by Nick Maziarka

Created on: July 17, 2009   Last Updated: July 30, 2009

Eras upon eras of time have always yielded their own values and general systems of belief. The Romans, the Greeks, the Mayans - each had a set of core value systems that made itself apparent in art and in literature. Poetry, a type of literary art, in the 17th Century, a specific era, also reflected a certain set of beliefs. The time period, though filled with numerous different ethical systems and morals, placed much emphasis on the importance of family, love, religion, and even gender roles. These key beliefs were held dear to many artists, writers, and poets, including Sarah Whipple Goodhue. By addressing each member of her immediate family, giving each of them a personal farewell and a specific message for the future, Goodhue, in her poem "Lines to Her Family", effectively conveys a number of the key values that existed comfortably in the era that she lived on this Earth.

The overall idea of "Lines to Her Family", which is for Goodhue to wave a final wave and say goodbye to her family, easily clues the audience into the 17th Century's value of family and its togetherness. Rather than placing each of her sons and daughters into a group and leaving said group with a universal "bye", Goodhue takes the time to "speak" to each child affectionately. Rhetorically, this grants importance to each differing message. A universal goodbye is given to the children, however, later in the poem in a short two lines. Essentially, the phrase, "The Lord bless you all" (Goodhue 19, 9) lumps the children not into a single, unloved category but into the opposite - a category where each child is appreciated just as much as the next. With the concluding four lines of her poem, Goodhue takes the time to, on paper, look into the eyes of her husband - her soul mate - and say a sorrowful farewell. Understanding his hurt, she conveys the message that she would suffer all the same if in his shoes. Goodhue's own suffering and heartbreak in leaving her family, though shows when she says, "if I must leave thee" (19, 12). The "must" figuratively shows Death ripping her from her family, which she would not willingly leave. Goodhue's devotion to her family would not let her do so.

Gender roles clearly existed during the 17th Century, as evidenced by Goodhue's messages to her children. Joseph and William, her beloved sons, were not, of course, told to find the finest girl, marry her, and serve her. They, rather, were told to do more "manly" things of the era - Joseph to further his education,

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