Contemplations

Essay Questions

1. How does Bradstreet use the natural landscape of New England as a vehicle for theological inquiry in "Contemplations"? Consider how specific natural symbols — the oak tree, the sun, the river, and the stars — are made to carry distinct spiritual or philosophical weight, and evaluate how effectively these images sustain the poem's movement from wonder to doubt to qualified faith. (AQA AO1/AO2; IB guiding concept: Identity & Relationships)

1. To what extent is "Contemplations" a poem of genuine doubt rather than straightforward Puritan devotion? Analyse how Bradstreet's tone — described as "truly exploratory" — complicates the expectation that a colonial Puritan poem would offer uncomplicated praise of God, paying close attention to the moments of melancholy, envy, and anxiety that precede the poem's quiet resolution. (AQA AO1/AO2/AO3; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis)

1. How does Bradstreet construct a sustained argument about the relationship between time, human mortality, and the soul in "Contemplations"? Trace the development of this argument across the poem's key movements — from the speaker's awe before nature, through the ubi sunt lament about human achievements, to the final assertion of the soul's purpose beyond the physical world. (AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis; IB guiding concept: Time, Space & Place)

1. "In 'Contemplations,' Bradstreet ultimately finds the natural world to be both an inspiration and a source of existential anxiety." To what extent do you agree with this view? Discuss how the poem presents nature as beautiful and indifferent, drawing on the poem's treatment of symbols such as the river, the seasons, and the night sky. (AQA AO1/AO2; AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis)

1. How does the biographical and historical context of Anne Bradstreet's life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony shape the concerns and tensions of "Contemplations"? Consider how the Puritan theological warning against valuing creation above Creator, Bradstreet's personal experience of the sea voyage, and the challenges of colonial life inform the poem's central conflicts and its final movement toward acceptance. (AQA AO3; IB guiding concept: Culture, Identity & Community)

1. Compare the way in which mortality is explored in "Contemplations" with another poem in which a speaker meditates on the brevity of human life. In your response, consider how each poet uses natural imagery and structural development to move the reader from an awareness of death toward a broader philosophical or spiritual conclusion. (AQA AO1/AO2/AO3; AP Lit Q2 comparative poetry analysis)

1. How does Bradstreet present pride and human self-importance as obstacles to genuine understanding in "Contemplations"? Explore how the poem critiques the human impulse to build monuments, accumulate wealth, and seek lasting fame, and assess how this critique connects to the poem's larger argument about what — if anything — endures beyond earthly existence. (AQA AO1/AO2; IB guiding concept: Beliefs, Values & Education)

1. To what extent does the journey — both literal and metaphorical — function as the organising principle of "Contemplations"? Consider how the speaker's physical walk through the landscape, the river's ceaseless flow, and the mariner's sea voyage each contribute to the poem's exploration of the soul's progression through life toward death and, potentially, toward redemption. (AP Lit Q1 poetry analysis; IB guiding concept: Time, Space & Place)