To My Dear and Loving Husband Analysis

Josh Paris
AP English 3
9-3-08
To My Dear and Loving Husband Analysis

This poem has many deep metaphors that can arise numerous questions as to why Anne Bradstreet used the specific words that she did. Also, it can be a remarkable inspiration to many people. While reading this poem, I couldn’t help but to notice the unique word choice that Anne used. This poem of hers was written from her heart, so it makes you also wonder how complex is her emotions. She expresses in many diverse metaphors the love that she has for her husband. Anne leaves the reader the impression that there love will never fade and will always be everlasting as well. She makes certain that she gets that point across when she said, “I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold.”

Anne Bradstreet’s word choice gives the reader a sense of purity and love. It makes you feel a portion of what she is feeling, and puts you in a state of happiness and clarity. By using words such as, love, heavens, rivers, and riches, she establishes an emotional connection to her own emotions and reaches out to the readers. Also, when she said, “The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray,” I’m sure she was able to have a connection with people from her time because many Puritans were churchgoers and believed in God, heaven, etc.

Anne Bradstreet’s heart felt real love and care for her husband. You can tell that this wasn’t a love that grew over night. Anne writes this so that the reader can understand that this kind of love takes time and commitment to grow. When she says, “Then while we live, in love let’s so persevere,” she gives a hint to the audience that although she loves her husband, they still have there ups and there downs and its not just easy trying to make there marriage work. The main word in that part is persevering. If she didn’t have any struggles or ups and downs, she wouldn’t have to persevere to keep her marriage alive.


In conclusion, Anne Bradstreet wrote this extremely heartfelt poem to show the love and care she had for her husband. She also uses many different metaphors and different words to connect with the audience and also get her point across. Her poetry can be inspirational to many different people.