The importance of Pathos

As in the case of most poetry, Anne Bradstreet used particular words and phrases to invoke vivid imagery and pleasant connotations , as well as to evoke emotional and sensual responses from her readers. Her skill and fluency as a writer has led many to regard her as one of the greatest poets of her time, even the first in North America. She relies heavily on pathos in her poems, sending out themes of unconditional love and unwavering faith to appeal to her audience, succeeding tremendously in her efforts. “ I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, Or all the riches that the East doth hold” (lines 5 and 6, To My Dear and Loving Husband) are particularly powerful lines, giving the reader an idea of just how deep her love for her husband runs. Even the fact that a woman in the times of Puritan restraint and modesty could express her passions toward a man so openly should give the audience a sense of tenderness and sincerity. When she admits that even the whole of Eastern treasures could not replace his love for her, she reveals her devotion and gratitude towards him. In doing so, she appeals not only to her husband’s feelings of affection (who I’m sure was her original target audience), she calls upon the feelings of affection of all her readers, stirring their own past or present sentiments and resulting in a sort of comradeship. This is further exemplified in the line “Compare with me, ye women, if you can” (line 4, To My Dear and Loving Husband). It may seem as though she is saying that no other woman could possibly feel the passion and adoration she feels for her husband, but it seems to me that she is instead asking them to compare her love to the intensity of their own romances.

She also uses specific diction to create the most impassioned and empathetic responses from her audience. Even in the more difficult lines like ‘The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray’, you can get the general gist of what that author is trying to communicate to you. There is again that sense of gratitude towards either her lover or her god, but the feelings of overwhelming appreciation are definitely there. When one reads the line ‘If ever two were one, then surely we’, the unity and contentment practically leaps off the page at you. You can’t help but feel a portion of the tenderness that is expressed in this poem, such is her skill.

Even in the cases that the author seems a bit contradictory, the basic message of her love still manages to resonate strongly. In the line, ‘Compare with me, ye women, if you can’ , the author gives the impression that her target audience is her female peers. In the previous and following lines, however, her extensive use of the word thee (which in Old English terms would be the equivalent of ‘you’), suggests that this poem is meant for the eyes of her husband alone. This inconsistency makes one ask the question of who this poem was truly meant for. Did Mrs. Bradstreet intend for this to be enjoyment and inspiration to her fellow women, or was this a private work never meant to be published at all? In the final line of this poem, the reader is again met with a contradiction. It is common knowledge to all who studied Anne Bradstreet and her works that her faith is deeply rooted within Puritanism, which fully embraced the Calvinistic ideal of Predestination. With that in mind, are we to believe that the line ‘That when we live no more, we may live ever’ is to be taken literally, and that she truly believes that they are both the ‘elect’ and will live in paradise forever? Are we to suppose that she believes that their love will conquer all, even death, despite their religious leanings? Were these paradoxes completely unintentional, or were they meant for the audience to ponder? If so, these contradictions add a bit of thoughtfulness along with the emotion, making this poem that much more enjoyable.

This was the main power of Anne Bradshaw, as well as all the great writers and poets in history; she possessed the ability to utilize pathos and rhetoric in her works, invoking the desired effect upon her audience. Her themes almost always clear to her readers, her messages and purpose for writing able to be deciphered by readers without much effort. Her whimsical verses and passionate vocabulary kept her writings interesting and captivating, each poem able to withstand the passing of nearly four centuries without losing relevance or applicability. It is because of these gifts that Anne Bradstreet is considered one of the greatest and most accomplished writers of the seventeenth century.