“ ‘Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.’ ” Then [Peter] began to curse, and swore an oath, “ ‘I do not know the man!’ ” (The Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha, Mathew. 73, 74). Strong and bold, Peter swore to never disown Jesus; however, Peter lied to himself, Jesus, and the other disciples. Moreover, Peter, acting greedy and selfish, chose not to suffer with Jesus, yet escape freely. In other words, lying to the people and disowning Jesus, Peter proved to be self-serving. Realizing his mistakes, Peter devoted his life and love to the Lord, purifying himself from the sins he committed. Similarly, in Puritan society, Puritans initially were seemingly self-serving people, fighting for their chance at being predestined. …show more content…
Especially in Puritan writing, society revolved around work rate, service, and purification. In Preparatory Meditations, Edward Taylor realizes that one must seek purification by turning to the Lord in order to free oneself from the trials and tribulation of spiritual dullness, jealousy, and desire. Unable to spiritually connect with the Lord and the word of the Lord, Taylor considers the Lord’s actions, debating why one should even follow the Lord. Moreover, Taylor finds himself lost within his spiritual identity because the Lord’s words do not excite him. As a result, Taylor grows impatient, believing “thy promises, my Lord, / [are not] Rich, quick'ning things?” (Taylor, Lines 2-3). The Lord promised the Holy Land, gifts, and salvation, yet his actions are slow. As a result, Taylor looks into the outside world for enjoyment, neglecting the word of the Lord. In other words, the Lord’s “lifeless word” (4) bores Taylor, allowing him to question the power of the Lord. Consequently, Taylor becomes spiritually dull and “find[s] [his] spirits spiritless and flat” (6). Removed from daily life, the importance of religion eludes Taylor, pushing him away from the Lord. Moreover, Taylor’s separation with the Lord disrupts his spiritual being. Uninspired by the word of the Lord, Taylor’s dull nature leads him down a path of sin consisting of jealousy and desire. Edward Taylor acknowledges how humanity is blinded by the material world in an attempt to portray humanity as greedy.
Consequently, humans exhibit signs of jealousy, desiring, and praying to own what others have in terms of material wealth. As a result of greed, Taylor wants what David has as the King of the Holy Land, acknowledging that like David he too wants to feel chosen by the Lord. Praying to the Lord, Taylor uses David as an example regarding power and wealth of why he acts jealous and greedy. In other words, Taylor wants the Lord to give him “thou David's kingdom shalt / Enjoy for aye” (23-24). Aware of his jealously, Taylor’s desires completely consume him, turning himself against the Lord. Within the book of Jeremiah, humans take the fruit of the Lord for granted, becoming greedy with the gifts of the Lord. During the time of Jeremiah, the people began to gain interest with the material world, but losing interest and gratitude in God the creator. In the same way, early Puritan society obsessed over the material world and the wealth that came with the economics of the New World. Moreover, Taylor wants to have a kingdom — he wants the material pleasures of a Kingdom. It follows that the greed prevalent throughout humanity hinders the development of love between the Lord and his people, creating …show more content…
desires. Interested with the material pleasures of a kingdom, Taylor also intimates his emotional and sexual desire for women.
For Puritans, women provided comfort and caring love for their husbands — and even more intimate comfort within a committed marriage. Especially during times of suffering, the wife's love help heal the soul of the husband, creating happy spirits. However, Taylor did not have a woman for himself in the poem or the love and care to fulfill and uplift his dull spirit. Consequently, Taylor desires David's "lovely beauty” (19), asking the Lord to "enchant [his] heart, love's golden mine, till 't spout” (20). Without this type of love, Taylor addresses that without God, humanity will be driven to do evil things. Accordingly, Taylor exhibits spiritual dullness, jealousy, and desire because he lacks a relationship with the Lord. In contrast, Taylor recognizes his “fault” (24) to which he wants to purify himself, promoting his relationship with the Lord. After being dull and jealous, Taylor proclaims his guilt and sin. Troubled by this, Taylor makes sense of his pity, understanding that forgiveness and purification will save his
soul. Edward Taylor addresses the love between humanity and the Lord, arguing that love leads to the forgiveness of sins and purification. Instead of granting humans economically wealth or high social status, the Lord gives provides humanity with prophets, kings, and leaders to spread his name. Of these kings, David represented the will of the Lord, the strength the Lord posses to save his people from battle. Cherishing David and the qualities he possess, Taylor bestows his gratefulness and love to the Lord, giving thanks for David. Specifically, Taylor asks the Lord for forgiveness so “that [he] may shine like gold…changes sweet Thy praises shall” (28), in other words devoting his life to the Lord. Recognizing his sins, Taylor prays that “thy fire refine, and take my filth away” (27). Upon this notion, the fire symbolizes the suffering and pain he will endure in order to be loved by the Lord. Disinterested with material desires, Taylor prays for his to shine like gold, not on the outside, but on the inside. Furthermore, Puritans wore