In John Smith’s, “Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles,” and William Bradford’s, “Of Plymouth Plantation,” they discuss their lifestyle and adventure in the colonies. They also use specific literary styles and techniques to describe to the reader of their unbelievable experiences. In addition, both passages have many similarities and differences amongst each other involving their writing. They are similar because they both tell a story, have a narrative style, use imagery and repetition, and discuss religion. On the other hand, they are not alike because they have different styles, tones, and purposes.
The literary styles and techniques of John Smith’s, “Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles,” and William Bradford’s, “Of Plymouth Plantation,” are similar in many ways. Both passages tell a story and have a narrative style. They both use imagery and repetition to describe their experiences. Lastly, they both discuss religion in their writing. John Smith talks about how "the tassel was as a coronet of feathers, the skins hanging round about his head, back, and shoulders and in a manner covered his face" (Smith 50). He is using imagery and being very descriptive of what the Indians looked like when they were dancing around their food. He wanted the readers the have a good understanding of the Indians and to picture what the situation was like. William Bradford does this as well. He states, “After some hours’ sailing it began to snow and rain, and about the middle
John Smith, from book 3, chapter 2 of his book, The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles, wrote about his adventures in the new land of the Indians where he experienced new people, a new governance system and a new culture (Smith, The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England & the Summer Isles 43). Smith, who was an English soldier, explorer and author, ventured into a new and unfamiliar territory where he experienced many unknown and unusual conditions and his writings depict his initial experience with the natives of this new and hostile land. He referred to the indigenous people as “savages” based on their hostile nature and brutal behavior towards him and his men. Initially the native chief, Powhatan, wanted to torture and Kill Captain Smith but he
The ideal most important to early colonists’ survival and success was piety. One way we see this is in William Bradford’s text, “Of Plymouth Plantation”. Bradford states, “Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity.” This explains the pilgrim’s belief, that without God they would have succumbed to the harsh way of life. Piety in this moment was vital to the pilgrim’s survival, without their strong belief in God they wouldn’t have had the will to survive. Evidence of piety can also be seen in “A Model of Christian Charity”, by John Winthrop. “We must delight in each other, make others’ conditions
In Of Plymouth Plantation, William Bradford writes of multiple acts of God’s divine providence acting on the Pilgrims during their journey to Virginia and the subsequent founding of Plymouth Plantation. Bradford’s portrayal of events he labels providence, such as the death of the lusty seaman, the finding of the corn seeds by the exploring party, and the repulse of the Native American attack, shows his belief that God acted through natural events and reveals aspects of Puritan theology and thinking.
Bradford’s interpretation of Merry Mount in his book titled, Of Plymouth Plantation, initiates with insulting accusations about Morton’s personality. Bradford titles Morton as the “Lord of Misrule” and declares that Morton was a “pettifogger” for throwing a feast for the Indians knowing that they had a shortage of food in order to get them to build a relationship with him (Bradford 155). Bradford disapproval of the occupants of Merry Mount’s “profane” and “dissolute life[style]” may place some doubt in the truthfulness of his writing, proposing that Bradford’s religious disparities with Morton has obscured his understanding of the maypole celebration (Bradford 155). Unsurprisingly, Morton’s maypole celebration signified the type of religious and societal viewpoints that the Puritans were trying to flee with their arrival to Plymouth. Morton’s presence threatened the Puritan’s idealistic concepts that Bradford valued for his neighborhood. In order to prevent that from occurring, Bradford’s intention for twisting the truth becomes comprehensible: to eradicate his enemy before he corrupts the Puritans with his “immoral lifestyle” (Bradford 156).
In the New World Bradford and Morton were both important men of our history. The stories of both great men give us an insight into the way religion and influence affected Puritan life.
Even though ordinarily one would expect a lot of emotions from Bradford as he went through so much, Bradford recorded his journey in first-person with almost no tone and emotion. His book was made for the Puritans in England to see. They believed writing in “plain style” would be more effective by using
During the English migration over to the Americas in the 1600s, there were two very different communities that had settled in the north and the south. In the north, New England was settled, and in the south, the Chesapeake settlements were formed. The settlements were both dealing with some of the same issues, but they were handling them in different ways. These differences were because the people had different purposes for coming to the New World which caused different reactions to similar problems. Differences including wages and price regulation, standard of living, and the way of cooperating with the Native Americans.
Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor are two of the most distinguished and fervent Puritan poets. Yet this similarity has proven to be one of the few, if not only between these two. One cannot help but find it intriguing that poets who belong to the same religious group and style would write so differently. Many of these differences are not even subtle or hidden beneath the text itself. The differences themselves hold implications and ideas that differ between each poet.
The English had two main colonies in the new world, Jamestown and Plymouth. The first colony was Jamestown, established in Virginia in 1607.Jamestown was settled by Captain John Smith, and was named by after King James I. And Plymouth is in Massachusetts it was the second English settlement in North America. The Englishmen were attempting to settle in the new area they encountered many struggles along with sickness and hunger.
Throughout William Bradford’s “Of Plymouth Plantation”, his attachment to his religion was very strong and very verbally shown throughout his work. Bradford was between the age of twelve and thirteen when he had first heard his first sermon by a minister named Richard Clyfton and he later joined with Clyfton in the year 1606. Bradford begins with “…some godly and zealous preachers, and God’s blessings on their labors…” God is already being praised in the first few sentences of this work to bless the labor of their works and throughout the land. The goal of this paper is to bring into light three different sections throughout the work, where Bradford uses his religion to prove a point and to show how his religious faith is freely expressed by leaving England.
In of Plymouth Plantation William Bradford talks about how the Puritans left England to relish in their own religion beliefs and how things should be handled. While doing so they went through tough
John Smith and Governor William Bradford were two influential men in the New World during the early 1600’s. Both wrote of their experiences in America and desired to settle the land. Both came from different backgrounds and had different experiences that affected their point of view on the natives. While Smith roamed Virginia as a scout and military man, Bradford planted his church community at Plymouth. They both describe their events in different points of views and different styles of writing.
One difference between Bradford and Byrd is their writing styles. In of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford uses the "Plain Style" to write his account of the New World. "Plain Style" writing is the form of writing used by thenPuritans. The
William Bradford’s writing Of Plymouth Plantation Is a written record of the journey from his old home in Europe to the settlement in the new world. The separatist traveled from England to Amsterdam and finally to the new world and later the life of the colony. Reading Of Plymouth Plantation presents us with an understanding of the basis of American culture and history. His writings are used to help us understand the reasons for the settlement of America as well as the hard ships the pilgrims had to face in order to escape the religious prosecution. His Writing also acts as an example to follow for several of our present day religions such as the many Mormons moving too their main church in Ohio. Mormons like the pilgrims move in search of religious freedom and to escape prosecution in a place with people who share similar beliefs with them. This Work also
Where does the truth lay when there are two different perspectives on the same situations? Unfortunately, there is no clear cut answer. In William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation and Thomas Morton’s New English Canaan, there are many discrepancies between each story. Both men seek to defame one another in order to preserve the innocence of their individual characters. They are not exactly successful in their mission when Morton and Bradford spend time discussing their issues with one another. There is a lot of finger pointing in these parts yet neither man assumes any responsibility for the troubles. William Bradford and Thomas Morton utilize different approaches to paint each other in an unfavorable way causing their goals to fall short.