In 1630, John Winthrop delivered his sermon “A Model of Christianity” on a boat filled with eager passenger’s longing for a new way of life, and on their way to the new world. In this sermon, Winthrop, who would eventually become governor of New England, outlined and set up what the ideals of Puritanism would entail and conveyed to his “noble flock” the notion of what they as a people would represent. “The Lord make it like that of of New England. For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill.” (158) Winthrop suggested that the eyes of the world would be on the passengers of the Arabella to set the example of “good” Christian behavior. He advocated the notions of hard work, fellowship, and community, and held these qualities in the upmost regard in building this “City upon a hill” community. He preached the ideology of Puritanism to a congregation of peoples breaking free from the hypocrisy and popery that religion represented in their previous life. In outlining the ideals of Puritanism, Winthrop considered three essential components; firstly a grace vs. works mentality, which made the individual achievement of grace impossible (grace was only given by God), secondly a typology indicating Gods presence in all events, and thirdly the idea of total depravity, which stated that all humans are born with original sin and in essence are all damned to hell. With this spiritual foundation in place, Winthrop and his newly formed community of Puritans established themselves, and embodied the outline of Christianity as presented. Though this seemingly utopian community did indeed succeed in many ways, it is also important to consider the individuals’ within the community who would have as well had a say in the construct of suc... ... middle of paper ... ...ized spirituality. If one presumes that Bradstreet didn’t intend on publication of her work, one must also understand that her work may be the foreground of progressive thought, which we see later historically, as the individual’s importance in the interpretation of spirituality becomes stressed. Perhaps, Bradstreet’s poems were a private contemplation and examination of herself in a society that she lived in but didn’t necessarily agree with. Perhaps her poems really are meant to directly criticize Winthrop’s “city on a hill mentality.” Whatever the case may be, the massage of contradiction becomes relevant in addressing her work and is something to fully consider while reading her words. Works Cited Franklin, Wayne, Philip F. Gura, and Arnold Krupat. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 7th ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007. Print.
In the 1700’s the Puritans left England for the fear of being persecuted. They moved to America for religious freedom. The Puritans lived from God’s laws. They did not depend as much on material things, and they had a simpler and conservative life. More than a hundred years later, the Puritan’s belief toward their church started to fade away. Some Puritans were not able to recognize their religion any longer, they felt that their congregations had grown too self-satisfied. They left their congregations, and their devotion to God gradually faded away. To rekindle the fervor that the early Puritans had, Jonathan Edwards and other Puritan ministers led a religious revival through New England. Edwards preached intense sermons that awakened his congregation to an awareness of their sins. With Edwards’ sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” he persuades the Puritans to convert back to Puritanism, by utilizing rhetorical strategies such as, imagery, loaded diction, and a threatening and fearful tone.
Bradstreet was a Puritan and was therefore raised with a simplistic view of the world. This, combined with the fact that she was a woman, carried over into her way of writing. Her writing style was not eloquent but plain, humble, and pleasant to read. Her poems dealt with topics such as faith, family, and adversity and were easy to understand. Bradstreet had great faith which she gained through the experiences she encountered in life.
She writes a letter to husband, almost instructing him on what to do after her death. Unlike other demure housewives of her time, she acknowledges the risk birthing her child brings by saying, “And when thy loss shall be repaid with gains / Look to my little babes, my dear remains” (107). Bradstreet also approaches a taboo subject by acknowledging that her husband might remarry. Bradstreet does not tread lightly on this subject either by writing, “And if thou love thyself, or loved’st me, / These o protect from step Dames injury” (107). In this poem, Bradstreet faces the possibility of not only the loss of her life but the loss of her husband’s love. Bradstreet challenges Puritan beliefs by showing that she will still be concerned with her earthly life after her
Religion was the foundation of the early Colonial American Puritan writings. Many of the early settlements were comprised of men and women who fled Europe in the face of persecution to come to a new land and worship according to their own will. Their beliefs were stalwartly rooted in the fact that God should be involved with all facets of their lives and constantly worshiped. These Puritans writings focused on their religious foundations related to their exodus from Europe and religions role in their life on the new continent. Their literature helped to proselytize the message of God and focused on hard work and strict adherence to religious principles, thus avoiding eternal damnation. These main themes are evident in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mathers, and John Winthrop. This paper will explore the writings of these three men and how their religious views shaped their literary works, styles, and their historical and political views.
