Edward Taylor's "Upon a Spider" poem uses metaphors and symbolism to set up the anthropology of the colonial era. The poem describes the spider as a lowly creature that can still create a web reflecting God's glory, suggesting a pathway to the colonial era. In the fourth paragraph, Taylor uses a spider's web as a metaphor to illustrate the idea of small creatures having power and authority over their domains, a key theme in colonial-era anthropology. Taylor's poem "Upon a Spider" uses religious imagery, metaphor, and symbolism to emphasize the interconnectedness of all creation, the potential for violence in small creatures, and the power of even the lowliest beings to control their environment. Anne Bradstreet's poem "Verses Upon Our Burning …show more content…
Specifically, he claims that living a virtuous life not only benefits the individual but also contributes to the greater good of society as a whole. Franklin's sermon focuses on 13 virtues that one must follow to live a virtuous life. Virtues included temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. As Franklin states, "It will be necessary for me to be a little more particular”. His attention to detail specifies outlining the virtues and underscores the importance of living a virtuous life. Overall, both Bradstreet's poem and Franklin's sermon highlight the importance of religious faith and moral principles in shaping the colonial era despite their different …show more content…
As he wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This statement emphasized the value of independent freedom, which became the main theme of the Enlightenment era. Additionally, Jefferson's words, "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed," highlights the importance of democracy and the power of the people, which also became a primary theme in the Enlightenment. Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance" played a major role in setting up the realist era. As he wrote, "Society everywhere is in a conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members," he spotlighted the importance of individualism and relying on oneself. This idea influenced the works of realist writers like Mark Twain. In addition, the theme of democracy and Costen