Reflection Blog: Of Plymouth Plantation

I thought that the story had some better detailed compared to the stories we read in the past. For being so short, there were quite a few descriptive words that were used, but overall the story was plain. The story was straight forward. Basically the author told you what happened and gave you a reaction, that was about it.

 I think that the story does a good job at reflection Puritan writing in a number of different ways. The first way I noticed right off the bat was how much the story talked about God. In the Puritan writing style, God is always the main focus. People could be dying, but the people in the story are always praying to God and glorifying him. When the pilgrims first step off of their ship and onto the land, they are so overwhelmed and happy that they drop down to their knees to pray and thank the Lord (Bradford 65). Even though when they were at sea the pilgrims were facing many troubles, they always had faith in God and trusted things were going to be okay. Voyages on the sea of the time period were very dangerous (Bradford 63). Obviously they did not have as much technology as we do now and had to rely on each other to make the ship truly work. The pilgrims believed that the sailing of the ship was pleasing to God, which was important to them (Bradford 64). One of the things that influenced the puritan style of writing was probably the change economically in the story (Reuben, Paul). Here, the pilgrims landed on Cape Cod and had to get along with the Indians already there (Bradford 64). At first they were so shocked the Indians spoke some English. The Indians were willing to make a pact, or set of laws with the pilgrims (Bradford 67). The economic change is an underlying theme of Puritan writing. The Puritans believed in a God who gives and takes away (Reuben, Paul). In the story the people represent that thought. When people were dying because of such a harsh winter, the survivors never gave up hope and they always looked up to God for support (Bradford 65).The Puritans believed that through suffering God was preparing their hearts to accept the grace and love he was giving to them. They really had no fears because they knew they had a place saved in heaven.

The one thing I like about the story is how it is split up. The first part of it talks strictly about the journey and the challenges they overcame. The second part of the story talks about the colony itself and how the people established it and got along with each other. Another example of the Puritan writing style is the work ethic established in the story (Reuben, Paul). The pilgrims and the Indians worked hard with each other so the colony would work. They made a set of laws to live by and each group worked to get along. The Puritan writing style was overall evident in the story once each part was broken down.

Bradford, William. Of Plymouth Plantation. Ed. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Glencoe Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 65. Print.

"Before You Read." Introduction. Meet William Bradford. American Literature ed. Columbus: Glencoe Literature, 2009. 62-63. Print.

Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 1: Early American Literature to1700 - A Brief Introduction." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. WWW URL: http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap1/1intro.html. 12 Oct. 2011.