Of Plymouth Plantation
Reflection
America was started by the British that came here on very large boats. The people on these boats had to deal with harsh living conditions and seasickness. The people that lived on these ships are brave, brave people and endured everything. They finally reached their new home at Cape Cod. It was very touching to read the hardships that the settlers had to go through just to have a new life outside of England. All these poor people had was a strong belief in their god to keep them going. In the end it was all they need because they eventually reached their new land. Some stayed homeless sadly, but it was still worth it to escape their old, tyrannical home.
Diary
It is so hard to live on this ship. The people are crud, seas shake us side to side, and my wife has been vomiting for many a day now. My kids and I worry about her well being, I just hope the human rats don’t get to her. We should be reaching the shore of the New World very soon. My kids are so excited to be off this ship. I think I can see the shore right now. My family and I are glad to have reached Cape Cod. Life is simple now because we no longer have a kind except God. Some of the crud people on the ship died from disease or became homeless here. God finally smiles upon my family and me, my kids get to play in the grass, my wife is able to cook, clean, and rest, and I have the opportunity to enjoy our new land. Life is finally very good.
Anne Bradstreet
Reflection
The one thing about Puritan literature is that everything is focused on God. The most common sayings include "thank you God" or "why God? why." Anne Bradstreet uses God very, very often to build up on her poems. Bradstreet worshipped God alot and accepts whatever happens based on God. It is her choice to be devoted to God and who is going to stop her?
God at that time was worshipped by nearly everyone. This type of poetry was highly respected and highly read. In these days, most people don't read these kinds of poems anymore. But for its time, it brought alot of insight into God.
Diary
Mrs. Bradstreet is such an inspiration to us all. She tells us why God is a great person and how divine he truly is. She has showed me and my family how gracious God is and how he always has a reason. It is so good that the young people have someone like Anne to look up to. I truly support her message. It must have been really hard for her. My kids and I really enjoy the poems of Anne Bradstreet and we find her writings to be influential and helpful to others. The fool should have been a nun, not a poet. It is so effortless to believe in God with such a woman as Anne. I wish I was great as her. Life is too short for you to not give yourself to God almighty.
Huswifery
Reflection
This poem is a great example of Puritan literature. It shows how people felt about God and how much they loved God. God gave hope to everyone so that they might be forgiven for anything they might have done. God was even more loved at that time then ever before. This was mainly just a simple prayer.
Personally I'm very far a religious person, but besides that, I think that it is great that people have someone such as God to look up to. God gives people hope about events around them. God can actually give people answer or just things that they want to hear. In that sense, be having God's "grace", you will always be saved.
Diary
It is so nice to see the young people respect the name of the lord. I haven't seen anything like in three decades. Back in Europe, there were actually people who thought the king was God. Such foolishness is so ludacris, it is unethical. But now, it is clear who the lord really is. Some people were just blinded back then, but now it is clear to most who the lord really is. It is nice to live in this bright new land. I hope others feel the same as i do, so happy to have this freedom in this new land. It is a great feeling to be free from everything.
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God!
Reflection
This Preacher speaks highly of the God he worships. He refers to him as angry in order to scare people into what he believes to be true. In sort of works, but he fails to show ay sign of kindness towards other religions. His loyalty is blinding him from accepting anyone else’s religious views; instead he contradicts everyone and says that his God is truly “the” God. In his time it might have been alright but that kind of talk in today’s world is poison to the average mind.
People back then should have been as free with religion as we are today. Besides that, that kind of preaching can lead to severe conflict in this day and age. What if someone said that in the middle of a Hindu prayer group? It is easy to see that it would not go over so well. Also it makes the person think: “What if he doesn’t exist? Than am I praying for nothing? But what if he is real? If I disobey him, will he strike me where I stand?” No one in the world needs to question him or herself that much.
Diary
I am so afraid right now. I am still undecided about if God does or does not exist. It feels like if I say he does not exist and he does, I will be killed by his hand. On the other hand, if he isn't real and I think he is, then I'm just a brainless fool of the highest caliber. There is no way I'm going to be able to sleep at night knowing that I might have angered God. Oh what to do, oh what to do. Thinking upon it, it would be better to look foolish than to die at the hands of an angry man. It was said that God punished Jerusalem so why can't he do the same here? If we refuse to believe then we can all be grave danger. Is it really a risk worth taking? For me, the answer is it is not worth taking the risk.
Essential Question
When the American Dream of an entire culture or religion is faced with conflict, how will it change the community around that dream?
When faced with conflict, the Puritan's would attempt to scare people back into their religion. It may not be ethical, but they still chose to do it. It kept people together but, they pretty much had to follow the same religion or the peace would be gone.
American Dream: Slave Narrative
Reflection
To see people go through such problems is very hard to look at. In most cases people avoid the issue or don't go through it. The African-American community has suffered more than anyone else. They had to go through decades of slavery and even more decades of discrimination. Life certainly has been easy for them.
Us on the other hand have had it descently easy and yet some think that we have had it worse. To those some, you are crazy for everyone has had it harder than us white people. I also hate people try to act like they know their struggle when they don't have any idea. It is insuting to us smart white people.
Diary
It is so hard to be working at my age. First it was that accursed boat ride where i was taken from my home and left here to work myself to death. I'm tired of this cotten field and I am tired of my master. My hands are cut and bruised and my spirit is broken. I can't handle this anymore. I just to be laid to rest. I wish that someday my family can acheive my dream and be free of this treatment. No one deserves this kind of abuse from any man.
Essential Question
When the American Dream of an entire culture or religion is faced with conflict, how will it change the community around that dream?
The American Dream of the average African-American slave was to have freedom and rights while the dream of the white men was to have free workers and to get easy money. The white men took advantage of African-Americans and took them from their homes so that they could work here for no pay, which empowered the white man dream but at the same time took away the African-American dream.
To see people go through such problems is very hard to look at. In most cases people avoid the issue or don't go through it. The African-American community has suffered more than anyone else. They had to go through decades of slavery and even more decades of discrimination. Life certainly has been easy for them.
Us on the other hand have had it descently easy and yet some think that we have had it worse. To those some, you are crazy for everyone has had it harder than us white people. I also hate people try to act like they know their struggle when they don't have any idea. It is insuting to us smart white people.
Diary
It is so hard to be working at my age. First it was that accursed boat ride where i was taken from my home and left here to work myself to death. I'm tired of this cotten field and I am tired of my master. My hands are cut and bruised and my spirit is broken. I can't handle this anymore. I just to be laid to rest. I wish that someday my family can acheive my dream and be free of this treatment. No one deserves this kind of abuse from any man.
Essential Question
When the American Dream of an entire culture or religion is faced with conflict, how will it change the community around that dream?
The American Dream of the average African-American slave was to have freedom and rights while the dream of the white men was to have free workers and to get easy money. The white men took advantage of African-Americans and took them from their homes so that they could work here for no pay, which empowered the white man dream but at the same time took away the African-American dream.
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