Compare and Contrast Essay Sample: Anne Bradstreet vs. Emily Dickinson

Anne Bradstreet and Emily Dickinson are unquestionably among the first generation of American woman poets. Before their appearance, poetry was mostly a male-dominated activity that drew little female attention. As a result, it's no surprise that both writers, Bradstreet and Dickinson, handle similar issues and use a lot of symbolism in their poetry. Each poet, on the other hand, expresses her feelings in the framework of her time. For example, Bradstreet's poems lean toward puritanism, but Dickinson's poems go toward romanticism. Although Bradstreet and Dickinson have similar perspectives on women's roles in society, they disagree on marriage concerns and writing style; especially on diction and capitalization. Dickinson and Bradstreet's writings share numerous parallels and distinctions, including themes and writing styles, which continue to make them relevant today. Bradstreet focused on themes such as: love, nature, Puritan faith, and community, While Dickinson uses universal themes like: Nature's wonders, self-identity, death and immortality, and love. 

One of the themes in both Bradstreet's and Dickinson's poems is the role of women in society. Bradstreet, for example, examines this assumption in her sonnet, “Honour of that High and Mighty Princess Queen Elizabeth of Happy Memory,” in which she wonders if women's worth is officially acknowledged within society. Bradstreet states in her poem, “Now say, have women worth? or have they none?” (Bradstreet 95). It's important to remember that women were considered inferior to men during Bradstreet's day. Cleaning, cooking, caring for the spouse, and taking care of children were all considered women's duties. Bradstreet, on the other hand, challenges the concept that women are inferior to males. Bradstreet also shows disdain for the current state of affairs in the poem “The Prologue”.

In Bradstreet's poem, “The Prologue” she writes, “Who says my hand a needle better fits, A poet’s pen all scorn I should thus wrong, For such despite they cast on female wits: If what I do prove well, it won’t advance, They’ll say it’s stol’n, or else it was by chance” (26-30). Bradstreet mocks the widely held belief in society that women are incapable of doing anything other than traditional women's chores. Some critics believe she would be better off sewing rather than writing. They come up with the propaganda that the poems she produces are not her original compositions when she shows her critics incorrect! During Bradstreet's day, however, it was usual for individuals to denigrate the accomplishments of women. This explains why some people advised her to stop writing poems and focus on other activities like sewing. Patriarchal ideas were strongly ingrained in society, as Bradstreet and Dickinson both point out in their poetry. 

In Dickinson's poem, “She rose to His Requirement - dropt” Dickinson further criticizes marriage as an institution perpetuating women bondage. Dickinson writes, “She Rose to His Requirement- dropt the playthings of Her Life to take honorable work of Woman, and of Wife” (Dickinson 1-4). Here Dickinson is explicitly condemning marriage and the domestic activities women are required to accomplish. Dickinson sees women as victims of the marriages they enter in this poem. The poet mocks women's efforts to satisfy every wish of their men by referring to the dignified standing they achieve after marriage. The women then take on the role of faithful housewife, staying at home and working day and night for the love of their husbands. The poem's usage of the word "requirement" (1) is intentional. The woman becomes the applicant for a housewife's job in the same way that a job applicant sends their resume. However, there is a significant contrast between Dickinson and Bradstreet's perspectives on marriage.

While Dickinson expresses open disdain for marriage, Bradstreet demonstrates that she is satisfied with her married life. Bradstreet dedicates countless poems to her husband. Bradstreet, for example, is enamored with her husband's affection in the poem “A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment”. In the poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband,” she expresses her love for her husband even more. In the poem she writes, “Thy love is such I can no way repay, The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray” (9-10). When her spouse is at work, she feels lonely and longs to be with him. Bradstreet delves into a topic that Dickinson skips over: the love between husband and wife. While Bradstreet acknowledges that her husband's love is greater than the world's goods, Dickinson warns women against submitting to their husbands without question. Despite these distinctions, each poet succeeds in expressing a personal viewpoint that defies masculine poetics as a whole. The style of writing, on the other hand, clearly distinguishes Bradstreet from Dickinson.

