Imageryin “In Memory of My Dear Grandchild” By Anne Bradstreet            In the poem “In Memory of My DearGrandchild” by Anne Bradstreet, profound imagery was expressed throughout thepiece. Intertwined within the grieving words, numerous examples of imagery arefound. She illustrates her message of sorrow through references of nature, andpersonal experiences. Her emotions are heavy, but in the second stanza, sheexplains how life must to go on.

            The first stanza expresses herpersonal experience in the situation of the death of her grandchild. In line 3,Bradstreet says goodbye to her grandchild, Elizabeth, by saying “Farewell fairflower that for a space was lent.” She uses this as imagery because she iscomparing her granddaughter to something as beautiful and elegant as a flowerin her piece. Flowers are peer and simple, something Bradstreet related to as avision to her own perfection. Another message she conveyed was “the pleasure ofmine eye” (line 2).

This is a form of imagery because she is expressing thather grandchild was a pleasure of her life, painting her to be all things good. Shebelieved that her grandchild was taken too early from her by saying “sigh thydays so soon were terminate (line 6).” A form of imagery is found in this phrasebecause you are able to visualize Bradstreet emotions and feelings she washaving during this time of loss. Backstreet asks herself why she should grieveover her grandchild’s fate when she knows that the child is at an “everlasting state”(line 8). She should be content that the child is at peace with the world, butshe blames herself for being too pleased with the child that life disciplinedher by taking away one of the most important people in her life, Elizabeth.

Sheexpresses her true feelings about the loss and doesn’t seem to understand on whythe cycle of life had taken this child from her so soon. Bradstreet does notonly express personal experience throughout the first stanza but also usesimagery in the piece to create a visual symbolism on the poem.             In the second stanza, Bradstreetexpresses her thoughts of her grandchild’s death through the references of nature.