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The portrail of religion in early american literature
The portrail of religion in early american literature
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In this unit, I found that the early American writers wrote about many values in different ways. The values that the American writers used are piety, courage, and industry. Each of the pieces that I read had to do with piety. I learned that piety was very important when the Early Americans came to the New World. Winthrop talked about how it was morally right to keep a relationship with God. He, also, talked about how if you failed to keep a relationship with God, it would lead to a withdrawal of his protection. Winthrop also said that survival depended on your relationship with God. Edwards talks about how if you haven’t experienced an inward renewal or “awakening”, you are consider a servant of the Devil. It’s important to have piety because
When one is young they must learn from their parents how to behave. A child's parents impose society's unspoken rules in hope that one day their child will inuitivly decerne wrong from right and make decisions based on their own judgment. These moral and ethical decisions will affect one for their entire life. In Mark Twains, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is faced with the decision of choosing to regard all he has been taught to save a friend, or listen and obey the morals that he has been raised with. In making his decision he is able to look at the situation maturely and grow to understand the moral imbalances society has. Hucks' decisions show his integrity and strength as a person to choose what his heart tells him to do, over his head.
As America slowly began molding into the creases of different values and cultures, so did its literature. One trait that had always been securing itself within the lines of these literary texts was the protagonists’ naivety. Theses characters typically established an intention to do good things, but eventually fail due to tumbling upon tempting obstacles and falling into the trance of distractions. An example of this situation occurred long ago during the 16th and 17th century. A cult of English Protestants known as Puritans aimed to “purify” the Church of England by excreting all evidence of its descent in the Roman Catholic Church. The Puritans enforced strict religious practices upon its believers and regarded all pleasure and luxury as wicked or sacrilegious. Although their “holy” cond...
Two of the most important authors of early America are Thomas Paine and St. John de Crevecoeur. De Crevecoeur in his work “Letters from an American Farmer” set forth in simplest terms just exactly what it was that people who were immigrating to the American colonies could expect. His words and thoughts still define how many think of America today even if they don’t know that the words are his. Thomas Paine was a firebrand that wrote perhaps the most important of the pre-Revolution tracts in “Common Sense”. His analytical style in addressing the problems that were obviously there between the thirteen colonies and
Compare and Contrast A Description of New England and A Model of Christian Charity Mankind can be conceived in interesting ways by analyzing the writings of John Smith and John Winthrop. As I read through John Smith‘s “A Description of New England” and John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity,” it became evident to me that the two readings had similar and different viewpoints of the essential nature of man. Throughout my paper, I will compare their similar beliefs of community and diversity of people and completely contrast their ideas of emphasis on religion and relationships with enemies. Both authors stress a sense of community and diversity in order to survive in America.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, mainly known as Mark Twain, was an American autho who shaped the country through his literary works. Twain’s childhood influenced his best works by giving him great stories and the right experience. His early life was key in developing his writing. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was shaped by his early experiences. Huck and Jim’s adventure illustrates the irony of the “peculiar institution” in the South. Ten years later, Twain wrote Puddn’Head Wilson, which further explored slavery. Mark Twain’s early life paved the way for his future success and influenced his best works, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Puddn’Head Wilson.
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.
Throughout history, women have struggled with, and fought against oppression. They have been held back and weighed down by the sexist ideas of a male dominated society which has controlled cultural, economic and political ideas and structure. During the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s women became more vocal and rebuked sexism and the role that had been defined for them. Fighting with the powerful written word, women sought a voice, equality amongst men and an identity outside of their family. In many literary writings, especially by women, during the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s, we see symbols of oppression and the search for gender equality in society. Writing based on their own experiences, had it not been for the works of Susan Glaspell, Kate Chopin, and similar feminist authors of their time, we may not have seen a reform movement to improve gender roles in a culture in which women had been overshadowed by men.
Writers throughout history have always influenced or have been influenced by the era that which they live in. Many famous authors arose during The Age of Discovery and The Romantic Period all of whom had very distinctive writing styles that held true to their era. To find the differences between the two eras, it is important to understand the era at which time the literature was wrote, the writing style, and the subject matter.
Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn In 1884, Mark Twain wrote one of the most controversial and remembered novels in the world of literature, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain was the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He was born in Florida, Missouri, Nov. 30, 1835. Twain was one of six children.