Dickinson brings a fashion that may be judged inappropriate in the literary world, whereas Bradstreet writes traditionally. Dickinson, for example, uses unconventional word choices, elliptical syntax, and unusual punctuation in her poems. Her poetry is similarly written colloquially with an unedited rhythm. Dickinson uses the first speaker in her poetry, which is important to observe. This gives the poetry a conversational tone, as though the speaker and the reader are conversing. Dickinson's poems are also notable for their unusual punctuation, which incorporates the use of dashes at the end rather than periods, commas, or other punctuation marks. Dickinson also uses inner capitalization (which is unusual), and the reasons for this are unclear. She also doesn't give most of her poetry a title. Dickinson, on the other hand, uses these poetic flaws to elicit an emotional response from the reader.

Despite the obvious stylistic differences between the two poets, each uses imagery to conjure up a mental image in the reader's mind. Bradstreet's use of metaphors in her poems is a good example. In Bradstreet's poem "To My Dear and Loving Husband,” she states, “I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold 5 Or all the riches that the East doth hold” (4-5) demonstrating how she values her husband's love over material goods. In another one of Bradstreet's poems, “A Letter to Her Husband” she states, “I, like the Earth this season, mourn in black” (7). The value of love is immortalized by claiming that it is greater than gold. Bradstreet relates herself to the countryside during the winter season in this scene. Metaphors are metaphorical, allowing the reader to empathize with the poet. Dickinson employs imagery to lend a metaphorical touch to her poetry in a similar way to Bradstreet.

Dickinson, as a romanticist, frequently employs natural phenomena to communicate her feelings. A poem in which she recounts the sight of a bird is a good example. In the poem "A Bird Came Down the Walk" Dickinson paints a vivid picture of a bird eating an angleworm and then sipping “from a convenient grass” (6). The bird then flies away "And rowed him softer Home” (16). The poet catches the wild soul of nature in this lovely story. She uses images in her poetry to demonstrate the beauty of nature and to share her fascination with it. To interpret nature and express her views, she deftly balances observation and creativity. She also employs animals to describe natural occurrences, such as birds and butterflies. This not only conveys the poet's ideas but also elicits an emotional response from the reader.

Bradstreet and Dickinson are both very well-known writers today. An article, “The influence of Anne Bradstreet's innovative errors” written by Louisa Hall explains why it’s important to continue to read Bradstreet's work. She states, “while generations of students have read Anne Bradstreet's work on the basis that she was the first American poet, and a woman at that, many have emerged from the experience unconvinced of her poetry's intrinsic worth” (Hall). Many students, particularly women, admire Bradstreet since she was the first woman poet in America. The impact her works have had on so many people is the reason she's still relevant today. Dickinson has impacted many people as well. In an article, “Emily Dickinson: A Bee Gatecrashing Eternity” author Yu Kwang-Chung, talks about Dickinson's work and the themes she used. Kwang-Chung states, “The typical poems of Emily Dickinson deal with abstract ideas and philosophical notions. Life, death, love, eternity, sorrow, joy, truth, and beauty are all themes that she often treats in her literary creations” (Kwang-Chung). These different themes that Dickinson presented in her poems are still used in literature today. She has influenced many writers with her poems and will continue to do so. 

At last, Anne Bradstreet and Emily Dickinson speak out against a culture that despises women. The two poets live at a time when women are marginalized in society. The poetry written by the two poets bore witness to this. Each poet, on the other hand, uses her technique to convey her message to the audience. Unlike Dickinson, who uses a unique writing style that includes inner capitalization and dashes, Bradstreet follows the standard writing style. Both writers, however, use symbolism to add an emotional element to their works. At the end of the day, each poet is successful in conveying their message within their context.