To My Dear and Loving Husband

Chelsey Wilkins 9/3/09


To My Dear and Loving Husband


Anne Bradstreet wrote a poem, “To My Dear and Loving Husband” to show her love and of emotion towards her husband. She wrote a short but self explanatory voluptuous poem expressing her love to her husband. Anne was not ashamed of her love neither was she shy about expressing it.


The first sentence of Anne’s poem noted that, “If ever two were one, then surely we.” This sentence stood out to me because she didn’t compare their love to something beautiful or loving but to an infinite end. She says that there is no other couple who is as in tuned into each other as they are. Maybe even no other couple as dedicated to each other and as compatible. Anne not only takes a brave move as a woman to rebel out with her emotions but knocks down every else’s pettier love. She holds the characteristics of a bold, emotional female leader.


Secondly, Anne appealed to one main point of the rhetoric triangle. Anne compared her love to most unlimited and expensive things most people obsessed about during her time. Anne said, “My love is such that rivers cannot quench,” which led me to the understanding that she really believes nothing compares to the love they share. From that sentence I came to understand that Anne is expressing that her love is something incurable. If you’re dehydrated you could drink water from a river but she’s I implying that there is yet a river that exists that is long enough or deep enough to fill her thirst for love.


“ I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, Or all the riches that the east doth hold.” This sentence represents an example of how Anne appealed to the rhetoric triangle. She used figurative language to express that her love is infamous and there is no luxury to replace it. She used a metaphor contrasting the value of gold and of wealth of all those of the East to show her love was priceless.

To conclude, Anne Bradstreet is a brave poet. She appealed to multiple areas of the rhetoric triangle. Not only did she express her infamous love for her husband but also inspired all women to stand up for their emotions. Anne rebelled against the role of women being quiet and unheard because she obviously believed that there was no limit to love.