black clothing because they believed that they were gold on the inside, and their souls were to bright. Upon burning in fire, and shining like gold, Taylor confronts the biggest Puritan idea of purification. Guilty of dullness, jealousy, and desire, Taylor acknowledges the evil deeds of humanity. Especially within Puritan society, breaking the holy rules would result in strict, hard punishment. Moreover, fully interested in the Lord’s gifts, Taylor presents himself as interested, and prays to “Chime out in changes sweet Thy praises shall” (30). Desiring to sing and praise the Lord, David prays for the Lord’s generous gifts. However, at this point in the poem, he does not do it out of greed, but out of love. Upon asking the Lord to “wipe off [his] rust,” (31) like many Puritans, Taylor desires to become pure. As rust grows on metal, it degrades the structural integrity of the metal. For Taylor, rust represents the evil that eats away on his soul, forcing him away from God. The dull, jealous nature of Taylor absorbed his spiritual energy, leading him towards evil. However, through his acts of contrition towards the Lord, this poem establishes a connection between love and forgiveness, representing the Puritan idea of purification. Since purification removes spiritual dullness, jealousy, and desire, Edward Taylor recognizes the importance of love, for loving the Lord helps one become pure. Moreover, Taylor addresses the separation between humanity and the Lord. Spiritual dullness corrupts humanity, for without religion, people turn evil. Furthermore, straying away from the Lord destroys the connection of love. In modern times, society increasingly focuses on economic gains and social status. Centering life on desire, society has lost a bond between the Lord, creating a spiritually dull atmosphere. However, Edward Taylor acknowledges that society has the will to change and seek purification. In the wise words of Johann Kaspar Lavater, “The jealous are possessed by a mad devil and a dull spirit at the same time.”
One of the most cherished doctrines of the Puritans is the well-known weaned affections. From a Puritan perspective, people must learn to wean their way off of “Earthy possessions” in order to dedicate their attention on God. Puritans were preoccupied with the belief that if people invested themselves in Earthy distraction including relationships, they would struggle to find everlasting-spiritual beauty. In both “The Author to Her Book” by Anne Bradstreet as well as the “Prologue” by Edward Taylor, the authors portray themselves in a struggle to be weaned from their affections.
Bradstreet tested the boundaries of the Puritan beliefs and chose to write about life as a wife and mother. The love for her husband was more important than what others thought of her. She was proud of their relationship and stated, “I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold, or all the riches that the East doth hold. My love is such that rivers cannot quench, Nor ought but love from thee give recompense” a verse from her poem titled To My Dear and Loving Husband (226). Her poems stood as a movement for all radical feminists that admired Bradstreet and her confidence to express her opinions publicly. Religion was a common topic throughout Bradstreet’s poem, but there was a time as
Money is something that can either be used for the greater good of society, or it can be contorted into something that is detrimental to society, it all depends on whose hands that money happens to fall into. Human tendencies begin to change once people come to have money, the lavish and selfish lifestyle begins. Entitlement comes with having money because money gives people what they want which makes people think they are entitled to get everything they want. In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald portrays that money is the root of all problems with can ultimately lead to loneliness and careless behavior.
“The point is that you can’t be too greedy,” says Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States. Many people look up to him as he is apparently now president. The definition of greed is an intense and selfish desire for something especially wealth or power. Greed is a part of human nature. The main character, Tom Sawyer experiences it quite often in the book. Thomas Sawyer is an eleven-year-old boy who lives with his aunt in a small religious town. One of the themes that Mark Twain explores in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is that everyone has some amount of greed in them. Three examples that support this theme are when Tom risked his life in the search for gold, Tom tried to get Becky by making her jealous, and when Tom and his friends ran away because they didn’t feel appreciated.
Edmund S. Morgan's The Puritan Family displays a multifaceted view of the various aspects of Puritan life. In this book, we, the audience, see into the Puritans' lives and are thereby forced to reflect upon our own. The Puritan beliefs and practices were complicated and rather "snobbish," as seen in The Puritan Family.
The components of marriage, family and loss has played a big role in Anne Bradstreet’s writing of “Before the birth of One of Her Children”, “In Memory of Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet”, and Edward Taylor’s “Upon Wedlock and the Death of Children.” In, these writings both authors Puritan culture and their faith plays a big role. In these poems one author starts questioning their God and the other to take honor in their God throughout their grieving process, while both showing different aspects of their everlasting union with their spouse, and the love for their children.