...n American Literature. By Henry Louis. Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2004. 387-452. Print.
C] This file reflects the points of view of most Puritans who may call upon God for everything. They even commended God after an attack on an Indian town. [Doc. D] By looking at a town map of Puritan New England, it can be seen that the entire town revolves around the church. [Doc. B] There is a broad emphasis set on communitarianism instead of individuality. There was a meetinghouse set up with the ultimate objective of facilitated exertion and "democratic" fundamental administration. In a Puritan town, Political parts must be held by the people who had open changes and advanced toward winding up plainly "sacred individuals." Although there were town social affairs, they were by no means whatsoever, dominant part control; power was held by male property holders who were church people. This thought about a Puritan religious government over the long haul incited discontent. In John Cotton's "Control of Government" written in 1655 [Doc. H] he underlines that the vitality of government must be compelled. Close by a call for political adaptability, Roger William's "A Plea for Religious
In 1630, the Massachusetts Bay Company set sail to the New World in hope of reforming the Church of England. While crossing the Atlantic, John Winthrop, the puritan leader of the great migration, delivered perhaps the most famous sermon aboard the Arbella, entitled “A Model of Christian Charity.” Winthrop’s sermon gave hope to puritan immigrants to reform the Church of England and set an example for future immigrants. The Puritan’s was a goal to get rid of the offensive features that Catholicism left behind when the Protestant Reformation took place. Under Puritanism, there was a constant strain to devote your life to God and your neighbors. Unlike the old England, they wanted to prove that New England was a community of love and individual worship to God. Therefore, they created a covenant with God and would live their lives according to the covenant. Because of the covenant, Puritans tried to abide by God’s law and got rid of anything that opposed their way of life. Between 1630 and the 18th century, the Puritans tried to create a new society in New England by creating a covenant with God and living your life according to God’s rule, but in the end failed to reform the Church of England. By the mid 1630’s, threats to the Puritans such as Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, and Thomas Hooker were being banned from the Puritan community for their divergent beliefs. 20 years later, another problem arose with the children of church members and if they were to be granted full membership to the church. Because of these children, a Halfway Covenant was developed to make them “halfway” church members. And even more of a threat to the Puritan society was their notion that they were failing God, because of the belief that witches existed in 1692.
In the New World, colonies of Europeans were forming rapidly across the east coast. These colonies were seemingly founded on the ideas of oppression as well as dreams of wealth and glory, except for one particular group of religious colonists who dreamed of creating“the city upon the hill”. But who were these people and how did their ideas and beliefs affect Early America? In England a religious group of people known as the Puritans were finding themselves unhappy with the Anglican Church. The Puritans, numbered 102 men women and children, found themselves relocating to America and settling near Cape Cod in southeastern Massachusetts to escape the church and practice their own religion. Their mission was to build a society of independent farm
Bradstreet’s poetry is fully religious. Being a pious woman, as everyone was at that time period, she wrote poems claiming high morals and religious motifs. Her writings were very popular among puritans who started colonizing America. His Puritan belief was the reason of her special attitude to her life, soul and sufferings. “She thought that God was so hard on her because her soul was too in love with the world. She also wrote some poems where she asked God to watch over her children and husband” (Gonzalez, 2000).
Puritanism as a religion declined, both by diluting its core beliefs and by losing its members. This phenomenon was at work even in colonial days, at the religion’s height, because it contained destructive characteristics. It devolved into something barely recognizable in the course of a few generations. We can observe that the decline of Puritanism occurred because it bore within itself the seeds of its own destruction.
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