A. William Bradford

Thesis Statement~

In an excerpt from William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation, although the Puritans experience hardship in their voyage to America, in their initial arrival and in their dealings with the Indians, they still maintain their reverence to god and to one another (their initial reason for fleeing England).

Passage~

Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element. And no marvel if they were thus joyful, seeing wise Seneca was so affected with sailing a few miles on the coast of his own Italy, as he affirmed, that he had rather remain twenty years on his way by land than pass by sea to any place in a short time, so tedious and dreadful was the same unto him.

http://www.georgetowncollege.edu/Departments/English/coke/bradford.htm

Reflection on Passage~

The success of the Puritans making it to America brought them bliss as they blessed their god and the world around them. This passage filled me with joy as I imagined the puritans blessing the world one minute, and their god the next. It was obvious to see how important religion is to the Puritans, for the entire time on the ship they continued to believe that god will always be with them and help them in their time of need. Also, as I read this passage, I could almost see the pilgrims kneeling down to the earth, blessing god, with tears falling from their eyes in merriment. After everything the Puritans had been through, they deserved every bit of joy and pride overcoming their emotions. Furthermore, not only were the Puritans delighted for making it to America, but they were also excited about their free life that lay ahead of them.

Political Extension~

When American Colonists arrived in America, they hoped for a better life, which theme is never ending as immigrants continue to arrive in America in search of a better life, or better known as “the American Dream”. In this political cartoon, a man is portrayed with a terrible life, going out into the world and trying to fix things for himself and his family. Likewise, this hardship is reminiscent of the Puritans in Europe who, once without religious freedom, came to America as religious dissenters, in search of the freedom they lacked. Furthermore, this cartoon also displays the same lost man holding a sign which reads, "Go home, Illegal". This action depicts that this man was able to steal a few things and make this new place his new home. He came to the country with nothing, yet he becomes empowered to voice his opinion and to refuse others such passage into America. This is very similar to the colonists for they came to America disregarding the Indians and calling them savages as they took their land in pride. Now the question is, how does the freedom of an individual affect their character?

B. Anne Bradstreet

Poem~

In Reference to Her Children

I had eight birds hatched in one nest,
Four cocks there were, and hens the rest.
I nursed them up with pain and care,
Nor cost, nor labour did I spare,
Till at the last they felt their wing,
Mounted the trees, and learned to sing;
Chief of the brood then took his flight
To regions far and left me quite.
My mournful chirps I after send,
Till he return, or I do end:
Leave not thy nest, thy dam and sire,
Fly back and sing amidst this choir....

In Reference to Her Children is continued here:

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Bradstreet/reference.htm


Reflection~

A mother’s love towards her children will last a lifetime, and their bond is unbreakable. Bradstreet’s love towards her children is obviously seen in this poem, and as I read each verse, I continued to think about my mother and how strong our bond is. It is hard to imagine a life without a mothers love and kindness. Furthermore, although Anne Bradstreet wrote this poem in the 1600s it seems as if she wrote it in the 21 century because no matter what society, decade, or century we are in, mothers will continue to go above and beyond in order to give their children the best life possible. Also, Anne Bradstreet, just as all of the other mothers in today’s society all dread the day their children leave, and have a common goal of fending for their young. Mothers from all nationalities would give up their lives for their children no matter how old or young they are. This poem made me realize the importance of mothers and their strength as a human being. They endure and give so much of their life to us that it should be a duty for children that in return, we should give back to them. For we only have one special mother who we would give up our lives in a second to save.

Political Extension~

Women are regarded as deficient and are assumed to lack a certain characteristic which puts them at a lower level than males in society. This political cartoon portrays one woman, sitting amongst many males, which suggests how the female presence is in minority, and almost appears to be a token, thus reinforcing male dominance in government. Furthermore, the political cartoon is similar to Anne Bradstreet’s society because, although Anne wrote poetry, it was not the traditional role of women at this time. Moreover, this cartoon displays the woman stating that she “intend[s] to ask questions about your views on women’s rights…”’ and the man running for senator responds, “’Do you have your husband’s permission?”’ With this brutal comment the man is disparaging the woman because he not is acknowledging her intelligence, independence, or her equal rights, which disqualifies her authority. It is interesting to see that after all these years, the character of mankind has made so little improvements, in contrast to our many technological advancements.

C. Edward Taylor

1. Thesis:

In Edward Taylors, "Huswifery" the author is able to convey his strive to purify himself and to gain gods grace through literary conceit, diction, and Rhyme.

Huswifery

Make me, O Lord, Thy spinning-wheel complete.
Thy holy word my distaff make for me.
Make mine affections Thy swift flyers neat
And make my soul Thy holy spool to be.
My conversation make to be Thy reel
And reel thy yarn thereon spun of Thy wheel.

Make me Thy loom then, knit therein this twine:
And make Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, wind quills:
Then weave the web Thyself. Thy yarn is fine.
Thine ordinances make my fulling-mills.
Then dye the same in heavenly colors choice,
All pinked with varnished flowers of paradise.

Then clothe therewith mine understanding, will,
Affections, judgement, conscience, memory,
My words and actions, that their shine may fill
My ways with glory and Thee glorify.
Then mine apparel shall display before Ye
That I am clothed in holy robes for glory.

