Anne Bradstreet is often called “America’s first female poet”. The poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband” is penned in iambic pentameter and was published in 1678 after her death.Her husband Simon Bradstreet became a Massachusetts governor and had to travel for weeks in keeping with his role as the administrator of the colony. The prescribed poem was born out of his absence. The subject of her poem professes unconditional love for her husband.

The influence of Complementarianism is evident in her writings. “Complementarianism is a theological view held by many in Christianity and other world religions that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage, family life, religious leadership, and elsewhere. It assigns leadership roles to men and support roles to women, based on the interpretation of certain biblical passages. One of its precepts is that while women may assist in the decision making process, the ultimate authority for the decision is the purview of the male in marriage, courtship, and in the polity of churches subscribing to this view.”The title of the poem “To My Dear and Loving Husband” exemplifies how the spouse is not only dear to her but loves her in a complementary manner.…