1.07 The Scarlet Letter and Anne Bradstreet

Anne Bradstreet lived from 1612 to 1672 in New England. She is often considered America's first poet, though she was born in Northampton, England. One of New England's earliest colonists, Anne arrived in the colonies in 1630.

While highly educated for a woman of her time, her life in New England was subject to the hardships all colonists endured: lack of food, poor living conditions, and disease. Despite these difficulties, Anne found time to write poetry. We are fortunate to read her poetry today and take a peek at what her life was like.

• Read more about Anne's life and poetry.

• Read Bradstreet's poem "In Reference to Her Children."

The word is out: Hester Prynne committed adultery. Forced to wear a scarlet letter "A" as an outward display of her sin, Hester accepted her fate and resolved herself to punishment. She did not, however, reveal the identity of her partner in adultery. Why not?

• View The Scarlet Letter video to find out.

• You may be asked for a username and password. If so, visit the materials list in the Course Information area.

• Have the The Scarlet Letter questions in front of you as you view the video.

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