B: Anne Bradstreet

Reflection on "To My Dear and Loving Husband" "To My Dear and Loving Husband" stands out to me of the three poems we studied because of the fact that 'love poems' like this one were not common during the Puritan era. The only references to God are in the beginning and end, enclosing the real meaning of the poem inside. The inner part of the poem compares the husband's love to "whole mines of gold" and "all the riches of the East." This shows how the speaker is taking an insubstantial idea, "love," and making it a corporeal object worth more to her than "whole mines of gold" and "all the riches that the East doth hold." In my opinion, the poem is in actuality a plea for the attention and affection of the speaker's husband, showing insecurity and passion in the same motion. Diary Entry To My Dear Husband, Now that our eight children have finally left their nest, and I am all alone. I've been waiting for you to come home. I do not wish to rush your return; I merely hope that it pleases God for you to have a swift and safe journey back to me. With love, Anne