Making Connections

1. What connections with Bradstreet does Boland as speaker of her poem suggest when she writes, “My skies rise higher and hang younger stars” (l. 4)? What symbolic links do these lines suggest: “A blackbird leaves her pine trees / And lands in my spruce trees” (ll. 7–8)?

   Question

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   Making Connections: - What connections with Bradstreet does Boland as speaker of her poem suggest when she writes, “My skies rise higher and hang younger stars” (l. 4)? What symbolic links do these lines suggest: “A blackbird leaves her pine trees / And lands in my spruce trees” (ll. 7–8)?
2. Boland’s poem ends with a description of transformation: “An Irish poet watching an English woman / Become an American poet” (ll. 17–18). In what ways does the historical relationship between England and Ireland and between England and the North American colony of Bradstreet’s time contribute to the bond between Bradstreet and Boland?

   Question

   ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=

   Making Connections: - Boland’s poem ends with a description of transformation: “An Irish poet watching an English woman / Become an American poet” (ll. 17–18). In what ways does the historical relationship between England and Ireland and between England and the North American colony of Bradstreet’s time contribute to the bond between Bradstreet and Boland?
3. Would you characterize Boland’s poem as a tribute to Anne Bradstreet, a eulogy, a reflection on her importance in a tradition of literature, a defense of the quality of her work, a dialogue between two artists who have faced similar challenges, or a combination of these—or as something else entirely?

   Question

   ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=

   Making Connections: - Would you characterize Boland’s poem as a tribute to Anne Bradstreet, a eulogy, a reflection on her importance in a tradition of literature, a defense of the quality of her work, a dialogue between two artists who have faced similar challenges, or a combination of these—or as something else entirely?
4. In “Becoming Anne Bradstreet,” Boland asserts that Bradstreet’s “words can be at home anywhere” (l. 14), including, obviously, the present. Discuss the extent to which you agree, using “Prologue” and “The Author to Her Book” as evidence for your viewpoint.

   Question

   ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=

   Making Connections: - In “Becoming Anne Bradstreet,” Boland asserts that Bradstreet’s “words can be at home anywhere” (l. 14), including, obviously, the present. Discuss the extent to which you agree, using “Prologue” and “The Author to Her Book” as evidence for your viewpoint.