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The Puritans American Literature THE PURITANS MR. DAVIS Chapter 1 PURITAN BACKGROUND The Puritans We all are familiar with the story of the first Thanksgiving, William Bradford, Captain Miles Standish, the harshness of the first winter, how Native Americans helped them grow corn, and how they learned to live together peacefully. We also know that the United States is a nation founded on religious freedom. The settlers of Puritan New England are the prime reason for our national belief in religious freedom. SECTION 1 Religous Freedom Today, we think of religious freedom broadly. We should be al- lowed to call almost anything a religion and be free to pursue it. When we receive public criticism for our beliefs, we call foul, re- tain a lawyer, and sue for damages. The Puritans who settled in New England had a much starker reality. The political unrest in England in the early 17th century centered squarely on a ques- tion of religion. During the reign of James I, Puritans grew their TO BUILD A CITY UPON A HILL political power in Parliament and began to question the Roman Catholic tendencies of The Church of England. King James ap- ❖ Governor John Winthrop led the earliest settlers to peased them during his reign. As Charles I took over the throne, New England in 1630. the tone changed dramatically. King Charles crushed the voice ❖ They originally intended to land in fertile New of Puritans by dismissing Parliament twice and then finally dis- England, but storms sent them off course to Cape banding it permanently in 1629. Left with out a political voice, Cod. Puritans could face physical as well as philosophical persecution ❖ Their prolonged voyage caused them to miss the under Charles the First or leave England. The exodus of Puri- planting season and suffer the pangs of starvation and tans from England began in 1630 under the inspiration and lead- illness during their first winter. ership of Governor John Winthrop. Like Americans today, Puri- ❖ Early settlers defined the hard work, faith, and spirit tans sought the freedom to practice their beliefs without interfer- of cooperation that still remain core values today. ence by the government. The settlement of New England by the Puritans over the next fifty years established many of the core 2 American values we hold dear today. They were also responsi- ble for one of the darkest chapters in Colonial history, The Salem Witch Trials in the Spring of 1692. Review 1.1 Puritan Background Question 1 of 3 Leader who appeased Puritans in Parliament. A. James I B. Charles I C. Oliver Cromwell D. John Winthrop Check Answer 3 SECTION 2 McCarthyism Looking back, we can appreciate that our understanding of relig- ious freedom is far from complete. The suffering of the Puritans was harsh and very real. We also take for granted that their fail- ures in Salem could never be repeated. The 1950’s proved how freedom and complacency can once again lead to disaster. The motivation behind the trials stemmed from the feelings of greed, lust for power, and paranoia running rampant in society. In the MCCARTHYISM Fifties, witches were not the concern, but the growth of Commu- nism or “The Red Scare” had a stranglehold on the American ❖ McCarthy claimed 205 Communists were occupying psyche. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin set off alarms high positions in American Government. of paranoia when he claimed the 205 “card carrying” Commu- ❖ Writers, Government officials, and even the U.S. Army nists had infiltrated the government. History tells us that there were brought before McCarthy’s committee for alleged were Communist spies operating in the U.S. during the time, Communist ties. that many Americans felt that Socialism may be an answer to ❖ Although thousands were accused, McCarthy never the economic and social unrest brought on by The Great De- presented a single piece of evidence in nearly four years pression, but McCarthy’s methods were at issue. For four years, of accusations. he accused government officials, writers, soldiers of Communist ❖ After being wrongly accused, playwright Arthur Miller activities and not a single accusation was ever proven. As was inspired to write The Crucible to expose injustice. McCarthy grew in power, people lost their jobs and many writ- ers had to write under different names. Accused author Arthur 4 Miller was so angered by the “witch hunt” that it inspired him to write his most famous work, The Crucible. Gallery 1.1 Lorem Ipsum dolor amet, consectetur 5 Chapter 2 ANNE BRADSTREET Anne Bradstreet holds a unique place in American literature for a variety reasons. For much of her life, Bradstreet’s poems were private reflections on