Upon the Burning of Our House by Anne Bradstreet LITERARY FOCUS: THE PLAIN STYLE

REVIEW SKILLS

The Puritans favored “plainness” in all things: in dress, in the architecture and design of their churches, in their forms of worship, and in language. Unlike the ornate “high style” popular in England at the time, the Puritan plain style used simple sentences and common words from everyday speech. The plain style contained few or no classical allusions, Latin quotations, or elaborate figures of speech. The plain style, Puritans felt, was much more effective in revealing God’s truth than the ornate style. Despite the fact that the style used by Puritan writers now seems hard to read, it was considered simple and direct in the 1600s. Although Anne Bradstreet’s “Upon the Burning of Our House” contains some figurative language, it is a good example of the plain style.

As you read “Upon the Burning of Our House,” notice the way the following literary devices are used. RHYME The repetition of vowel sounds in accented syllables and all syllables following. METER A pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Make It Plain In the left column of the chart below are two descriptions of everyday objects written in an ornate style. Rewrite each description in plain style_as a Puritan might have.

Ornate Style

Plain Style

Shabby but beloved, my shoes house my feet as they carry me from place to place. The pen spills ink-blood as it brings words to life.

READING SKILLS: ANALYZING TEXT STRUCTURES “Upon the Burning of Our House” is filled with inversions. In an inversion, sentences are not written in normal word order. For example, Bradstreet writes “I wakened was with thund’ring noise” instead of “I was wakened with thund’ring noise.” Inversion is often used to make a poem’s rhyme scheme work out or to maintain a fixed meter.

Use the Skill As you read Anne Bradstreet’s poem, underline the places you find inversion.

Literary Skills Understand the characteristics of plain style. Reading Skills Understand the use of inversion. Review Skills Understand rhyme and meter.

Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666

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Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Anne Bradstreet In silent night when rest I took For sorrow near I did not look

Circle the inversions you find in lines 1-4.

I wakened was with thund’ring noise And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice. 5

That fearful sound of “Fire!” and “Fire!” Let no man know is my desire.

What is the speaker doing in lines 11-12?

I, starting up, the light did spy, And to my God my heart did cry To strengthen me in my distress 10

And not to leave me succorless.1 Then, coming out, beheld a space The flame consume my dwelling place. I blest His name that gave and took,2

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That laid my goods now in the dust. Yea, so it was, and so ’twas just. It was His own, it was not mine,

In lines 16-17, why does the speaker say that the fire was “just?”

Far be it that I should repine; He might of all justly bereft 20

But yet sufficient for us left. When by the ruins oft I past My sorrowing eyes aside did cast, And here and there the places spy Where oft I sat and long did lie:

1. succorless (suk√¥r · lis) adj.: without aid or assistance; helpless. 2. that gave and took: allusion to Job 1:21, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

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Part 1

Collection 1: Encounters and Foundations to 1800

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And when I could no longer look,

25

Here stood that trunk, and there that chest, There lay that store I counted best. My pleasant things in ashes lie, And them behold no more shall I.

What is the “house on high erect” described in lines 43-46?

Under thy roof no guest shall sit, 30

Nor at thy table eat a bit. No pleasant tale shall e’er be told, Nor things recounted done of old. No candle e’er shall shine in thee, Nor bridegroom’s voice e’er heard shall be.

35

In silence ever shall thou lie,

In line 44, who is the “mighty Architect”?

Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity. Then straight I ’gin my heart to chide, And did thy wealth on earth abide? Didst fix thy hope on mold’ring dust? 40

The arm of flesh didst make thy trust? Raise up thy thoughts above the sky That dunghill mists away may fly. Thou hast an house on high erect, Framed by that mighty Architect,

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45

With glory richly furnished,

Practice reading the boxed passage aloud. As you read the first time, notice the rhymes and strong meter. On your next readings, try to vary the rate of your reading to avoid sounding sing-song.

Stands permanent though this be fled. It’s purchased and paid for too By Him who hath enough to do. A price so vast as is unknown 50

Yet by His gift is made thine own;

Bradstreet’s plain style helps to convey a complex message. In your own words, what is this message?

There’s wealth enough, I need no more, Farewell, my pelf,3 farewell my store. The world no longer let me love, My hope and treasure lies above.

The poem is rhymed in couplets. Circle any end rhymes that do not rhyme exactly. (Review Skill) 3. pelf: wealth or worldly goods (sometimes used as a term of contempt). Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666

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Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666 Reading Skills and Strategies: Analyzing Text Structures “Upon the Burning of Our House” contains many instances of inversion, in which words appear in an unusual order. The left-hand column of the chart below lists several examples of inversion from the poem. In the right-hand column, write the inverted words or phrases in normal word order.

