The New England Primer and Anne Bradstreet's poem, "Upon the Burning of Our House", were written in the same era. These two authors correlated their writing with God and the Bible which links them together. Bradstreet used some of the underlying lessons that were taught in the New England Primer. Although the Primer was broken down into a language simple enough for a child to comprehend, Bradstreet was able to intertwine these lessons appropriately. Bradstreet admitted in her poem that she would not deny God when life became complicated. She affirmed this when she stated, "Raise up they thoughts above the sky...My hope and treasure lies above." (Line 41, 54) Letter P of the New England Primer acknowledges Peter's denial to the Lord and the saddest that struck him because of his sin. Bradstreet learned from the Peter's story in the Primer to put all her faith in the Lord when her doubt rises.
The New England Primer also spoke about the time line of life. Letter G states, "As runs the Glafs, Man's life doth pafs." The lesson behind this letter was that life is short and time is passing so live your life for the Lord. Anne Bradstreet expressed this lesson in her poem because she realized that material items were only physical and not truly needed. She believed that God would give her a better afterlife and to achieve this gift she must live her life in accordance to the Lord and his teachings.
These two works were intended for two different audiences but have partially equal meanings. Both authors would agree about the teachings of God and the Bible. It can be looked as the New England Primer influencing Anne Bradstreet's writing because she most likely read the Primer prior to writing her poem. Each author expressed God and the Bible heavily in their writing. Bradstreet begins her poem speaking about her faith in God when she said, "And to my God my heart did cry, To strengthen me in my distress." (Line 8, 9) She let the audience know that from the start she was exclusively writing this poem not only for herself but for God. The New England Primer is simply all about God and the Bible. All twenty six letters of the English alphabet represent God and a concept from the Bible. Anne Bradstreet's, "Upon the Burning of Our House", and the New England Primer prove that God's influence on the Puritans and this time period was very strong and forceful.