family, hardship, and faith until her brother-in-law secretly had them published in 1650 making Bradstreet the first colonist to publish a volume of poetry. True to Puritan values, Bradstreet’s poems brought perspective to the challenges of the early Puritans in New England with a simple sincerity of faith that illustrated the very best of Puritan values. SECTION 1 Upon the Burning of Our House Upon the Burning of Our House In silent night when rest I took, For sorrow near I did not look, I wakened was with thund’ring noise MAIN POINTS And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice. That fearful sound of “fire” and “fire,” ❖ Anne’s house burned down in the middle of the night. Let no man know is my Desire. ❖ The poem focuses on her dealing with the loss of her possessions and possibly her faith. ❖ The poem uses a narrative structure to reveal her I, starting up, the light did spy, reflection on faith. And to my God my heart did cry ❖ Like people in Modern Society, Bradstreet must To straighten me in my Distress overcome her attachment to material things to fully understand her purpose in life. And not to leave me succourless. Then, coming out, behold a space ❖ The adversity of the fire ultimately brings her to a greater understanding and happiness about life. The flame consume my dwelling place. 7 No pleasant talk shall ‘ere be told And when I could no longer look, Nor things recounted done of old. I blest His name that gave and took, No Candle e'er shall shine in Thee, That laid my goods now in the dust. Nor bridegroom‘s voice e'er heard shall be. Yea, so it was, and so ‘twas just. In silence ever shalt thou lie, It was his own, it was not mine, Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity. Far be it that I should repine; Then straight I ‘gin my heart to chide, He might of all justly bereft And did thy wealth on earth abide? But yet sufficient for us left. Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust? When by the ruins oft I past The arm of flesh didst make thy trust? My sorrowing eyes aside did cast Raise up thy thoughts above the sky And here and there the places spy That dunghill mists away may fly. Where oft I sate and long did lie. Thou hast a house on high erect Here stood that trunk, and there that chest, Framed by that mighty Architect, There lay that store I counted best. With glory richly furnished, My pleasant things in ashes lie Stands permanent though this be fled. And them behold no more shall I. It‘s purchased and paid for too Under thy roof no guest shall sit, By Him who hath enough to do. Nor at thy Table eat a bit. 8 A price so vast as is unknown, bol of faith. “Thou hast an house on high erect,/Framed by Yet by His gift is made thine own; that mighty Architect.” What seemingly started out as a trag- edy was actually a great gift for Bradstreet because it pro- There‘s wealth enough, I need no more, vided her the perfect opportunity recommit herself to the val- Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store. ues she holds most dear. The world no longer let me love, My hope and treasure lies above. Analysis It is quite interesting what Bradstreet leaves out of her narra- tive poem. The poem opens with her house ablaze. She doesn’t talk about what happened before, the cause of the fire or describe the circumstances in detail. The idea she wants to focus on is the growth of her faith so the fire is merely the circumstance of hardship that makes her appreci- ate what’s truly important. Think about the relationship be- tween despair and faith. It takes adversity for most people to truly appreciate the important things in life that our often taken for granted. She engages her audience by first acknowl- edging the human condition; we are all materialistic. Brad- street falls into the same trap that many of us would today; she is overly concerned about the destruction of her posses- sions. She takes an inventory of all that is lost and we under- standably nod along with her. Then she slaps herself and her readers with a powerful rhetorical question, “Didst fix thy hope on moldering dust?” After all, what do Puritans or any society built on faith ultimately live for? The resolution of the poem comes easily with the metaphor of the house as a sym- 9 Chapter 3 THE CRUCIBLE The most interesting fact about The Crucible is the source of its inspiration. Arthur Miller was so furious at Senator Joseph McCarthy and his accusations that he sat down and wrote the play as a literary protest. Although much of the source material was from the original Salem Witch Trials of 1692, Miller’s purpose was to exorcise the current demons of McCarthy’s witch hunt of the early 1950’s.
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