Example of Inversion from Poem

Restatement of Inversion

“In silent night when rest I took” (line 1)

“When by the ruins oft I past” (line 21)

“My pleasant things in ashes lie,” (line 27)

“And them behold no more shall I.” (line 28)

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Part 1

Collection 1: Encounters and Foundations to 1800

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

“I, starting up, the light did spy,” (line 7)

Collection 1: Encounters and Foundations to 1800

Coyote was ugly too. The girls did not like him. But he was smart. He could change himself around and trick the women. Coyote got the girls when he wanted. (lines 23=25)

social life

Part 1

He taught the people how to eat and how to hunt the buffalo and catch eagles. He taught them what roots to eat and how to make a good lodge and what to wear. (lines 10=12)

customs (what they are, how they are followed)

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I will send messages to the earth by the spirits of the people who reach me but whose time to die has not yet come. . . . When their spirits come back into their bodies, they will revive and tell you their experiences. (lines 53=57)

Details from the Story

religious beliefs

Aspect of Nez Perce Life

Reading Skills: Understanding Cultural Characteristics Look back over the details you highlighted or underlined that reveal characteristics of Nez Perce culture. The chart below contains a list of different aspects of Nez Perce life. Fill in the right-hand column with details from “Coyote Finishes His Work” that tell you about each aspect. Sample entries are given.

Coyote Finishes His Work

REVIEW SKILLS

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Review Skills Understand rhyme and meter.

Reading Skills Understand the use of inversion.

Literary Skills Understand the characteristics of plain style.

METER A pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.

RHYME The repetition of vowel sounds in accented syllables and all syllables following.

As you read “Upon the Burning of Our House,” notice the way the following literary devices are used.

Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666

Use the Skill As you read Anne Bradstreet’s poem, underline the places you find inversion.

“Upon the Burning of Our House” is filled with inversions. In an inversion, sentences are not written in normal word order. For example, Bradstreet writes “I wakened was with thund’ring noise” instead of “I was wakened with thund’ring noise.” Inversion is often used to make a poem’s rhyme scheme work out or to maintain a fixed meter.

READING SKILLS: ANALYZING TEXT STRUCTURES

The pen is a blue ballpoint with a leaky tip. The pen spills ink-blood as it brings words to life.

Plain Style

My shoes are old, brown, kind of worn-out, but comfortable for walking around in. Shabby but beloved, my shoes house my feet as they carry me from place to place.

Ornate Style

Make It Plain In the left column of the chart below are two descriptions of everyday objects written in an ornate style. Rewrite each description in plain style_as a Puritan might have.

Although Anne Bradstreet’s “Upon the Burning of Our House” contains some figurative language, it is a good example of the plain style.

The Puritans favored “plainness” in all things: in dress, in the architecture and design of their churches, in their forms of worship, and in language. Unlike the ornate “high style” popular in England at the time, the Puritan plain style used simple sentences and common words from everyday speech. The plain style contained few or no classical allusions, Latin quotations, or elaborate figures of speech. The plain style, Puritans felt, was much more effective in revealing God’s truth than the ornate style. Despite the fact that the style used by Puritan writers now seems hard to read, it was considered simple and direct in the 1600s.

LITERARY FOCUS: THE PLAIN STYLE

by Anne Bradstreet

Upon the Burning of Our House

Collection 1

Student pages 14–15

Student Pages with Answers

9

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

10

The Holt Reader: Teacher’s Manual

16

Part 1

Collection 1: Encounters and Foundations to 1800

1. succorless (suk√¥r · lis) adj.: without aid or assistance; helpless. 2. that gave and took: allusion to Job 1:21, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Where oft I sat and long did lie:

And here and there the places spy

My sorrowing eyes aside did cast,

speaker’s.

But yet sufficient for us left.

He might of all justly bereft

Far be it that I should repine;

It was His own, it was not mine,

Yea, so it was, and so ’twas just.

That laid my goods now in the dust.

I blest His name that gave and took,2

And when I could no longer look,

The flame consume my dwelling place.

Then, coming out, beheld a space

And not to leave me succorless.1

To strengthen me in my distress

And to my God my heart did cry

I, starting up, the light did spy,

Let no man know is my desire.

That fearful sound of “Fire!” and “Fire!”

When by the ruins oft I past

20

15

10

5

And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.

I wakened was with thund’ring noise

For sorrow near I did not look

are God’s, not the

The house and goods

In lines 16-17, why does the speaker say that the fire was “just?”

watching it burn.

house and is now

She has escaped her

What is the speaker doing in lines 11-12?

Circle the inversions you find in lines 1-4.

In silent night when rest I took

Anne Bradstreet

Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666

50

45

40

35

30

25

There’s wealth enough, I need no more,

17

The poem is rhymed in couplets. Circle any end rhymes that do not rhyme exactly. (Review Skill)

relationship with God.

Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666

3. pelf: wealth or worldly goods (sometimes used as a term of contempt).

My hope and treasure lies above.

The world no longer let me love,

Farewell, my pelf,3 farewell my store.

person needs is a

The only wealth a

Yet by His gift is made thine own;

A price so vast as is unknown

Bradstreet’s plain style helps to convey a complex message. In your own words, what is this message?

By Him who hath enough to do.

It’s purchased and paid for too

Stands permanent though this be fled.

With glory richly furnished,

Framed by that mighty Architect,

Thou hast an house on high erect,

That dunghill mists away may fly.

Raise up thy thoughts above the sky

The arm of flesh didst make thy trust? Practice reading the boxed passage aloud. As you read the first time, notice the rhymes and strong meter. On your next readings, try to vary the rate of your reading to avoid sounding sing-song.

God.

Didst fix thy hope on mold’ring dust?

The mighty Architect is

And did thy wealth on earth abide?

In line 44, who is the “mighty Architect”?

eternal life with God.

erect” is heaven, or

The “house on high

What is the “house on high erect” described in lines 43-46?

Then straight I ’gin my heart to chide,

Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity.

In silence ever shall thou lie,

Nor bridegroom’s voice e’er heard shall be.

No candle e’er shall shine in thee,

Nor things recounted done of old.

No pleasant tale shall e’er be told,

Nor at thy table eat a bit.

Under thy roof no guest shall sit,

And them behold no more shall I.

My pleasant things in ashes lie,

There lay that store I counted best.

Here stood that trunk, and there that chest,

Collection 1

Student pages 16–17

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

18

Part 1

And I shall behold them no more.

My pleasant things lie in ashes

When I oft past by the ruins

I, starting up, did spy the light

In silent night when I took rest

Restatement of Inversion

Collection 1: Encounters and Foundations to 1800

“And them behold no more shall I.” (line 28)

“My pleasant things in ashes lie,” (line 27)

“When by the ruins oft I past” (line 21)

“I, starting up, the light did spy,” (line 7)

“In silent night when rest I took” (line 1)

Example of Inversion from Poem

Reading Skills and Strategies: Analyzing Text Structures “Upon the Burning of Our House” contains many instances of inversion, in which words appear in an unusual order. The left-hand column of the chart below lists several examples of inversion from the poem. In the right-hand column, write the inverted words or phrases in normal word order.

Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666

Use the Skill As you read “World, in hounding me . . .,” look for capitalization and punctuation clues that indicate the beginning and ending of the speaker’s ideas.

than waste its stock on every beauty’s claim?

rather to stock my mind with things of beauty,

How can it harm you if I choose, astutely,

World, in hounding me, what do you gain?

Look at the following example from “World, in hounding me . . .”. The end punctuation clues are circled. The other marks are underlined. This passage from the poem contains two complete thoughts over four lines of poetry.

Reading Skills Find units of meaning.

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Literary Skills Understand the characteristics of a Petrarchan sonnet.

World, in hounding me . . .

In many poems the speaker’s ideas do not end at the ends of lines. Instead, those ideas may fill up two, three, four, or even more lines. When you read poetry, look for punctuation clues like commas, periods, and question marks to help you identify units of meaning.

READING SKILLS: FINDING UNITS OF MEANING

Sor Juana’s “World, in hounding me . . .” is a Petrarchan sonnet. Note that some of the rhymes are approximate, because of the translation from Spanish to English.

A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem that follows a strict structure. The writer Petrarch (1304-1374) created the model for what is now referred to as the Petrarchan, or Italian, sonnet. Here are the characteristics of a Petrarchan sonnet: • The first eight lines, or octave, ask a question or pose a problem. • The rhyme scheme of the octave is abba abba. (The first and fourth lines rhyme, as do the second and third, and so on.) • The last six lines, or the sestet, respond to the question or problem. • The sestet may contain the rhyme scheme cde cde or cdc dcd.

LITERARY FOCUS: SONNET

by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

World, in hounding me . . .

Collection 1

Student pages 18–19

Student Pages with Answers

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Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved. Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Name Selection:

Class

Date Author:

Plain Style The plain style is a way of writing that stresses simplicity and clarity of expression. DIRECTIONS: Read the selection, and find examples of the four characteristics of plain style. Fill in the chart below with the examples. Answer the questions below to help you analyze the plain style.

Everyday language Simple sentences

Direct statements

Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.

Biblical references

Questions to Help Analyze Plain Style

1. What other style of writing was popular in England during the time of the Puritans? How was this style different from the plain style?

2. Why does the plain style seem difficult to today’s reader?

Graphic Organizers

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