2. Reflection

D. Jonathon Edwards

'Sinners In the Hands of Angry God' Collage:

In this collage, what I basically tried to do was convey the main points of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. For my first picture, I tried to show gods love, kindness and perfection through a calm river. Then I found a picture of a waterfall and with that picture I wanted to portray gods rage and that at any point his mood can change without regard to mankind. Furthermore, with the picture of fire I aimed to show god, waiting for us to make one little mistake, giving him a reason to throw us into hell. And finally, I used a picture of a spider web which resembles god and mankind, and that their is only a thin, feeble spiderweb keeping us from hell.

E. The Slave Narrative

1. Favorite Passage:

An Excerpt from The Life of Gustavus Vassa-

I now saw myself deprived of all chance of returning to my native country, or even the least glimpse of hope of gaining the shore, which I now considered as friendly; and I even wished for my former slavery in preference to my present situation, which was filled with horrors of every kind, still heightened by my ignorance of what I was to undergo. I was not long suffered to indulge my grief; I was soon put down under the decks, and there I received such a salutation in my nostrils as I had never experienced in my life: so that, with the loathsomeness of the stench, and crying together, I became so sick and low that I was not able to eat, nor had I the least desire to taste any thing. I now wished for the last friend, death, to relieve me; but soon, to my grief, two of the white men offered me eatables; and, on my refusing to eat, one of them held me fast by the hands, and laid me across.

2. The Life of Gustavus Vassa Essential Question:

How does freedom affect the life of an individual?

In Olaudah Equiano's The Life of Gustavus Vassa, Equianos' life has been affected a great deal because of the lack of freedom he has been given. Not only has he become a slave, but the chance of a good life, any other white male has been given since birth, was not given to Equiano, but rather, hardship and deprivation. Without freedom, Equiano is forced to live a life of slavery, enduring a life of misery and despair. Moreover, it is because Equiano did not have this beloved freedom did he find his internal strength and he was successfully able to release himself from the hands of slavery. Therefore, lack of freedom may usually affect mankind in a terrible manner, but, if man were to turn this idea around, they can make their weakness, become a strength.

F. The Revolutionary Period

1. Patrick Henry

a. Reflection:

In Patrick Henry's 'Give Me Liberty or Give me Death' he uses rhetorical questions, charged words, and restatement to convey the atrocious acts of the British, as he tries to persuade the American’s into going to war against New England. I enjoyed reading this speech because it showed me why we needed to fight in this war from different viewpoints that dealt with ethos, logos, and pathos. I also liked how Henry showed that if the Americans did not go into war at this very point, then they will be no more than slaves to the 'mother' country.

2. Thomas Paine

a. Reflection:

In Thomas Paine's selection from 'The Crisis No. 1' he uses aphorisms, analogies, and charged words to encourage the soldiers to fight in this war as well as convey a message of sympathy to them as well. I felt like this was written in a more aggressive manner and that his writing was straight forward and to the point. Furthermore, I loved how Paine specified that everyone is fighting in this war, not just the physical soldiers. Also, if had been a soldier fighting in this war this pamphlet would have definitely motivated me to continue fighting as well as convey to me the strong message that the struggle is worth the cost.

3. Paine/Henry Questions

a. What do these men have in common?

Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine were both working for the common goal of complete freedom from New England. Both used literary techniques such as parallelism, restatement, charged words, and rhetorical questions to appeal to their audiences. Although, Henry's speech focused more on beginning the war to freedom where as Paine's pamphlet dealt with motivating the soldiers to continue the American Revolution.

b. Can you see how because these men gave so much, we benefit?

Yes, if it wasn't for the American Revolution we would probably not be as great as a country as we are today. We would probably still be some sort of union under British control. These men were strong enough to stand up for what they believe in and although their opponent might have been stronger and more powerful I have learned that god will always be on the side of honesty.

c. Can you make any connections/extensions to today’s political figures? How so?

Yes, the fact that we have an African-American as president says a lot. President Barrack Obama did what no black man has done before and he won. That act of justice clearly proves, 'you'll miss 100% of the shots you don't try'. Likewise, if Paine and Henry did not take the risk of encouraging the American Revolution, who knows where we would be today.

4. Personal Extension

a. How are you working to live out your American Dream?

Everyday I am working hard in school, and in the community. I know how great my opportunity is in the US and i will not waste it. I also know that if i work hard now, in the future i will not have to and i will have the rest of my life to have fun and relax without worry.

b. What do you do when you hit an obstacle?

Hitting an obstacle is like bumping into a wall WITH a window, the catch is finding that window. We are all human, and we will all make mistakes, but what we all don't do is learn from our mistakes, something that we must get into the habit of doing. Usually, when i hit an obstacle, i give myself at least one day just to think about the situation so i don't do something i will regret in the near future.

Video Montage

Through this montage the message i was trying to convey is unity within the US by beginning and ending with the great American flag. Although, in the middle of the American flags I showed how America has suffered and rejoiced together. For instance, we have all suffered through slavery and terrorist attacks, and we have rejoiced through seeing soldiers for the first time in months and electing the first black President.