Colonial Period Study Guide for American Literature Essays

Colonial Period Study Guide for American Literature Essays Colonial Period Study Guide for American Literature Paper Colonial Period Study Guide for American Literature Paper Essay Topic: Anne Bradstreet Poems Bless Me Ultima I am Legend Novel In Love and Trouble Stories of Black Women 1. All literature was translated orally. This includes myths, legends, tales, lyrics, etc. 2. Theme – reverence for nature. Nature seen as both physical and spiritual mother. Nature alive with spiritual forces in the forms of animals and plants. Their totems (object or animal thought to have spiritual significance, becomes emblem of a emblem) reflect this. 3. Everyday words that come from Native Americans: canoe, tobacco, potato, and mouse. 4. Two most famous figures in Native American literature are Grandmother Spider and Coyote. The colonial period: The age of faith. The Puritans 1. The puritans are a group of people influenced by the Protestant Reformation. 2. Disillusioned with the Church of England because of link to royal family and worldliness of its members. 3. Wanted to purify the Church of England 4. Suffered prosecution from the English government 5. Heard about new world and decided God wanted them to go there and begin a new life. 6. Wanted to â€Å"build a city on a hill† for all the world to see their good works and glorify God 7. Valued education because people could read the bible for themselves 8. Interpreted the bible literally. 9. First puritans were called Pilgrims, because they felt like they were on a journey Puritan Literature * Purpose was to encourage people to worship God * Favored Plain Style of Writing, so that people easily understood. Ordinary and simple sentences and words. * Wrote diaries, histories, poems, religious texts, in order to promote their faith. * NO SHORT STORIES. They were novels because they were fiction. Themes of Literature * Life is a test. If one passes, heaven; if one fails; hell. * One’s work will demonstrate if one is destined for heaven. * Wealth and health are indicators of God’s blessing and approval * Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop; work hard and stay busy to avoid the devil. A Puritan Must†¦ * Hear the bible preached * Keep a diary * Get a basic education * Marry * Be nosey in order to help others stay on the right track John Smith accomplishments * Led first successful English colony in America * Founded Jamestown in 1607 * Helped obtain food, enforce discipline, and deal with Native Americans William Bradford accomplishments * Helped lead Pilgrims to what is now Massachusetts * Became governor of his colony * Was reelected 30 times. * Organized repayment of debt * Instituted town meeting within colonies * Established good relations with Native Americans Smith vs. Bradford accounts * Both told in 3rd person * Smith seems cocky and full of himself. * Uses words like â€Å"bearing the greatest task† and â€Å"fair promises† * Continually calls Native Americans â€Å"savages† * Seems ignorant, even at end he still calls them savages * Bradford conveys positive messages * No matter difference between people, bonds can be established, and mean good for everyone * Treats them more like people * Communicated well with Native Americans. Of Plymouth Plantation is written by Bradford, and covers the story of the Pilgrim’s journey, including their journey on the Mayflower and their settlement in the new world. Accomplishments of Anne Bradstreet * Wrote poems about rights of women to learn/express themselves * These poems got published by a family member back in England Anne Bradstreet loved her husband, and considered it more valuable than wealth and that their love is eternal, and after life. John Edwards’ famous sermon: Sinners in the Hands of a Gracious God He uses metaphors to show man’s reliance on God. He shows how fragile man’s ties to life and salvation are without the help of God He refers to sin as â€Å"bitter and poisonous fruit† and â€Å"grapes of Sodom† Edward Taylor’s â€Å"Huswifery’s† extended metaphor compares life to a spinning wheel, and expresses his desire for God’s grace. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible because it dealt with unwarranted persecution, in connection to the red scare of 1950’s, in which artists such as him were accused of communist ties, due to fear (just as the witch trials were due to fear, no evidence) Sentences must have a subject, verb, and a complete thought. Static – doesn’t change. Dynamic – does change John Proctor A local farmer who lives just outside town; Elizabeth Proctor’s husband; commits adultery with Abigail Abigail Williams Reverend Parris’s niece. Abigail was once the servant for the Proctor household, but Elizabeth Proctor fired her after she discovered that Abigail was having an affair with her husband Reverend John Hale A minister reputed to be an expert on witchcraft. Reverend Hale is called in to Salem to examine Parris’s daughter Betty. His arrival sets the hysteria in motion, although he later regrets his actions and attempts to save the lives of those accused. Elizabeth Proctor John Proctor’s wife. Reverend Parris The minister of Salem’s church. Reverend Parris is a paranoid, power-hungry, yet oddly self-pitying figure. Many of the townsfolk, especially John Proctor, dislike him, and Parris is very concerned with building his position in the community. Rebecca Nurse Francis Nurse’s wife. Rebecca is a wise, sensible, and upright woman, held in tremendous regard by most of the Salem community. However, she falls victim to the hysteria when the Putnams accuse her of witchcraft and she refuses to confess. Judge Danforth The deputy governor of Massachusetts and the presiding judge at the witch trials. Honest and scrupu-lous, at least in his own mind, Danforth is convinced that he is doing right in rooting out witchcraft. Remains static. Giles Corey An elderly but feisty farmer in Salem, famous for his tendency to file lawsuits. Giles’s wife, Martha, is accused of witchcraft, and he himself is eventually held in contempt of court and pressed to death with large stones. Gets wife in trouble for saying he couldn’t pray while she read. Thomas Putnam A wealthy, influential citizen of Salem, Putnam holds a grudge against Francis Nurse. He uses the witch trials to increase his own wealth by accusing people of witchcraft and then buying up their land. Ann Putnam Thomas Putnam’s wife. Ann Putnam has given birth to eight children, but only Ruth Putnam survived. The other seven died before they were a day old, and Ann is convinced that they were murdered by supernatural means. Tituba Reverend Parris’s black slave from Barbados. Tituba agrees to perform voodoo at Abigail’s request. Betty Parris Reverend Parris’s ten-year-old daughter. Betty falls into a strange stupor after Parris catches her and the other girls dancing in the forest with Tituba. Her illness and that of Ruth Putnam fuel the first rumors of witchcraft. Mary Warren The servant in the Proctor household and a member of Abigail’s group of girls. She is easily influenced by those around her, who tried unsuccessfully to expose the hoax and ultimately recanted her confession. Dynamic, actually tries to confess at end. Mercy Lewis One of the girls in Abigail’s group.