Mario Vasquez

English 241
Professor Jason Taylor
March 27, 2011
So Close Yet So Far
The idea of two individuals being inseparable, in body and in sprit, is
commonly associated with clich ideas such as "true love" and "soul mates." But
the extent of this notion being true is only measureable by the individuals whom
are in love. It is completely conceivable that an individual who shares a strong
emotional bond with another would feel as though that person is a part of them.
In Anne Bradstreet's poem "A letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public
Employment," metaphor, simile, and are used to explore this idea and
communicate a centralized theme: distance cannot divide those who have a
strong emotional connection.
One of the ways Bradstreet communicates theme in her poem is through
its form. The poem is 26 lines in length, with a rhyme scheme of AA-BB-CC
continued through its entirety. More importantly, the poem is written in iambic
pentameter, with the exception of the last two lines which are written in iambic
tetrameter. By changing the structure for the poem's last two lines Bradstreet is
creating a distinction between these lines and the rest of the poem. A further
distinction can be made between these lines and the rest of the poem through
Bradstreet's use of slant rhyme in the pairing of the words "bone" and "one"
as rhyming words. This distinction is important because the last two lines "Flesh
of thy flesh, bone of thy bone, / I here, thou there, yet but both one," essentially
summarize the poems main theme. Moreover, by stating that "I here, thou there,
yet but both one," Bradstreet is communicating that distance cannot truly
separate two individuals whom have a strong connection because it is that very
connection that bonds them together as one unit.
Bradstreet also uses alliteration to distinguish certain lines from the rest of
her poem. Similarly to the way meter and slant rhyme are used to emphasize
certain lines, alliteration, more specifically consonance, is used for the same
purpose. Consonance is prevalent in lines 5 and 6, which read as "So many
steps, head from the heart to sever, / If but a neck, soon should we be together."
The repetition of the "s" sound in the words "so," "steps," "sever," "soon," and
"should" distinguish these lines from the rest of the poem, which does not have
the same degree of sound repetition. Lines 5 and 6 are emphasized in this
manner because they essentially reiterate the poems main theme. In line 5,
Bradstreet illustrates that the absence of her husband's presence feels like a
severed limb. Then in line 6, she playfully contradicts this notion through a play
on the meaning of the words "head," "neck" and "sever." While Bradstreet's play
on words may or may not be significant, the contradiction she communicates
most definitely is. By contradicting the idea that separation from her spouse is
like being separated from ones limbs, Bradstreet is yet again reiterating the
poems centralized theme: that no degree of distance can separate two
individuals who have a strong emotional connection.
Another way theme is communicated in the poem is through the use of
simile and metaphor. Simile and metaphor are introduced in Bradstreet's poem
during the 7
th
and 8
th
lines respectively which read as "I like the Earth this
season, mourn in black, / My sun is gone so far in Zodiac." In line 7 Bradstreet
compares her emotional state to both the winter season and a person in
mourning. Then, in line 8, Bradstreet compares her significant other to the sun.
It is through the relationship between simile and metaphor in these two lines that
Bradstreet communicates a theme. By comparing her state of grief to the winter
season, then comparing her lover to the sun, Bradstreet has demonstrated the
inherent briefness of her sadness. That is to say her state of grief will inevitably
be alleviated by the return of her loved one, the same way that the winter season
will always be followed by brighter, warmer seasons.
The metaphor introduced in line 8 is continued throughout the poem. This
extended metaphor or conceit serves as yet another device to illustrate the
poems main theme. As mentioned earlier, line 8 of the poem compares the
narrator's husband to the sun. This comparison is continued in various points
throughout the rest of the poem when referring to polar opposites such as
warmth and cold, but also when referring to a day's transition into night. For
example, line 17 and 19 state "O strange effect! Now thou art southward gone"
and "But when thou northward to me shalt return." In these lines Bradstreet is
continuing the metaphor presented in line 8 by comparing the actual sun in the
sky moving toward the equator, to her sun's (her husband) coming and going on
business. This is done because the reader can relate to the cold, dark feeling
associated with the sun setting, but also knows the sun will inevitably return. By
extension, the narrator fully knows that even though her husband's absence
causes her to feel emotionally "cold" he will eventually return and all will be as it
was, just as day and night will always return. Furthermore, when visualizing the
sun setting towards the equator, the reader and narrator alike know that the sun
doesn't actually leave the earth. Just as the narrator's husband doesn't leave
her, but merely goes on a journey to return in due time.
In Anne Bradstreet's "A letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public
Employment," the poems theme is communicated continually through the use of
multiple literary devices. Meter and alliteration are used to create a visual and
audible distinction between lines that summarize the poems central theme and
the poem in its entirety. Simile is used to illustrate the narrator's state of
sadness. Metaphor is used to illustrate the close bond the narrator has with her
beloved and conceit is used to reiterate a centralized theme: distance cannot
divide those who have a strong emotional connection.