Nelle Harper Lee, the famous author of the worldwide bestseller To Kill a Mockingbird, was born April 28th, 1926, to Amasa Coleman (a lawyer) and Frances Lee. At the time, the family lived in Monroeville, Alabama. Harper’s family was somewhat wealthy, and they lived in upper middle class society most of their lives. Harper’s birth name, Nelle, was her grandmother’s spelled backwards (Ellen). However, in her publications, she took her middle name, Harper, to avoid being known as “Nellie”. But what numerous people have never heard - and many would be shocked to know - is that one windy, rainy night, Harper threw all her unpublished manuscripts of To Kill a Mockingbird out the window! Fortunately, she soon realized what she had done, and called over her editor, Tay Hohoff, to assist her. Hohoff sent her out in the snow and slush to retrieve her pages, which luckily had not fallen far away. But one would wonder: what would have happened if she had done the same on a slightly windier night?
One of the major themes is teaching the children the basic rules of Puritan religion like how to treat other people in the community. The main point of The New England Primer is to teach the children the Puritan religion and how to behave. For example, The Primer outlines for the children that they must respect God’s sanctuary, obey the people who are superior to you, and pray to God for their enemies. Since the children have to respect various people in the community, another theme is respect and love. Respect is a major theme in the New England Primer because children need to learn to respect everyone in their community, even their enemies. The Primer teaches the children to pray for their enemies which is a sign of respect. They also have to respect their parents, friends, God, men, elders, and superiors. Love is more of a hidden theme within The Primer because it is teaching children not just respect, but it teaches how to love people and treat them too. Also, The Primer is also teaching children how to love and embrace their religion, God, and Christ. Another theme is to not sin but only to do good. In the text, it says, “By no sin ftray, Make no delay, In doing Good.” This phrase is saying do not procrastinate in doing good, and do not sin because it is important to do good not bad. A recurring theme in The New England Primer is the afterlife. The text discusses in the afterlife only believers get resurrected, and they will unite with Christ. In the afterlife, the believers will rejoice with Christ and other believers. Another interesting theme I discovered is being honest. For example, the text says, “I will as much as in me lies keep all God’s Holy Commandments.” The quote represents being honest because it teaches the children to grow up and become honest with themselves as they follow and practice the holy commandments. For example, a child will learn to become honest with their self because
The three transcendentalist ideals that are argued as ignored in John Steinbeck's “America and Americans” are don’t become dependent on technology, Living close to nature and Do not get caught up in materialism.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pseudonym Mark Twain, has been central to American literature for over a century. His seemingly effortless diction accurately exemplified America’s southern culture. From his early experiences in journalism to his most famous fictional works, Twain has remained relevant to American writing as well as pop culture. His iconic works are timeless and have given inspiration the youth of America for decades. He distanced himself from formal writing and became one of the most celebrated humorists. Mark Twain’s use of the common vernacular set him apart from authors of his era giving his readers a sense of familiarity and emotional connection to his characters and himself.
“A Tale Intended to be After the Fact…” is how Stephan Crane introduced his harrowing story, “The Open Boat,” but this statement also shows that history influences American Literature. Throughout history, there has been a connection among literary works from different periods. The connection is that History, current events, and social events have influenced American Literature. Authors, their literary works, and the specific writing styles; are affected and influenced by the world around them. Authors have long used experiences they have lived through and/or taken out of history to help shape and express in their works. Writing styles are also affected by the current trends and opinions of the period they represent. By reading American Literature, we have seen the inhumane treatment of slaves, we have seen the destruction caused by wars, and we have seen the devastation of eras such as The Great Depression.
“Much of American Literature is a consideration of our ability to head to the frontier, reinvent ourselves, make a shining city on a hill, be the last best hope for mankind, free ourselves of the shackles of the past, the tragic fate of birth in a particular place ... you get the picture. It is shot through our attitudes to class, politics, the immigrant experience, and much else” (Hardy). Society has always impacted American literature and the way in which a story is accepted and admired or rejected and despised. American authors faced scrutiny prior to the United States becoming an independent nation and it continues today. The cultural and societal rules and values determine the popularity of a work as much today as they did when William Faulkner and Henry James works were published. The rigid beliefs of Europeans in 1878 caused readers of Henry James’s Daisy Miller: A Study to consider “the tension between individual self-realization and social restriction” (Barnett 1) and how it “focuses upon the way in which society particularly shapes the behavior of women” (Barnett 1). The seeming lack of Southern principles made the readers of William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily question the actions of his title character. Whatever the period of time when a story was written or the plot and theme of the story, readers will be able to ascertain society’s rules and values by assessing the actions of the main characters and the treatment they receive from the other characters found in the story.