. The Flesh represents one who only cares about temporary material items while the Spirit represents a higher calling. The Flesh doesn't understand why the Spirit does nothing but pray and think while the world turns around her. The Flesh is trying to talk sense into the Spirit saying how you could get **anything** you desire on Earth. It would bring about great pleasure and happiness. The Spirit is having none of her talk and is not being persuaded because she says her heart is settled and her ambitions are already set to a higher place above. The Spirit says she will fight against the Flesh and she will prevail. The Spirit will not be persuaded by the shiny treasures because she once was into them but then be she saw who much woe they caused, she changed her ways. Spirit believes the charms that Flesh indulges in are sinful pleasures. Nothing will bait the Spirit because her eyes are set in honour above.The Spirit reaches for things so far out of reach that Flesh fails to see. She seeks eternal life from the heavens above. The city she is focused on getting to is so pure that nothing on Earth can compete with. The place where the Spirit wishes to dwell is so glorious that there in no need for light, it always shines, and here she will be free from sickness and all other problems that Earthly things will bring.

Correlation: The common theme between both poem I read, "**The Flesh and the Spirit, and The Vanity of All worldly Things"** was the idea of getting to heaven was more important than material items. Anne Bradstreet stresses how she believes that those who become wrapped of in material things rather than a higher calling will suffer and pay the consequence. __She states how material things are bait that cause harm and make people into sinners- Nicely said.__ She basically through the Spirit is saying how religion prevails over all, and those who don't engage themselves within and reach for the heavens above will miss out on eternal **life** and the truly great treasures, none of which **die** away, Earth is unable to match.

Reflection: According to Anne Bradstreet she only describes 2 people in the world. According to her there are the ones who are prideful and care only about material things that make them feel happy. Then their are people like her who have the main goal of trying to reach a higher place. The question I raise is, is there a in between? I don't consider myself to be very **religious; so am I any** different from the ones w**ho** live in vanity. I admit I want things that are sometimes out of my reach but i don't think i live in vanity. I think there is more to just being one or the other. I think you can have pride and some greed and still reach the place she talks about. I don't think everyone can be perfect. Nice observation & rhetorical questions here. And... is she saying that we need to be perfect?