This poem is a lovely piece about Bradstreet’s husband. In it, she declares how strongly they are bound, “If ever two were one, then surely we.” What I find interesting is how at points she is almost bragging about her husband, like he is a prize won that other woman could not hold, “If ever wife was happy in a man,// Compare with me, ye women, if you can.” It’s funny because it’s objectifying the man to a degree when this was an age where women were like objects. It places the woman is a position of ownership, which wasn’t something exactly smiled upon at the time. Then she starts comparing her love of her husband to great treasures, like “whole mines of gold” and “all the riches the East doth hold.” Afterward, she pulls back, trying to show that yes, her love is great, but obviously her husband’s love is more. The husband is the superior being, “The love is such I can no way repay,//The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.” This shows her concession not only to her husband, but to the male poets of her times as well, however ironic it might be. In the end, she says she hopes that they’ll forever live through the love they have for one another. I find Bradstreet to be exceedingly human and a beautiful crafter of words. I feel they show her great passion and humanity well.

D.H Lawrence vs Franklin

When Lawrence says that Franklin is the first "dummy American," he means that Franklin is disregarding God, creating his own deity for his own purposes. Which is funny, because Lawrence is doing the same with Franklin's words. Franklin wasn't telling people not to go to Church and to believe in God when he said they should be "master unto himself, and don't even let the Lord put His spoke in." What was obviously meant here was to not let oneself be bogged down by such things. The reason many people came to America was religious freedom and quite a few found more prosecution when they went to an area that wasn't pleased by their ideas. Franklin was obviously a forward thinker and far from a dummy.

Bradford vs. Morton

In a paragraph of approximately 200 words, explain the major conflict between William Bradford and Thomas Morton. Why did Bradford want Morton arrested and deported? Why do we modern Americans have at least some sympathy for Morton?


Bradford came to America as a Separatist who settled at Plymouth. These people went to the new land looking to be free of judgment and persecution based on their beliefs. Bradford was a leader, elected to office after the original governor, John Carver died. Though he obviously had to be an intelligent man, his religion molded him into someone who had little tolerance for other religious view points. This is little surprise as his writing is scattered with Biblical verse. This is likely why he had difficulty and understanding Morton. Morton came to America with a group of other men looking for a new start and new funds. As the leader of his own men, Morton was scene is an offense just by how he existed when compared to the pious Pilgrims. He was terribly punished, sent back to England more than once, and then wrote a book about his experiences in America before returning there where he died. Obviously, even though this man had trouble with the likes of Bradford and others, he must have held some love for this new land with how he just kept returning and wouldn’t be displaced by his enemies. I find that admirable.