The Flesh attempts to tempt her sister, the Spirit, with physical wealth and beauty. She argues that meditation alone is not enough to live on, and that earth cannot be divorced from the spirit. Bradstreet however demonstrates that there is a basic imbalance in this view. Flesh does not argue for a balance between the Flesh and the Spirit, but rather suggests that the world of the Flesh is far more satisfying than the Spirit, and therefore should take precedence over the latter. Indeed, the Flesh suggests that the spirit is "fancy-sick" or even a "Sot" for believing in treasures beyond the fleshly world. The Spirit answers in equally strong terms, arguing equally vehemently for the importance of the Spirit world. The first words of the Spirit's stanza "Be still, thou unregenerate part," suggest that the Spirit and the Flesh are part of the same being. Anne Bradstreet therefore recognizes...
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