<P> Alas, dear Mother, fairest Queen and best, With honour, wealth, and peace happy and blest, What ails thee hang thy head, and cross thine arms, And sit i' the dust to sigh these sad alarms? What deluge of new woes thus over-whelm The glories of thy ever famous Realm? What means this wailing tone, this mournful guise? Ah, tell thy Daughter; she may sympathize . </P> <P> Anne Bradstreet's works tend to be directed to members of her family and are generally intimate . For instance, in Bradstreet's "To My Dear and Loving Husband", the poem's intended audience is her husband, Simon Bradstreet . The focal point of this poem is the love that she has for her husband . "I prize thy love more than whole mines ". To Bradstreet, her husband's love is worth more than some of the best treasures that this earth has to offer . She also makes it a point to show to her husband that nothing can fill the love that she has for her husband . The lines, "My love is such that rivers cannot quench," the rivers represent death, which she says the fire of her love is invulnerable to . The last line of the poem sums this up with the words, "Then when we live no more, we may live ever ." </P> <P> In "A Letter to Her Husband Absent upon Public Employment" Bradstreet writes a letter to her husband who is away from her working at his job . Bradstreet uses various metaphors to describe her husband . The most visible use of metaphor that Bradstreet uses is comparing her husband to the seasons . When summer is gone, winter soon arrives . Summer can be seen as a time of happiness and warmth . Winter on the other hand can be seen as being gloomy and cold . Bradstreet's husband is her Sun and when he is with her it is always summer . She is happy and warm from the love that her husband brings when he is around . When her husband leaves home for work, everything then becomes winter . It is a sad, cold time for Bradstreet and she wishes for her husband to soon return . "Return, return, sweet Sol, from Capricorn ." She wants her husband to know that she needs him and without him everything feels gloomy . She is not concerned with what others think . It is not intended for anyone else except her husband . Bradstreet knows that the situation is inevitable, summer can't be around always and soon winter will follow . Her husband's job is important . He can't be there always and he must go away at times . "Till nature's sad decree shall call thee hence ." One thing that keeps her going is that even though they are far away from each other, they are one with each other . </P> <P> By reading Bradstreet's works and recognizing her intended audience, one can get an idea of how life was for Puritan women . According to U.S. History.org Puritan women were required to attend worship services, yet they could not to speak or offer prayer . Women were also not allowed to attend town meetings or be involved in the decisions that were discussed . If Puritan women were to be seen and not heard in public, then one can say that most of their works are not meant for public consumption . </P>

How did anne bradstreet contribute to american literature