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Poetry

Legacy of Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor and John Smith: the Masters of Creative Writing

November 17, 2021 by Essay Writer

Anne Bradstreet was the first of her kind, a purposefully imaginative early American writer. She was the first New World author that became published in London, and the first woman to boot (Bradstreet 110). Bradstreet incorporates sensory writing and creative word choice in her compositions. Her published works are rich with language that clearly etches the scene into any readers mind. The beginning of her poem, “Contemplations” showcases the use of sensory writing perfectly with the line “sometime now past in the autumnal tide, when Phoebus wanted but one hour to bed, the trees all richly clad, yet void of pride, were gilded o’er by his rich golden head” (Bradstreet 112). The author’s poems, laden with imagery, is almost overwhelming when read carefully and truly taken in. She conveys landscapes and emotions very well. This is summed up well in the quote, “then higher on the glistening Sun I gazed, whose beams was shaded by the leafy tree; the more I looked the more I grew amazed…” (Bradstreet 113). Her amazement at God’s work is something that permeates her publications. Some of her works are staunchly observational of the wonders of God, whilst others are more apprehensive. For instance, her poem “Before the Birth of One of Her Children” has very uneasy undertones to it. The author is writing about the fate of her family after her eventual death. She illustrates this with the inclusion of this quote, “How soon, my dear, death may my steps attend, how soon’t may be thy lot to lose thy friend…” (Bradstreet 120). Within the same poem, she demonstrated extensive knowledge of the use of syllabic abnormalities. Every other line in the poem contained ten syllables, except for lines five and six. The line in question states “the sentence past is most irrevocable, a common thing, yet oh, inevitable” (Bradstreet 120) and contains eleven syllables per line. It is believed that the abnormality is due in part to Bradstreet trying to stress the severity of her words. Bradstreet’s writing style set the stage for the next generation of creatives.

Edward Taylor is a complete departure from early colonial writers. Whereas previously published works were written to aid the circulation of facts, Taylor marked the definitive transition into creative writing for creative writing’s sake. This transformation became the new norm. Compositions became less literal and more artistic. Writers like Taylor began to use the written word as their form of self expression. In Taylor’s case, his self expression was used to point to the glory of God. The author’s subject choice could be attributed to his young adulthood, as he was a minister for a small town (Taylor 144). His religion is a part of his everyday identity, especially his published writings. Taylor’s academic background also contributes to the complex syntax found within his poems. He studied many languages, “like most Harvard ministers, he knew Latin, Hebrew, and Greek” (Taylor 144). His occupation and schooling set him up to be a fantastic writer. He was an embodiment of writers of that time. Within his compositions, he exudes his love for the church, and more specifically for God. This is evident from his prologue, “inspire this crumb of dust til it display thy glory through’t: and then thy dust shall live” (Taylor 145). There are many passages such as this one depicting the supremacy and awe inspiring power of God. Taylor evidently had a vivid imagination and employed many rhetorical devices. He uses these rhetorical devices to compare humanity and Birds of Paradise. Parallels are drawn between the caged exotic birds and the human soul encased within the body. “When that this Bird of Paradise put in this wicker cage (my Corpse) to tweedle praise…” (Taylor 146). The author leads the reader into believing that their soul is something beautiful and exotic, something that should be free, but is temporarily imprisoned. Audiences are drawn in by the minister’s utilization of inventive phrasing. Edward Taylor’s works were indicative of the changing literary norms.

Prompt 2: John Smith is one of the first documented writers from the New World. He was a fearless explorer, he “embodied the American pioneering spirit and was one of the first authors to write of the southern landscape’s beauty and promise” (Larson). He employed many literary tools within his writing, including similes and exaggerations. Smith was a man who penned descriptive battle scenes, including active fighting and reconnaissance. This was most likely influenced by his formative years. He spent many of those years as a soldier, roaming from army to army. (Smith 58). He is known specifically for describing the early encounters the settlers had with the indigenous people. The encounters were not always peaceful, and he recounted them easily. “Smith…had his two men slain…who finding he was beset with 200 savages, two of them he slew, still defending himself with the aid of a savage his guide, whom he bound to his arm with his garters…” (Smith 63). The language with which he used to describe this scene is so powerful, the action was almost visible. Smith uses prose narrative to make the person reading his compositions feel as if they are in the thick of things. Smith held the hope that by using such language, he could entice able bodied Englanders to migrate to the New World. Smith used similes to describe the situations that many of the soldiers faced. “And as much barley boiled with water for a man a day, and this having fried some twenty-six weeks in the ship’s hold, contained as many worms as grains” (Smith 60).

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