The Puritan's Writing Style Of The Colonial Period

In the Puritan religion, one cannot love anything more than one loves God. In the case of John Winthrop, this edict became an issue. He did not want to abandon the Church of England as the separatists did, a decision which eventually led to the pilgrims starting their own new church. Winthrop wanted to purify the church; however, the government in England made this particularly hard and eventually this is what led to Winthrop leaving England for the New World to solve the Puritan Dilemma. The Puritan Dilemma was a figurative battle between the Church of England and the Puritan religion. It was also a real threat with opposing religions that would come and threaten the Puritans way of life. John Winthrop recognized these problems and sought to remedy them.

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).

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.

In September of 1620, the Mayflower full of Puritans not satisfied with the system of the Church of England and people referred to as “strangers” began their voyage (Desperate Crossing). A Puritan man named William Bradford was among the passengers of the Mayflower and wrote “Of Plymouth Plantation” throughout his odyssey. The use of plain style is effective in historical writing and in William Bradford’s “Of Plymouth Plantation” plain style did not affect the main details of their journey, but rather his bias when comparing the writing to Desperate Crossing: Untold Story of the Mayflower.

In the 1600’s the Puritans were the main religious group of that time period and they had very strong ideals on how religion and government should go together. Jonathan Edwards, who shared many of their ideals, preached a sermon called, “ Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and it had a very big impact on the congregation. Nathaniel Hawthorne, although he was a writer in the 1800’s, he was fascinated with the Puritans and their lifestyles and wrote a short story called, “ The Minister’s Black Veil.” Both authors use specific details, tone, and imagery to convey their meaning and style, Edwards harsh and accusatory style was more effective than Hawthorne’s melancholy and mysterious style because Edwards helps the reader understand the effects sin can have in one’s life.

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

The plainness of Puritan life and of Bradford’s style exemplifies the effects that his religion has on his writing. The Puritans removed anything that might distract them from their life’s devotion to God. For instance, they imposed strict dress codes upon their people, allowing only soft, muted colors, and they did not allow their children to play with toys. Instead, the children attended school – their education was focused primarily on theology – and worked from a young age. These practices compare to Bradford’s unornamented writing: “But to omit other things (that I may be brief) after long beating at sea they fell with that land which is called Cape Cod; the which being made

A religious group wanted to break away from England to practice and relish in their religion their own way. They were call the puritans and set sailed out to America for their religious reasons. With what little they had they believed strongly in God that he will help them out through everything they need. Religion being taken seriously as if it was a law was noticeable in two texts, William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, where religion over the years help the colonists and so forth help shape America’s identity.

The Puritans played a large role in early American history and society. Most Puritans escaped the tyrannical rule in England to gain religious freedom in America, which helped create an early American society. Not only did the Puritans help form the early American society and religion, they also contributed to the earliest stories and narratives to help create a rich literary history for America. Puritan literature has helped many scholars and readers learn about early American history. One of the most famous American narratives is from Mary Rowlandson, who was the wife of a Puritan Minister. Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narrative is about her story of how she was captured and treated by Native American captors. Throughout the

William Bradford wrote, ‘Of Plymouth Plantation’ written sometime between the years 1630-1651 serves as an historical account of the Pilgrims’ voyage and colonization in America. Bradford was born in England but became a separatist, and in 1620, sailed with his wife for America aboard the Mayflower in search of religious freedom. Bradford was a prominent member of the colony, even becoming governor for many years. His written account is still largely considered one the most important historical documents of the Colonization period. However, although viewed as an established historical piece, Bradford exhibits some bias in his historical accounts. His main purpose in writing the book was to convey his world-view/ideology of the Puritan lifestyle and to demonstrate his belief that the establishment of the colony was directly carried out according to God’s divine will. His religious beliefs were demonstrated in the language of the text through the use of a plain-style, third person narrative writing along with his use of biblical illustrations.

The colonial period in the United States all started when people starting immigrating to Boston in the 1630s. With high articulation of Puritan cultural ideas, the New England colonies have been regarded as the center of early American literature. In class we only talked about a few of the writing throughout the period but in this paper, I am going to tell you about the colonial period as a whole.

Puritan values, ideas, and beliefs are evident in the works of Anne Bradstreet, William Bradford, and Jonathan Edwards. Through her poetry, Bradstreet reveals her Puritan values and ideals. Bradstreet was aware of a woman’s role in Puritan society and tried to portray herself as a humble, pious, obedient, and modest wife. William Bradford’s work also encompasses beliefs, values, and ideas of Puritan life. One can see that in Bradford’s writing such as Of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford emphasizes Puritan suffering specifically through the Mayflower journey and how, with the grace of God, they prevailed. Jonathan Edwards’ work also displays Puritan beliefs, values, and ideals through the installation of fear. In an excerpt from Sinners in the

Faith has played an incredibly large role throughout all of American history. This is shown especially in early America when the Puritans settled in North America. Writing in this time period shows just how prominent faith is in this time period, as much of it directly alludes to the Bible. Throughout the time period writing and beliefs evolved. This is highly noticeable when comparing American poet Anne Bradstreet, and clergyman Jonathan Edwards. Bradstreet’s works include poems such as “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, and “Upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th, 1666” and while Edwards wrote many sermons, the most famous is “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. These works differ in many ways, but many comparisons and contrasts can be made in regards to writing style and beliefs presented in these works.

During the Age of Faith, the subject matter and writing styles were unusual. Puritans wrote about their

Early American literature may be said to begin with the Colonial period. John Smith and John Winthrop are two examples of the types of writing at this period: the former kept a romantic journal of his adventures in the New World; the latter kept a journal (or history) of life in New England, where religious matters were of utmost importance. The Puritans had come seeking a life free from religious persecution (which, they ironically brought with them however, as their descendent Nathaniel Hawthorne would show in The Scarlet Letter).