Literature Influence On American Literature

Perry Miller was a professor of American literature at Harvard University when he wrote this book. It is one in a series of books he wrote on American Puritanism; this book in particular explores the intellectual history of the Puritans through an investigation of significant Puritan thinkers and their writings.

The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell shows that the Puritans were more than a colony of uptight Englishmen. Her thesis is about how the Puritans were a writing based group of people. The Wordy Shipmates starts off with Vowell stating, “The only thing more dangerous than an idea is a belief. And by dangerous I don’t mean thought-provoking. I mean: might get people killed” (pg 1). Vowell supports this statement throughout her book by explaining how religion plays an important role in every part of the Puritan lifestyle. She explains that they thought of themselves as "God's new chosen people” (pg 24).

The decades surged by and thoughts other than religion began to crowd the minds of the American people. The smoldering ideas of independence, enlightenment, and innovation elicited a new mentality in America. Puritan ideals were not held as high, for other religious sects had taken their place. The stringencies of the Puritan lifestyle wafted away as America grew in its diversity, but the Puritan mindset was rooted in the soil and could not be torn away. The words that John Winthrop had spoken on the Arabella were held at the base of the country, “For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us.”

Through Puritan writers, literature is influenced by religious ideologies and philosophies. Puritans writers, beginning in about 1560, put most of their focus into making their work God centered. They believed in the “Elect” and that Jesus died only for these few people. Writers usually wrote in 1st

Gore Vidal once said, “The Puritans left England for America not because they couldn’t be Puritans in their mother country, but because they were not allowed to force others to become Puritans; In the New World, of course, they could and did.” In1741, esteemed Puritan pastor, Jonathan Edwards, preached a sermon to his congregation, terrifying everyone who wasn’t truly Puritan into becoming one. Edwards’ purpose was to admonish non-Puritans and emphasizes the importance of the Puritans rededicating their life to their faith. Edwards uses diction, logos, and personification to terrorize the congregation into leading the “perfect Puritan life”.

In Chapter 4, we discuss how the Puritanism changed New England during the seventeenth century. Puritans immigrated to North America to escape the hardships and persecution they faced in England, because of the English reformation. They wanted to form a new, orderly Puritan version in New England. However, many of the New England colonists were not Puritans, Puritanism remained a strong influence in New England’s politics, religion, and community. Many of the New England colonists,settled in new towns and tried to steer clear of the Puritan religion. Eventually to the fatal decline of Puritanism in New England.

When I think of America, I think of freedom. We live in a country where we can do what we choose. We can express our opinions and live our own lives. Individuals can form their own individual beliefs and they can do what they want and pursue what they wish. They can play basketball, go to school, get a job, have a family, buy a house, or go to church. We are free. We have opportunity to be whatever we want to make ourselves. When you ask, what is an American? I find it no different to ask, what is freedom? America and freedom are intertwined and this relationship is evident in American literature.

Campbell, Donna M. "Puritanism in New England." Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University.4 Jul. 2013. Web. 16 Dec. 2015

Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 1: Puritanism & Colonial Period: to 1700." PAL: Perspectives in American Literatur

When one talks about Puritan literature, two main figures come to mind: John Edwards and Nathaniel Hawthorne. John Edwards was a fiery preacher who sought to convert the unrighteous in his sermons. He is most well-known for his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, which will be discussed in this essay. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a novelist and short-story author who wrote not only to convert his readers to Christianity, but to entertain them with stories of romance as well. He is most well-known for writing, among other things, “The Scarlet Letter”, “The House of Seven Gables”, and the short story “The Minister’s Black Veil”, which will also be analyzed in this essay.

Almost everything about society has changed since the time of the Puritans, and many of the changes have happened within the last hundred years. Many of society’s rules were constructed during the Puritan times to properly establish a governing body and it is important to examine how these concepts of society have changed and the importance of establishing them in the first place. Looking through the lenses of three different perspectives, over 300 years, it is easy to tell which of society’s rules have changed the most. To do this, we must look at society through the eyes of a Puritan, my grandmother and myself. Born in the 1940s and raised in Griswold, Iowa, my grandmother provided insight to how society was during her time in primary and

America was and still remains an ideological experiment. This ongoing experiment-the basic foundation for American society today-began with the settlement of the Puritans (1628-1630) at Massachusetts Bay in 1630. From the very beginning the Puritans had a plan, this plan was to create an exemplary society based on their beliefs of individualism and democracy “for the world to see”. However, in order to understand Puritan society one must note that reality and belief hold two very different meanings. A belief is a state of mind in which trust and confidence is placed in an idea or thing. While reality is a fact about the living moment past, present or future. This idea is important because the Puritans lived a life of constant struggle between reality and belief. They believed in the notions of individualism and democracy. Yet, in reality these notions posed as the largest threats to their society.

American Puritanism began from a crusade for reform in the Church of England, which had a great socio-economic, political, theological and ethical influence on American as a Nation. A close focus on how the 21st century America emulated the Puritan moral/value and how these vales has been intertwined with the thinking process the average American. This comparative writing will enumerate on a brief history of the Puritans in relation to the concept of immigration, similarities of the Puritan value system with the 21st century and the concept of community in relation to modern democracy.

“A Tale Intended to be After the Fact…” is how Stephan Crane introduced his harrowing story, “The Open Boat,” but this statement also shows that history influences American Literature. Throughout history, there has been a connection among literary works from different periods. The connection is that History, current events, and social events have influenced American Literature. Authors, their literary works, and the specific writing styles; are affected and influenced by the world around them. Authors have long used experiences they have lived through and/or taken out of history to help shape and express in their works. Writing styles are also affected by the current trends and opinions of the period they represent. By reading American

United States, 2006: a nation with a history of a mere 230 years, yet it stands as one of the most powerful nations in the world. Yet many of us know little about the history and cultural changes that led to the birth of this nation. We only know the bits and pieces that are taught as we sit daydreaming in our fifth grade classroom. The Puritans, the Pilgrims, Christopher Columbus, the Mayflower, we know about these people and things, yet what aspects of their lives created the change in America? The answer to this question can be found by observing the changes in religion, women's role, and colonial law as it brought about the change in the Puritan's cultural values.