The New Land
Read the section in the literature book titled "The New Land." Choose three of the selections to write about, focusing on what they reveal of the mindset of the culture of the time.
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1. In the passage by John Smith the mindset of the culture was based on survival. They even ate barley and worms just to stay alive. It also shows that the public had a voice in the government of their colony. They were able to replace President Wingfield with Radcliffe. The passage shows that the new Americans were hardworking and full of optimism. Nothing but hope and optimism would bring them to this new and untested land.
2. The passage by William Bradford tells the story of the Separatists and the early Plymouth colony. This passage shows that the men were very charitable and willing to help. There were only seven strong men and they helped all the others who were weak with disease. These travelers were also very optimistic. They were because they trusted their lives to a broken, dilapidated ship that could sink in the middle of the great Atlantic Ocean.
3. The poem of Anne Bradstreet shows how strong and powerful love was in colonial America. This is a universal theme that spans across more than just the early colonies. She said that she loves her husband "more than whole mines of gold." This shows just how powerful of an emotion love can be. Without this love many of the colonies may not of survived the first couple of years in the New World.
"To My Dear and Loving Husband" by Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet’s "To My Dear and Loving Husband" describes on the surface her personal commitment to her husband but is implicitly a description of the stern Puritan lifestyle and the potential of women as thinkers and writers. Written in the sixteenth century in a predominantly male-based society, Bradstreet’s poem seems to have been a daring challenge to a predominantly sexist Massachusetts society. In the text itself, among the various descriptions of the importance of love and emotions in the New World, the author throws in a subtle allusion to the Puritan theology, concluding with “Then while we live [Bradstreet and Husband], in love let’s so persevere, That when we live no more, we may live ever.”
"Huswifery" by Edward Taylor
Edward Taylor’s "Huswifery" is basically an intricate, analogous description of the Puritan’s belief that the purpose of life is to serve for the glory of God. In the poem, he compares himself to a spinning wheel which, through conversation, reels the “yarn” of the Puritan doctrine. In this way, God can thus create a intricate pattern from the doings and conversations of the humans which serve in his good grace. This deep and metaphorical poem basically iterates through colorful language the notion that Puritans must live in accordance with God’s desires.
"The General History of Virginia" by John Smith
"The General History of Virginia" describes the trials and terrors of the initial English venture into the New World, led by Captain John Smith. Told from the first-person perspective by Smith himself, the story describes the perilous struggle for survival as Englishmen toiled for food and other supplies while awaiting the arrival of cargo ships from the homeland. Smith notes attempts to form solid relations with the native Americans, who are eventually dismissed as useless to the English enterprise and frankly slaughtered. Overall, "The General History of Virginia" describes on an appreciable level the hardships faced by Englishmen exploring and settling the New World.
"The New Land" pgs. (43-85): Journal Reflections
Reflection #1: “The General History of Virginia”
Captain John Smith wrote this selection when he was the leader of the Puritan settlers of Jamestown. He speaks about his encounters with the Native American tribe that lived in Virginia when he arrived there. John Smith describes the Indians as savages. This shows that he considered the people savages just because they didn’t look, or live like him. It also shows the ignorance that John Smith and the other settlers of his time had as far as different cultures. This narration describes how hard life was during the first years of life in the Bay Colony for the Puritans. They came from a culture where everything was done a certain way all the time. When they landed in Plymouth and found this whole other culture already existing there, they couldn’t understand it, and were thoroughly baffled when the Native Americans did not take kindly to the efforts the colonists put forth to try and “save their souls” by converting them to Puritanism.
Reflection #2: “Upon the Burning of Our House”
In this poem, Anne Bradstreet shows us how difficult it was to live during the mid-seventeenth century in the Bay Colony. Having a home burned down now, is a huge tragedy because it is impossible to replace everything lost in the fire. This poem shows us how it was so much more terrible to lose a house while living in the colonies. These people had to leave almost all of their possessions behind them in England when they left for the New World, so to have the few things they took with them to be destroyed all at once in a strange place would be devastating. The strong religious piety in Puritans was present in the poem when Bradstreet asks God to give her strength during her tragedy. Also, at the end of the poem, she says that “the world no longer let me love, my hope and treasure lie above.” This means that now that she has left everything on earth that was valuable to her, she only has her faith in God left. She says that she just wants to go to heaven and be with God.
