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Walt Whitman's A Model Of Christian Charity

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John Winthrop's sermon “A Model of Christian Charity” takes the form of a biblical scripture to highlight his imagined community that is controlled by God. Winthrop uses the methods of a lawyer in which he asks and answers his questions to create a more serious tone. Two hundred years later in “Song of Myself,” Walt Whitman creates a speaker who takes the form of a lively observer that goes through a list of guidelines for a new and much different community. Whitman is using his own vision of society as a lens through which Winthrop's sermon can be compared. Despite both individuals agreeing to have a community with set guidelines; Winthrop idealizes a nation run by a superior being and Whitman believes that society should be made up of individualism and equality. “A Model of Christian Charity” establishes a representation of a community working together, rather than, working by themselves. With the help of …show more content…

By having the voice of everyone in the community, the speaker sees no need for the voice of God. Individuals form their community based off of their own needs. Whitman characterizes the speaker as a man who has “suffered” and “was there”... [He is] a hounded slave that flags in the race and leans by the fence, blowing and covered with sweat” (Whitman 1538, lines 826-831). By showing this depiction, Whitman argues that the speaker needs to see himself as one with the lower class. The idea of everyone being equal with each other is vital to the success of the community. Whitman’s notion of equality suggest that everyone plays a vital role in society, even the poor or the disabled. Because of this, they should all be equal as their decisions, judgement and perception affect the community in the same way. The “I” within the poem expands across all nations, all workers and all races. Whitman furthermore goes on to explain the inclusiveness he mentions throughout the poem. The speaker argues

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294 Words | 2 Pages

John Winthrop book “A Model of Christian Charity” was a very interesting piece to read. This was one of his most famous pieces of work by Winthrop and I like that he wrote this and his journal on the ship he was on in 1630. I admired this piece because it was well thought out, and is respected by many people for centuries. His goal was to help past and future people for a better strong, new society in which he hopes will succeed. Also, he would combine pieces from the bible into his work that would help show them what he was trying to say, and Winthrop gave people with reading his book, answers to their questions.

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503 Words | 3 Pages

In his poem, “I hear America Singing”, Whitman describes workers as they go about daily tasks, singing while they work, “The carpenter singing[…] / The mason singing[…] / The boatman singing[…] / The shoemaker singing” (Whitman, lines 3-6). He uses anaphora to emphasize that despite their different jobs and backgrounds, the workers are part of a larger community. This pattern of repetition highlights the interconnectedness of these workers, along with their collective contribution to American society. Whitman is suggesting that America is made up of a diverse group of people, all of whom contribute to society

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548 Words | 3 Pages

The novel The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, narrates the story of the Joad family’s attempts to survive. The Joads were forced off their property that the family had owned for more than two generations. Tom Joad, the main character, is paroled from jail for homicide. Tom travels home, to find his family, whom he had to leave behind, after murdering another man.

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He portrays this message by giving descriptions of different kinds of people and their occupations. An example of this is the line, “I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, / Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong” (Whitman 1-2). The “carols” mentioned in the quote represent the occupations and the mechanic described is an example of one of the many types of workers in America. This poem is different than “America” by Claude McKay because rather than presenting both the positives and negatives of America, Whitman only discusses the positives. Whitman’s writing differs from McKay’s because Whitman only shows one side of the topic.

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John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity” was a sermon spoken to the English immigrants/settlers, from the island of Great Brittaine, coming to America, the audience/people receiving his ideas were called puritans. A major reason for the English to colonize America was due to religious freedom, Winthrop believed God put a selected few on the boats going toward America to carry out his message and spread charity. He believed giving to the people who needed help, would also help the community not just the poor. In addition, there were many different groups of people that were on the ship during John’s sermon that gained a sense of unity.

