Compare and Contrast:
We’ve all heard the phrase “Burn the witch!” And we probably even laughed at it. But this phrase holds a very grim meaning, and once was used in solemn. The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare, portrays the times when this phrase was not used lightheartedly, and how, as well as what happens when, someone is accused of witchcraft.
The story of The Witch of Blackbird Pond follows a young woman, Kit Tyler, who grew up in a loose, tropical environment, on her journey to adjust to her new life on the bleak shores of the Connecticut Colony. She faces many challenges when she moves in with her stern, Puritan relatives, and their community. She has a hard time adjusting to this new lifestyle, which was very
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It shows us what life was like living in a Puritan town, and it’s from the view of an outsider. The Puritans are portrayed very well in this story, and it specifically focuses on their lifestyle, which is described as being rather plain and even drab. They worked hard, though, and always kept their faith. People tend to think of Puritans as dull and stern, which has some truth to it. They weren’t the type of people to throw a bunch of parties and drink all night. But they were hard working, and they didn’t go without celebration. The story actually also shows us the fun side of the Puritans, at least as fun as they could get, and describes some games they would play, and even has a portrayal of some sort of celebration where people brought food to share. The novel shows their sense of community, which is something that people don’t realize. The Puritans had a tightly woven community, and were always there for each other. Unless you were accused of witchcraft, as the main character is in the novel. Then the whole community will turn against you, even your family in some …show more content…
But the ones that I did catch concern the Connecticut Charter. The first was made in Chapter 7, when Mathew Wood references King Charles II giving Connecticut a charter 25 years prior to the events of the novel. This reference is historically backed. King Charles II did, in fact, issue a charter to Connecticut that granted them freedom to establish their own government in 1662, which is 25 years before the events mentioned in this novel. The next event referenced, which is made in the same chapter, is how King James II went back on his brothers pledge, which is also historically accurate. When King James II succeeded his brother, he established the Dominion of New England, in which he revoked all of the charters of the New England colonies and merged the colonies into the Dominion of New England. Early in chapter 6, Reverend Bulkeley makes a reference to Governor Andros being appointed by King James II, which is historically accurate. Sir Edmund Andros was appointed by King James II to serve as governor of the Dominion of New England, and to revoke the colonists charters. The final piece of history referenced was the hiding of the Connecticut Charter. Though this is technically considered a legend, the event is firmly believed to have happened. The legend states that at the General Assembly meeting in Hartford where Governor Andros announced the revocation of the charter, the