“To My Dear and Loving Husband” by Anne Bradstreet
Vocabulary Warm-up Word Lists
Study these words from the selections. Then, complete the activities.
Word List A
East [EEST] n. referring to the part of the world formerly known as the East Indies,
including India, southeast Asia, and Indonesia
In the 1800s, many people traveled to the East in the hope of making a fortune.
manifold [MAN uh fohld] adj. many and varied
He could not express how much he appreciated her manifold acts of kindness to him.
mines [MYNS] n. excavated or dug out areas from which ore and valuable minerals may
be obtained
At one time, many mines were dug in Nevada in the search for silver.
reward [ri WAWRD] v. to give someone something in return for an effort or action
She hoped that her mother would reward her for her good behavior
riches [RICH iz] n. great treasure or wealth
The old man who lived in the rundown house was rumored to have untold riches hidden
inside.
surely [SHOO(lig)R lee] adv. definitely; certainly
After studying so hard, he thought that he would surely make an A on the exam.
Word List B
compare [kuhm PAYR] v. to examine for similarities or differences
She went to several stores to compare their prices on the same refrigerator.
persevere [per suh VEER] v. to keep going; not give up; persist
How long could we persevere in such harsh conditions?
prize [PRYZ] v. value highly
I prize these old trophies more than any of the new ones.
quench [KWENCH] v. to put out (a fire); to satisfy (thirst)
The firefighters were finally able to quench the flames.
recompense [REK uhm pens] n. repayment; reward
As recompense for your honesty, please keep the money.
repay [ri PAY] v. to return something in kind; to do or give in return
Her teacher had been so helpful that she felt she could never repay her.
Unit 1 Resources: A Gathering of Voices
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Name
Date
“To My Dear and Loving Husband” by Anne Bradstreet
Vocabulary Warm-up Exercises
Exercise A
Fill in the blanks, using each word from Word List A only once.
Ray loved reading adventure books, preferably those set in faraway lands in distant
times. He would imagine that he was the one exploring deep [1] _______ full of jewels, far
away in the [2] _______. He could see himself riding an elephant through the jungles of
India, searching for [3] _______. Or, perhaps he would save a helpless young princess
and earn a vast [4] _______ from her father, the king. Even better, he would imagine rescuing the king himself from the jaws of a tiger! Hours would pass while Ray was lost in
such daydreams involving [5] _______ acts of bravery on his part. [6] _______ it was possible to have such adventures today! Ray became more and more determined to seek
out modern adventures all his own.
Exercise B
Find a synonym for each of the following words. Then, use each synonym in a
sentence that makes the word’s meaning clear. Refer to a thesaurus if you need help finding a
synonym.
1. compare
Synonym:
2. persevere
Synonym:
3. prize
Synonym:
4. quench
Synonym:
5. recompense
Synonym:
6. repay
Synonym:
Unit 1 Resources: A Gathering of Voices
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89
Name
Date
“To My Dear and Loving Husband” by Anne Bradstreet
Reading Warm-up A
Read the following passage. Then, complete the activities.
One of the events that changed the American West
took place on January 28, 1848. On that date, James
Marshall, a man who worked for John Sutter at Sutter’s
Mill in California, discovered gold.
The gold that Marshall found at Sutter’s Mill consisted
of small flakes found in the riverbed. A variety of wide,
flat baskets and pans were employed to separate the gold
from the silt surrounding it. Various means of sluicing,
or washing, were also used. Then some people decided
that surely the sources of these small flakes would provide larger amounts of gold. Feeling certain of making a
fortune, they traced the gold to its sources by excavating
mines, delving into deep caverns to uncover larger deposits.
Over a very short period, thousands of treasure seekers flocked to central California. They came in search of
riches, with dreams of striking gold and returning home
wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. Prospectors came
from all over the world, including people from China in
the far East and people from many countries in Europe.
While the dream of wealth did come true for some, most
barely scratched out a living. Some of these prospectors
returned home, but many thousands of the migrants
stayed in California. The benefits of such a big population boom to the area were manifold, resulting in many
positive advances. For one thing, this rapid growth in
population would reward California by helping it become
a state without passing through the intermediate stage of
being a territory. The Gold Rush did another thing for
California: it gave it its nickname, The Golden State.
Unit 1 Resources: A Gathering of Voices
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90
1. Circle the words that tell
what the men searching for
gold decided so surely. Give
some other words that mean
the same as surely.
2. Circle the words that tell why
they began to excavate
mines. Name some other
kinds of mines besides gold
mines.
3. Circle the words that tell who
came in search of riches.
Write your own sentence
using the word riches.
4. Underline the word that tells
why people from the East
went to California. Name
some other countries that
were once referred to as the
East.
5. Underline the words that tell
what were manifold. Give
some other words that mean
the same as manifold.
6. Underline the words that tell
how the population growth
would reward California.
Name a way that people are
rewarded for their work.
Name
Date
“To My Dear and Loving Husband” by Anne Bradstreet
Reading Warm-up B
Read the following passage. Then, complete the activities.
The modern American poet John Berryman paid Anne
Bradstreet perhaps the finest compliment she ever
received, even though he expressed it long after she died.
Berryman’s poem “Homage to Mistress Bradstreet,” published in 1956, is a deeply felt tribute to Bradstreet, an
early American writer of poetry and prose. It is for Berryman a modest payback, small recompense for her inspiration, a debt that he could never truly repay.
“Homage to Mistress Bradstreet” uses specific details
of Bradstreet’s life to compare the relationship between
poetry and experience, showing their similarities and differences. Berryman writes of Bradstreet’s loneliness, her
pain and triumph in childbirth, and her pangs of conscience—struggling with right and wrong.
Berryman has a fine, delicate control of voice and
tone. In some parts of the poem, he manages to speak
with Bradstreet’s voice. In other parts, he speaks for
himself as he wanders through the modern wilderness.
Berryman has no illusions about the quality of Bradstreet’s verse. He does not glorify her, nor is his homage
varnished with the sheen of empty praise. He knows that
her poems are conventional and didactic, yet the fact
that she wrote them at all, while struggling to persevere,
to continue under challenging circumstances, is a significant fact in the history of our national culture.
Berryman does not speak condescendingly of Bradstreet, but rather conveys a feeling of profound poetic fellowship. After all, he and she share the bond of writers.
They both have felt the fire to express themselves that
only writing itself can quench, if only temporarily.
Unit 1 Resources: A Gathering of Voices
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91
1. Underline the word that
means the same as
recompense. Describe a situation in which you do someone a favor and receive
recompense.
2. Underline the words that tell
what debt Berryman could
never repay. What are some
other things that people
repay?
3. Circle the words that tell
what Berryman uses to compare the relationship
between poetry and experience. Write your own sentence using the word
compare.
4. Circle the words that help
explain conscience. Use
conscience in a sentence.
5. Circle the words that explain
persevere. Name an activity
at which you have had to
persevere.
6. Underline the word that tells
what writing can quench.
Name something else that
you can quench.