Examination Of Puritan Philosophy In Bradfords on Essay Example For Students

Examination Of Puritan Philosophy In Bradfords on Essay Examination Of Puritan Philosophy In Bradfords on Plymouth PlantatioExamination of Puritan Philosophy in Bradfords On Plymouth PlantationThe Puritan people first came to the New World to escape the religiouspersecution that hounded Non-Anglicans in England. They established thePlymouth Colony in 1620, in what is now Massachusetts. The colony was areflection of the Puritans beliefs. These beliefs, along with the experienceof establishing a colony in the middle of nowhere, affected the writings ofall who were involved with the colony. In this writing, the Puritan philosophybehind William Bradfords Of Plymouth Plantation will be revealed. Somefactors that will be considered include: how Puritan beliefs affect WilliamBradfords interpretation of events, the representation of Puritan theology inthe above mentioned text, and how Puritanism forms the basis for Bradfordsmotivation in writing. In Bradfords text, there are numerous instances in which his beliefsaffect his interpretation of what happens. In Chapter IX (nine) of Of PlymouthPlantation, entitled Of Their Voyage , he tells of a sailor ..of a lusty,able body.. who would always be condemning the poor people in their sicknessand cursing them daily.he didnt let to tell them that he hoped to help casthalf of them overboard before they came to their journeys end. But, itpleased God before they came half-seas over, to smite this young man with agrievous disease, of which he died in a desperate manner, and so was himself thefirst that was thrown overboard. Bradford believes that the sailor diedbecause God was punishing him. According to Bradford, the sailors cursing, andmistreatment of the other passengers displeased God, so God punished himaccordingly. In the same chapter, Bradford tells of another ship passenger named JohnHowland. At one point in the trip, the Mayflower came upon a violent storm. The winds of the storm were so fierce, and the seas were so high, that all thesailors and passengers had to hull for divers days together. During thisstorm, a young man named John Howland was thrown into the sea, and as Bradfordtells us, it pleased God that he caught hold of the topsail halyards which hungoverboard and ran out at length. Howland caught hold of a rope, and though hewas sundry fathoms under water, he held on until he was hauled up. Bradfordreasons that the man was saved because he was blessed by God. He goes on to saythat he became a profitable member in both church and state, implying that JohnHowland was one of the so called Puritan Saints. To the Puritans, Saints werepeople whom God was to save, so these people received Gods blessings, andtherefore were profitable in Puritan society. In Chapter X (ten) of Bradfords writing, entitled Showing How TheySought Out a Place, Bradford tells us about an Indian attack on his people. Some explorers went out to explore the area around Cape Cod. As they areresting, the Indians attack. And withal, their arrows came flying amongstthem. He continues Their men ran with all their speed to recover their arms,as by the good province of God they did. Bradford belief that the Puritans areGods chosen shows in his writing, and affects his narration of the story. After telling us of the attack, he adds, Thus it pleased God to vanquish theirenemies, and give them deliverance; and by his special providence so to disposethat not any one of them were either hurt or hit, though their arrows came closeby them, and on every side of them; and sundry of their coats, which hung upin the barricado, were shot through and through.In nowhere else does Bradfords Puritan beliefs affect hisinterpretation of events in his writing as much as in Book II, Chapter XIX ofOf Plymouth Plantation, entitled Thomas Morton of Merrymount. Throughoutthe chapter, Bradford tells of a Thomas Morton. His disdain for Morton showsthroughout the entire section. John Dallton EssayMany of the reasons for Bradford writing Of Plymouth Plantation stemsfrom his Puritan beliefs. For one, he wanted to establish a link between hisMayflower group (the group that traveled over the sea), and all future groups ofPuritans. Right at the end of Chapter IX (On Their Voyage), right at the endof the section, Bradford gives us a speech. He begins, May not ought thechildren of these fathers rightly say Our fathers were Englishmen which cameover this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but theycried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity etc. Let them therefore praise the Lord.He wanted to show that what his group did was great. They endured thepersecution of the Anglicans in England, and then sailed over an ocean to anuntamed land, and established a colony. Bradfords story is one of hardship;the kind of hardship that the Puritans believe shows God is testing them. Bradford wants the future Puritans to never forget the hardships that his grouphad to endure. Bradford has a sense that what his first group of Puritans didwas grand, and thus he wants to justify the acts of his group. Bradford alsowants to quell any questions or fears that any investors might have had. Bradfords Puritan background influences a great deal of Of PlymouthPlantation. His beliefs sometimes affect his interpretation of events, as inhis telling us of Thomas Morton. His Puritan beliefs also form the basis of thepurpose of his writing. Still, Bradford manages to accomplish a great deal inthis writing. He does immortalize the struggles of his Puritan camp at Plymouth,and he does a good job of accurately depicting the events during those samestruggles. John