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Short note on puritan literature
Puritan Literature in america
Short note on puritan literature
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Did you know that you had to believe in God and the Devil and if you only believed in the devil they considered you as a witch. In 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts people were accused of witchcraft and some were hanged. A respected man named Cotton Mather wrote something about devils and witches walking the earth.
Puritans molded their identity through multiple literary expressions such as sermons, exhortations, statements, and declarations. The effect of the printing press promoted the emerging of national identity that was based on writing and
About 124 years ago today, an important woman arrived at our colony, her name was Anne Hutchinson. She was one of our founders and a significant figure, not only known in this colony. Anne had a different interpretation of the Bible, this was against the Puritan rule in Massachusetts, and that’s why she was exiled to Rhode Island. While she lived in Massachusetts, Anne was recognized for holding church meetings in her own home. This was because of the way she interpreted the Bible.
They wanted to create pure, moral Christian society based on moral living. By hard working, integration of religion in politics, and social development of certain lifestyle practices, Puritans had a large influence on the development of the New England colonies from 1630s through the 1660s. Puritans believed in hard work as the pathway of success since they thought they were favored by God to succeed (Doc I). They tried to shun idleness and believed that being lazy is not profitable (Doc C).
The Puritans believed God had formed an agreement with them, so they were concerned with moral behavior. The Puritans believed they were suppose to set a good example for people to change their sinful ways. When authors write about a evil or immoral character they may make the reader react more sympathetically than usual. They may do this by adding other evil characters
The Puritan’s voyage to the New World was recorded in “Of Plymouth Plantation” by William Bradford. The Puritans made this voyage to escape the persecution they were facing in Europe and in hopes of starting a new life that would exert their right to religious freedom. The Puritans believed God’s active and persistent “hand” was present in all aspects of their lives. It was the grace of God that was the sole explanation of every daily occurrence or event. God created everything and therefore he played a significant role in the lives of the Puritans.
In early America, the Puritan religion was a driving point in building our culture. The Puritans were extremely neat and strict; so much that they were not very focused on the importance of their religion. Johnathan Edwards, the author of the sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” believed that New Englanders were too concerned with other worldly matters. When he noticed the separation of his religion, he wrote and delivered his most famous speech. It was a dark and powerful sermon, delivered to multiple churches in New England.
Both Bradstreet and Edwards are puritan writers, they are both believe in a higher more powerful God. In their writings “Upon the Burning of Our House”, by Anne Bradstreet and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, by Jonathan Edwards they both talk about the higher being of God. They both are powerful writers and have a way of getting their points across, but they do it differently. They are both great writers and even though they have different religious views and different writing styles both of their poems, “Upon the Burning of Our House” by Anne Bradstreet and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards, have the same goal of converting people.
In this essay, I will analyze the poem Verses Upon the Burning of Our House (July 10th, 1666) by Anne Bradstreet, a puritan who most critics consider to be America’s first “authentic poet. The poem is based on a true story as Anne’s house really did burn down and illustrates her meditations on this event, the pain she felt after losing her home and the effect it had on her faith. The main theme is Anne’s struggle to not become attached to material things. I will begin by explaining the rhyme, style, and tone of the poem, continue by explaining which literary devices and interesting features we can find and the effect they have on the reader, then I will analyze the poem and finally I will give a brief conclusion. Verses Upon the Burning of Our House is a poem written in couplets in iambic tetrameter scheme which makes the story flow nicely.
In many respects the American Character has been shaped by the moral, ethic, and religious convictions of the English Puritans. The Bible provided a model for Puritan writing, because the people holding the power in the government based there authority on religious tenets, their polictical views were sometimes uncompromising and harsh. The founding of a new society in North America was a business venture as well as a spiritual world were closely intertwined. Well into the sixteenth century many priest were barely literate and often very poor.
The ideas constructed by the Puritans were not simply a principal starting point for American culture because they were the first in the country, but because they offered distinct ways of thinking that are still deep-seated in our culture today. Although many of the ideas of Puritans have evolved or vanished over time, it is important to give credit to the Puritan writers and thinkers such as John Winthrop and John Cotton who offered ideas that were new at the time and that stayed with the American consciousness—culturally, socially, and politically. “John Winthrop's legacy can be seen primarily in the fields of government, commerce, and religion. It was religion that would most impact John's life; his religion would ultimately impact the
During the colonial period many settlers came to the New World to escape persecution for their Puritan beliefs. Writers such as William Bradford, John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, and Mary Rowlandson all shared their experiences and religious devotion throughout their literature that ultimately inspired and influenced settlers to follow. This essay will discuss the similarities in Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson’s work as they both describe their experiences as signs from God. Anne Bradstreet came to the New World as a devoted Puritan as she repeatedly talked about it in her poetry. In her poems she discusses many tragedies that happened in her life such as; the burning of her house and the death of her two grandchildren all of which she thinks were signs from God.
The effect of Puritanism on colonial writing is apparent in the works of many writers from the era. Some of the prominent Puritan writers were Jonathan Edwards, William Bradford, Richard Baxter, Stephen Charnock, Cotton Mather, Anne Bradstreet and many more. The Puritans strict belief system had a wide range of effects on the colonies and even contributed to a dark time in American history. The 1692 Salem witch trials are well-documented events that reflect how the Puritan doctrine influenced social life. In fact some scholars believe that Cotton Mather, a prominent Puritan author, contributed to the conduct of the witch trials.
Puritans are a people with a very strong belief in both God and the power of God. When people see power, they interpret it in different ways. Some know of power through anger and impulse, while others see power through the goodness the powerful one shows. Although Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards are both puritan poets, their writings convey mainly different, though sometimes similar, views on God because they have different perceptions of His will and the use of His power. Anne Bradstreet listens to and accepts anything that God wishes, and that is shown through her poem Upon the Burning of my House.
As children, people have silly fears. However, when they grow old their fears develop and change. In the puritan era much of the literature written was tied in with fear. The puritans were a godly people, always living according to The Bible. During the literary puritan, era the theme of fear evolves from the fear of God to the fear of reputation.