Edward Taylor’s Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children and Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold are similar in their approach with the illustration of how beautiful and magnificent God’s creations are to humankind. However, each poem presents tragic misfortune, such as the death of his own children in Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children and the cold, enigmatic nature of human soul in Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold. Taylor’s poems create an element of how cruel reality can be, as well as manifest an errant correlation between earthly life and spiritual salvation, which is how you react to the problems you face on earth determines the salvation that God has in store for you.
The Modernist movement took place in a time of happiness, a time of sadness, a time of objects, a time of saving, a time of prosperity, a time of poverty and in a time of greed. Two novels, written by Steinbeck and Fitzgerald, portray this underlying greed and envy better than most novels of that period. These novels, The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath, show that despite the difference between the 1920s and the 1930s, greed remained a part of human life, whether superficially or necessarily, and that many people used their greed to damage themselves and others.
Throughout the history of mankind, numerous events such as the Crusades, have occurred in the name of religion and religious freedom. Sadly, motivation for the early settlers coming to America wasn’t strictly about finding religious freedom. It was actually deeply rooted in the desire for economic growth and new trade opportunities. The New world presented itself as an opportunity for many to gain higher social economic status and growth in their business ventures. A number of known historical facts, including: hunger for new trade, poverty of many English inhabitants, and the rivalry between Spain and England, contributed and fostered the foundation and settling of the American Colonies.
During the 17th century, many Puritans set sail for New England in order to escape religious persecution and re-create an English society that was accepting of the Puritan faith. John Winthrop, an educated lawyer from England who later became governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, was one of the first in North America to advocate Puritan ideals and lifestyle. Winthrop delivered his sermon A Model of Christian Charity, in hopes of encouraging his shipmates to establish a truly spiritual community abroad. Almost fifty years later, a Puritan named Mary Rowlandson, daughter of a wealthy landowner and wife of a minister, wrote A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, describing her 11-week captivity by native Indians after an attack on Lancaster. Rowlandson recounts her story with heroism and appreciation for God. Although John Winthrop and Mary Rowlandson were in entirely different situations when composing their literary works, both writings reflect many of the same ideals that characterize the Puritan mind, such as the belief in God's mercy, the acceptance of one's condition in life, and the importance of a strong community.
The Puritans were English Protestants that came to America around 1630. John Winthrop led the Puritans to America in hopes of creating a pure Christian society separate from the authority of the State and the Church of England. They followed the beliefs of John Calvin who preached predestination. Under Calvinism each individual is born being chosen by God either for eternal salvation or damnation. The Puritans modeled their lives, both personal and within their communities, after the New Testament. They created strong, functional, and for some time successful societies in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the town of Boston. The Puritans taught mainly reading as writing and math skills were not felt to be important. Establishing the first schools for children, they also founded the first American College, Harvard.
In Candide, by Voltaire, Candide struggles through a world torn by constant bloodshed and crime. As he travels, he and other characters are deceived, injured, and abused by the world around him. Voltaire’s Candide reveals another side of human beings’ hearts as he portrays humanity’s hamartias as greed, lust, and religion.
While I'm sitting here at my computer, in my air conditioned home, with the radio blaring and the t.v. on downstairs, I try to imagine how life was as a young Puritan. To be honest, I don't think I could live a week the way they do. I could try but it would be excruciatingly difficult.
In the essay, “The Godly Family of Colonial Massachusetts”, authors Steven Mintz and Susan Kellogg explains how the Puritan family affected from longer social, constitutional, and economic community which the boundaries were flexible and comprehensive the family assigned to public association. Mintz and Kellogg concludes that the Puritans never thought of the family as an individual unit and separating from a surrounding community for them it was like a fundamental part of a larger political and social world. The Puritan families were fissionable in structure because of an amount of the population been spent part of their lives and other families homes, serving as apprentices, contracted laborers, or assistant also marriages rise out as one of their main events in their lives.
Puritan life is probably one of the biggest paradoxes known to man theoretically. In practice is doesn’t seem like such an absurd notion. There are certain things that may lead someone into confusion over the way that Puritan life was conducted. One of these things is the object of holiness. This means that only certain members are allowed into the Puritan life after proving themselves holy. Another object that may cause confusion is the idea of enjoying oneself in Puritan life. Recreation did occur in Puritan life, but the definition of Puritan recreation is differently defined. One more object of confusion in Puritan life is the type of Puritan in which you are stereotyped into depending of your actions regarding your religion. Although this might sound complicated it is not as intricate as it is written. For Puritan’s this was a way of life. This tells us that, in practice, all of these social theories are probably more plausible than they sound. Winthrop did encounter all of these problems in his journey from England to Massachusetts, and them encountered some of these while he was in control of the society there.