Reflection #3: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
This sermon was written and spoken during the Great Awakening in the New England Colonies. The Great Awakening was a time period during the mid-eighteenth century where religion was rejuvenated amongst the colonists. The ministers started to add more enthusiasm to their sermons and the way that they preached. John Edwards was a very pious minister in the Puritan Church as was one of the leaders of the Great Awakening. In this sermon, it is obvious how much Puritans emphasized the punishment for sinners. This lets us see how negative life must have been for many Puritans. If they all thought that every little mistake they made would condemn them to eternal damnation as this sermon suggests, they would have been miserable. This unforgiving Puritan culture is what inspired so many people to start new Christian religions and leave the restrictive Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Commentary on "The Wonders of the Invisible World"
The mindset of the people during the time of the Salem witch trials was incredibly unsophisticated as it was portrayed in Cotton Mather’s report, "The Wonders of the Invisible World," on the trial of Martha Carrier, who was accused of being a witch. The testimonies of each of the accusers showed how their society was unable to logically reason. As a summary of their testimonies, the accusers were living a normal life when suddenly they began to feel something out of the norm, go through an event that was completely unusual, or hear something strange. According to the accusers, each experience appeared to be related to Martha Carrier. Since they did not fully analyze the incidents, the accusers concluded their experiences had to be the work of a witch. John Rogger, one of the accusers, stated that upon the threatening words of Martha Carrier his cattle began to die. Without actual reasoning, he assumed that it was Martha Carrier’s witchcraft that destroyed his cows since his encounter with Martha and the death of his cattle appeared to be related. Other accusers even proclaimed that they witnessed Martha Carrier attending gatherings with other witches. Their testimonies were upheld even if there was no true evidence to justify their statements. Overall, the trial showed how the accusers and their society were incapable of reasoning, which proved their bigotry.
Commentary on "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"
In the preaching of Jonathan Edward’s "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," he condemned those who would not serve God’s will, which showed how numerous people in the American population were beginning to lose their religious zeal. He wrote about the terror of God’s wrath and how devastating it could be if released upon sinners. He used many analogies to fortify this point and constantly put the audience in the spot by claiming how God’s wrath would eventually destroy all of the sinners within the audience. His sermons showed how he was trying to convert as many people as possible to the Christian faith by preaching how those who are not in touch with God will suffer eternal damnation, which instilled fear within non-believers causing them to convert to the Christian faith. His sermons also demonstrate how he was trying to restore the religious zeal in current worshippers of the Christian faith. His numerous examples of God’s wrath upon sinners would encourage people to continue to pray, believe, and serve God as much as they could in order to ensure their path to Heaven.
Commentary on "Huswifery"
Edward Taylor’s "Huswifery" displays the connection that the Puritans had with their religion during his time. Through his poem, he conveyed how he wanted to have a strong relationship with God and how he wanted to be needed by God by making the analogy that he wanted to be the spinning wheel of God. This analogy clearly portrays the Puritan’s mindset since the Puritan’s main goal in life was to serve God. They were the eternal servants of God in the same way that Edward Taylor depicted himself in his poem. Therefore, they were willing to do anything to serve God’s will and be his spinning wheel just like Edward Taylor would be.
1. The General History of Virginia- This is about a leader, John Smith, who confronts the Indians appealed to me. It appears this was written during the 1400's or 1500s, when colonization started. People back in this time period wrote more about events they lived through, rather than some random person's experiences. There was a shift from 1st person to 3rd person in this story. In addition, this piece of work deals with whites and indians attempting to form good relations.
2. To My Dear and Loving Husband- This poem involves a wife who is dedicated to the love of her husband. The true meaning of love and marriage is displayed in this work. This poem does state its ideas about heaven and the afterlife. The author believes in life after death, and that it is eternal, hoping it to be a reward. This is in the time period in which religiousness was great and dominated the lands, where women were more open with their husbands and not other men. This art is similar to the writing style of past literature.
3. The Wonders of the Invisible World- This takes place durin the Salem Witch Trials. Religious factors contributed to the culture seen in this work. The time period involved an awkward culture when p eople had beleived, at one time, that certain females were witches who cursed people. Trials decided if this was final for the accused, who was Martha Carrier in this case. This reveals the knowledge and manipulation of the people back in the days.