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Katherine Suarez History 2104 Professor. Rasmussen February 27, 2017 “A Model of Christian Charity” The private and public decisions of States United States, are dominated and determined by two persistent key questions. In first place, how do we create and maintain a marriage harmonious relationship between religious values and ideals? Second, how do we preserve the freedom, which includes religious freedom.

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The tone of the sermon is persuasive and inspirational. Winthrop is addressing the settlers and encourages them to live according to Christian values and to work together for the good of the community. The tone is optimistic, hopeful, and exhortatory, as Winthrop seeks to inspire and motivate his listeners to act in accordance with his vision for the colony. Winthrop's vision is idealistic, emphasizing the importance of love, compassion, and charity in creating a harmonious and successful community, and its members must be willing to help one another in times of need. Winthrop also emphasized the importance of humility and selflessness in the community.

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Many people have ideas about the right kind of government or the perfect society. The Puritans were no different. In A Model of Christian Charity, John Winthrop presents his plan for a new settlement in biblical terms and models. This sermon based the government and lifestyle of the Massachusetts Bay Colony not on strict rules, but on love. Winthrop had the best of intentions.

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The wish to reach people is clear for both Whitman and Douglass. Whitman states throughout his poem that he is the voice of the world and also gives a sense of preaching and utters his feelings for all to hear him, in the first verse of “Song of Myself” he writes: “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume, you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you" (p. 1024 Baym & Levine S., 2013)

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Therefore the sermon given by John Winthrop is very powerful in the creation of the Massachusetts colony and provides the determination needed for it to succeed along with details on how to live and serve god the right way. The sermon helps establish the foundation for which the society should be build up on and how to make sure the society doesn’t walk away from the same beliefs and thereby ensuring its

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887 Words | 4 Pages

He says that “The spirit of God is the brother of my own,” meaning that God, the divine creator, the person who stresses, ‘Love thy neighbor,” is his brother, and all people’s brother which indirectly suggests that everyone love each other and take care of each other because we are family. Whitman then goes on, saying that while America is great, life is not perfect, as everyone face challenges and tough times in our lives, “It is not upon you alone the dark patches fall/ The dark threw its patches down upon me also,” (Whitman 12). He discusses the fact that while America is an ideal society where people love each other, life is not so perfect, as the hardships we face are difficult to overcome.

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1633 Words | 7 Pages

Throughout his poem, he constantly talks about the importance of coming together and merging. Whitman says, “I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (Whitman 1). On the surface, this quote may appear to illustrate that Whitman thinks highly of himself, but it is more than this. The last part of this quote emphasizes that we are all connected and even though we are all individuals, we should not forget that we are connected to one another. Whitman also says, “Urge and urge and urge, Always the procreant urge of the world.

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1353 Words | 6 Pages

In John Winthrop’s sermon, “A Model of Christian Charity”, Winthrop uses persuasive diction and figures of speech to reinforce his idea of a “city upon a hill,” which is having absolute unity and conformity in able for the colony to prosper, in which others will look to as an example for guidance. Throughout his sermon aboard the Arbella, Winthrop greatly emphasizes metaphors of unification, love, charity, and mercy. These metaphors help illustrate a beautiful sermon. Winthrop demonstrates metaphors of unification throughout his sermon, “A Model of Christian Charity.”

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1496 Words | 6 Pages

Among them was Whitman who would take a radical stand in affirming that American identity was complex from a country’s central principle of sovereignty and equality. This is

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1125 Words | 5 Pages

Walter Whitman was transcendentalist who believed in individual freedom and democracy and it definitely affected his poetry which is mainly focused on the ideas of democracy, equality, and brotherhood. For instance, in the poem Song of Myself, Whitman puts an emphasis on equality of all men and women. To him, all individuals are equal and all professions are equally honorable. In his interpretation, Whitman states that the freedom which is offered by democracy is for all should include all people, and not renounce those of other races, whether any social standings. This essay will focus on the main ideas presented in Whitman 's vision of equality in democracy in his Song of Myself.

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