William Bradford Research Paper

The author John Smith, a pilgrim who arrived to the Americas, wrote a description of the new land in his book “ A Description of New England ”. In this book Smith shows a wonderful world of vast food and pleasure. Also, William Bradford another pilgrim who arrived to Plymouth on the coast of Massachusetts, wrote a book called “ Of Plymouth Plantation ” in which he describes what really happened, how the pilgrims actually lived. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast both authors and their books. John Smith wrote about the wonderful place the New World was, on the other hand, William Bradford wrote about the realities and difficulties of the New World.

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.

The language Bradford uses in his excerpt is very effective towards his audience as in the use of pathos and different point of views. The main reason and purpose for his whole writing is to tell the history of the plymouth plantation, and the daily struggles of the pilgrims. With this said it could be concluded that the point of view of Bradford could be affected or altered. The point of view in this excerpt is first person which is told on the view of Bradford himself. He himself sees what is happening from his perspective which would make his writing more thorough and accurate. Since his writing would be more detailed it affects the audience differently as his point of view is now broader and give the audience a sense of current situation.

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

Dunbar and Randall both use interesting imagery in their poems to display how the character truly feels. In the “Ballad of Birmingham,” stanzas

Once Smith and Bradford arrive in America, the difference in their use of religion in their writings is more evident. John Smith hardly writes of religion and its impact on daily life again. His narrative is focused more on the relations of the settlers, the Indians, and the adventures that ensue. His use of religion is merely used to explain what he cannot. Smith writes “But now was 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 heart of the savages that they brought such plenty on their fruits and provision as no man wanted.”(30). In this example, Smith does not understand why the savages have brought them food and saved them from starvation. So his explanation is that God must have intervened the situation. Bradford uses religion to analyze almost all situations in daily life. His opinions of Thomas Morton and Merrymount illustrate this. Bradford writes “...some tending to a lasciviousness, and other to the detraction and scandal of some persons, which he affixed to this idle or idol maypole…and here I may take occasion to bewail the mischief that this wicked man began in these parts, and which since, base covetousness prevailing in men that should know better, has now at length got the upper

William Bradford and John Smith were both early American writers; however, their writing styles were very different. They began writing around the same time with Smith starting in 1608 and Bradford starting in 1630. Smith wrote three books: A Description of New England, The General History, and A True Relation. However, Bradford wrote only one book called Of Plymouth Plantation. Bradford’s writing style is easy to read but still well written. Smith’s writing, on the other hand, is difficult to follow. In Smith’s The General History, he expresses that he has a low regard for the Native Americans in the way he frequently refers to them as savages. On the other hand, Bradford demonstrates a high regard for them when he wrote about them helping the Plymouth settlement. Just as their writing styles are different, so are their motives for writing. Bradford wrote because he did not want the Plymouth Plantation settlement to be forgotten, whereas Smith wrote for money and to promote exploration of the New World. The theme of Smith’s writing was very secular, even

As evident by the title of this poem, imagery is a strong technique used in this poem as the author describes with great detail his journey through a sawmill town. This technique is used most in the following phrases: “...down a tilting road, into a distant valley.” And “The sawmill towns, bare hamlets built of boards with perhaps a store”. This has the effect of creating an image in the reader’s mind and making the poem even more real.

Political advocacy organizations have historically played a big part in securing political rights for minority groups in Western Liberal Democracies. Whether we look to the now infamous Boston Tea Party to the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, we observe the importance of political organizations in their quest to ensure equitable rights for the people whom they represent. In context of the early twentieth century, the most prominent group to represent African-American’s in the United States was that of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP, as it is more commonly called, was founded on February 12, 1909 by a mixed group of individuals including but not limited to Ida B. Wells, W. E. B. DuBois and Archibald Grimké with the goal of creating a civil rights organization that would help assist in organizing for civil rights for blacks. One of its most prominent members, Charles Hamilton Houston, who became a part of the organization around the mid-twentieth century, changed the trajectory of the organization for years to come. Hence this essay

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.

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

William Bradford is the epitome of somebody who never intended to become the person he became, never seeking out leadership, or fame, he just wanted to help his fellow man live a