Of Plymouth Plantation
William Bradford’s short story showed that the pilgrims had a strong faith in God. They believed god would help them cross their voyage without disaster. What comes through in short story by Bradford is the human qualities and emotions these Pilgrims had. They were not supermen. Bradford's diary is an account of very ordinary people who, without their unflinching faith that God was looking after them, could never have accomplished such a feat. Often they doubted their own abilities. But not once does Bradford allude to any instance in which the Pilgrims doubted, even for a moment, God's commitment to them, His covenant, His promise to make certain their work would bear fruit, and to see their enterprise through the terrible tribulations that awaited. The Pilgrims were absolutely certain that God would not abandon them, and that all hardships and all disasters they would have to confront somehow fit His divine plan. They were there on a mission - on God's errand into the wilderness. But the faith of Brewster, Carver, Bradford, and their Pilgrim brethren, that indeed their ordeal would serve a purpose, was very definitely the source of their power to begin the awesome task of building the United States of America.
Upon The Burning of Our House
Mrs. Bradstreet's work also serves as a document of the struggles of a Puritan wife against the hardships of New England colonial life, and in some way is a testament to plight of the women of the age. Anne's life was a constant struggle, from her difficult adaptation to the rigors of the new land, to her constant battle with illness. While it is rather easy for us to view Puritan ideology in a bad light because of its attitude towards women and strict moral code, her indifference to material wealth, her humility and her spirituality, regardless of religion, made her into a positive, inspirational role model for any of us.
The Wonders of the Invisible World
To understand the events of the Salem witch trials, it is necessary to examine the times in which accusations of witchcraft occurred. There were the ordinary stresses of 17th-century life in Massachusetts Bay Colony. A strong belief in the devil, factions among Salem Village fanatics and rivalry with nearby Salem Town, a recent small pox epidemic and the threat of attack by warring tribes created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion. Soon prisons were filled with more than 150 men and women from towns surrounding Salem. Their names had been "cried out" by tormented young girls as the cause of their pain. All would await trial for a crime punishable by death in 17th-century New England, the practice of witchcraft. They were very superstitious and when something went wrong they’d blame it on witches.
"To My Dear and Loving Husband"- This poem was written by Anne Bradstreet. It is about a woman who feels grateful to have a caring husband. She goes through hard obstacles but manages to have a great relationship with him. The author gave us a good prospective of how a womans life was back then.
"Upon the Burning of Our House"-
Puritan's that immigrated in the seventh century went through a harsh life. An example of the hard times is shown here in her poem. They were really close to god as shown in this poem.
Virginia- Overall, this reading about early colonization was about Virginia. John Smith was the leader of the colony who later was captured and killed. He made this in the third person. This reading was mainly about the relations between the indians and the whites. He showed how America was capable of being a strong nation and how hard they worked.
Reflection #1: "The General History of Virginia"
I thought that this story really showed the mindset of the culture of the time when John Smith was one of the leaders of the Jamestown colony. It really showed the hardships that they faced because they did not know the land, weather, or previous inhabitants. John Smith described some of their hardships in his own words: "But now all our provision spent, the sturgeon gone, all helps abandoned, each hour expecting the fury of the savages; when God, the patron of all good endeavors, in that desperate extremity so changed the hearts of the savages that they brought such plenty of their fruits and provision as no man wanted." He is saying that when they thought they had nothing to live for, God came through for them and changed the hearts of the Indians. The Indians brought them so much food that they could not eat it all.
Reflection #2: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
Jonathan Edwards wrote and read this sermon to a congregation in Enfield, Connecticut, in 1741, and is said to have caused listeners to rise from their seats in a state of hysteria. This sermon was supposed to scare people into worshipping God faithfully and give him your body, mind, soul, and if you didn't, you were damned to Hell for eternity. It really showed how devoted these early settlers were to religion and God. Edwards preached, "Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards Hell; and if God should let you go, you woul immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of Hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a fallen rock. Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God, the earth would not bear you one moment..." The early Puritans and Pilgrims lived life and made their rules according to the Bible, and sinners and rebels of these rules were punished harshly, just as Hester Prynne was in the novel, The Scarlet Letter.
Reflection #3: The Wonders of the Invisible World
This was the story of the trial of Martha Carrier at the Court of Oyer and Terminer held by adjournment at Salem, August 2, 1692. She was indicted for bewitching certain persons. This shows the mindset of the culture at that time. They strongly believed that the devil walked among them, and that witches existed. The Salem Witch Trials are very famous today; a remarkable period of time where people were tried and killed for mysterious inflictions of hurt on people they were quarreling with. "This rampant hag, Martha Carrier, was the person of whom the confessions of the witches and of her own children among the rest agreed that the devil had promised her she should be queen of Hell."
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