Influence of Puritanism on Literature in New England: Analytical Essay

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Many pilgrims where like slaves, they were beaten and forced to do things they didn’t want to do. Pilgrims also believed in religion, everything they did had to be right by the church. The pilgrims was one of the first tribes to ride the mayflower to New England. New England literature was heavily influenced by puritans such as Jonathon Edwards and William Bradford.

Puritans were people that thought highly of the churches. They wanted to make a difference in the Church of England. Many puritans believed that everything that happened would be a result of God’s will. They also believed that the Bible needed to be throughout everyday life. Puritans were hardworking and they were disciplined. They wanted to come to America so they could learn more and have more freedom. ‘The Puritans believed God and His worship were important enough to reserve at least one full day out of the week, and the original Puritan settlers joyfully devoted Sunday to the Lord. Sermons were central to the intellectual life of the Puritans, and they rarely were less than an hour in length. Times of prayer could also be as long. Hymns were not allowed in the earliest Puritan worship; only psalms or paraphrases of other Scriptures were sung. The first book printed in America was the Whole Book of Psalms (or Bay Psalm Book), a metrical version of David’s psalms printed in 1640.”

Jonathon Edwards was a scientist. He wrote many observations. One of the observations he wrote said, ‘He scarcely gestured or even moved, and he made no attempt by the elegance of his style or the beauty of his pictures to gratify the taste and fascinate the imagination.’ Instead, he was convinced ‘with the overwhelming weight of argument and with such intenseness of feeling.’ (Jonathon Edwards). Jonathon made many sermons to perch the word of God. One of his famous sermons is, that faith “Those convictions that have common natural men may have of their sin and pray misery, is not holy this spiritual and religious divine light. In some cases, men Men in a natural condition may have faith convictions of the guilt that lies upon them, of the anger of God, and their danger of divine retribution vengeance. Such faith convictions are from light of truth. That some transgressor sinners have a greater assure conviction of their guilt and pray misery than others, is because some have more light, or more of an alarm apprehension of truth than others. And this light and confident conviction may be from the presenceSpirit of God. The Spirit’s confidence convinces men of transgressor sin, but yet nature is much more concerned in it than in the communication of that holy spiritual and religious divine light that is spoken of in the belief doctrine. It is from the present spirit of God only as assisting natural principles, and not as infusing any new principles. Common grace differs from special, in that it influences only by assisting of nature, and not by imparting grace, or grant anything above nature. best-owing anything above nature. The light that is obtained is wholly natural, or of no superior kind to what mere nature attains to, though more of that kind be obtained than would be obtained if men were left wholly to themselves. Or, in other words, common grace only assists the faculties of the soul to do that more fully which they do by nature, as natural conscience or reason will by mere nature make a man sensible of guilt, and will accuse and condemn him when he has done amiss. Conscience is a principle natural to men, and the work that it does naturally, or of itself, is to give an apprehension of right and wrong and to suggest to the mind the relation that there is between right and wrong, and retribution. The Spirit of God, in those convictions which unregenerate men sometimes have, assists conscience to do this work in a further degree than it would do if they were left to themselves. He helps it against those things that tend to stupefy it, and obstruct its exercise. But in the renewing and sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost, those things are wrought in the soul that is above nature, and of which there is nothing of the like kind in the soul by nature. They are caused to exist in the soul habitually, and according to such a stated constitution or law that lays such a foundation for exercises in a continued course, as is called a principle of nature. Not only are remaining principles assisted to do their work more freely and fully, but those principles are restored that were utterly destroyed by the fall. The mind thenceforward habitually exerts those acts that the dominion of sin had made it as wholly destitute of, as a dead body is of vital acts (Jonathon Edwards). Many puritans followed this sermon. He wanted to spread the word of God to Americans. Puritans looked up to him and believed the way he believed and after his death, many people still preached his words.

William Branford wrote many diary entries about what happened in his everyday life. One of his journals talks about someone telling them rules they had to follow. Another diary he writes tells about the hard times and what all went on and how the puritans were treated. “The experience that was had in this common series course and action condition tried various sundry years and that between amongst godly and sober men, may well declare evince the pride vanity of that arrogant conceit of Plato’s and other old ancients applauded by some of the later times; that the taking away of belongings property and bringing in community into a society commonwealth would make them happy and blooming flourishing; as if they were smarter wiser than God. For this group community (so far as it was) was found to breed much skepticism confusion and regret discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. The young men, that were most able and fit for work labor and service, did grieve repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men’s wives and children without any amends recompense. The strong, or man of parts, had no more in breaking division of aliment victuals and clothes than he that was fragile weak and not able to do a quarter the other could; this was thought abuse justice. The aged and mound graver men to be ranked and equal equalized in work labors and aliment victuals, clothes, etc., with the meaner and younger sort, thought it some insult indignity and manner less disrespect unto them. And for men’s wives to be called for commanded to do service for other men, as dressing their meat, washing their clothes, etc., they deemed it a kind of labor, and slavery, neither could many husbands will allow well brook it. Upon the point all being to have alike, and all to do alike, they thought themselves in the like case condition, and one as good as another; and so, if it did not cut off those relations that God hath set amongst men, yet it did at least much decline diminish and take off the many mutual respects that should be invited among preserved amongst them. And would have been bad worse if they had been people men of another brainwash condition. Let none object this is men’s crime corruption and nothing to the course itself. I answer, seeing all men have the crime this corruption in them, God in His wisdom saw another course fitter for them. (William Bradford). After a while, many puritans started following William Bradford and wanted to gain freedom with him so after years he had a plan to migrate. “With this financing funding, he was able to create establish himself as a lightly marginally successful businessman. In 1620, financing was secured through a group of English investors, and plans were made to migrate to the new world. (McGiffert 362). Three groups participated in the agreement for the financing of the excursion to the new world. The London adventurers provided the majority of the funding for the trip, while the planters and the adventurer planters possessed either one or two shares in the investment by either purchase or labor. Though the London adventurers provided much of the funding and would hold the other two parties in servitude to repay the debt, they held no civil governing authority over the planters” (Magill 75).

New England literature was influenced by puritans such as Jonathon Edwards and William Bradford. In conclusion, Jonathon Edwards and William Bradford both influenced the puritans and what they believed in. Many of the puritans followed what they talked about and that’s all their lives was based on. Jonathon’s sermons talk about is about God and the way you’re supposed to live. Puritans heavily thought about the church and what they believed in. William Bradford talks about how puritans were treated and what they believed in. William also talked about his everyday life. William thought a lot about the churches and wanted to make things different in his everyday life.

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