Differing Views Of Puritanism Bradstreet Vs. Taylor

Fedor 1 Differing Views of Puritanism: Bradstreet vs. Taylor When the Puritans came to America in the 1600s, they brought many aspects of their lives with them, including their beliefs in modesty, hard work, and religious devotion. Their strong values in religion were a constant part of their everyday life and were a big feature of their society. Even though they were urged to suppress their feelings and fully devote themselves to God, some Puritans had struggles with this, and used poetry to express their true beliefs. Poet Anne Bradstreet voiced her unconventional ideas through her poems while Edward Taylor used his poetry to stress his strong support of his religion and faith. Although Puritan poets Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor of the early American colonies belonged to the same belief system, they expressed divergent views of faith and dependence on God through their poetry. The Puritans were special in that their religion, Puritanism, was also their way of life. They sought to purify the Church of England, and in doing so they came to America, bringing their ideas of predestination and autonomy with them to the New World. The Puritans also believed that they were born with sin and stayed sinful throughout their life while they tried to look for signs to see if they were among the elect.1 They were constantly searching for God?s approval and, as said by ?Early American,? they strived to find the deeper meaning in simple things in life.2 Due to their