UNIT 2

William Bradford

Learning objectives
In unit 2 you will:

— assess to what extent Puritanism not only shaped seventeenth-century

colonial discourse, but also provided an enduringreligious andpolitical
vision of the New World whichhaspersisted in the present culture of the
United States of America;
— learn about the prominent role of William Bradford, the leader of the
Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony and was a co-author of the
Mayflower Compact;
— analyze the conventions of the genre of Puritan history, focusing on
William Bradford’s history Of Plymouth Plantation as the first and
foremost example of American providentialist historiography;
— explore how the basic principles of the Puritan plain style were applied
in early Americanliterature;
~ discuss how the indigenous inhabitants of America began to be seen
through the prism of the Puritans’ preconceptions;
— compare and contrast Governor William Bradford’s rhetorical strategies
with Captain John Smith’s, considering howtheir different perspectives
werereflected in their writings.

Suggestions for how to proceed

Read the introduction to unit 2 (American Literature to 1900, pages 27-30).

before you approach the two selections from William Bradford's history Of
Plymouth Plantation (pages 30-34) so as to become previously acquainted
with their context. Once you are familiar with the selected passages from
Bradford’s work, answerthe fifteen questionsfor self-evaluation (pages 35-37),
going back to the selections as many times as necessary, and finally check
your choices with the help of the key (page 499). Then, answerall the
exploratory questions in the next section ofthe study unit (pages 37-39),
exceptfor the last one, because the following activity will show you how to
tackle question 15. Cee ae
Unit 2: WILLIAM BRADFORD 21

Activity

Answering comparison and contrast questions

Since the study of American literature places a great deal of emphasis on the
interaction between texts, you will often be encouraged to write about them
from a comparative perspective. The numerous comparative questions you will
find throughout the coursebook American Literature to 1900 tend to group
writers whose works shed light on one another. The fifteenth exploratory
question in the second unitis the first of such questions, for John Smith and
William Bradford, the authors analyzed in units 1 and 2, may well be paired
together. As leaders invested with political authority and very muchinterested
in issues of colonial governance, both formulated extremely influential visions
of the New World when they wrote eyewitness accounts of their immigrant
experiences. Moreover, William Bradford’s works are best read beside John
Smith’s in order to bring out the full contrast between their worldviews and
rhetorical strategies.

Asthe purposeof this activity is to help you answerexploratory question

15 in unit 2 (page 39), you should readit carefully before you begin this task,
as well as look at the chart on page 40 of American Literature to 1900, paying
attention to the practical advice containedin the highlighted section just above
the chart. From the instructions in that section you will infer that the chart is
simply an example of how you canstart your ownlist of differences between
John Smith and William Bradford. However, what you are asked to do now is
more complex, because answering this comparison and contrast question
requires that you write about the similarities and differences between Smith’s
and Bradford’s writings, bearing in mind that a comparison emphasizes
similarities, whereas a contrast stresses differences. One effective technique
for organizing your ownideasis to create an integrated structure or pattern that
will eventually allow you to discuss a number of topics with respectto:

— the writers’ intentions or purpose

— point of view
~— context
— setting
— audience
— subject matter
22 A STUDY GUIDE FOR AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1900

— use of sources
— inclusion of autobiographical elements
— reliability
— style.

You may begin by making three columns, listing the differences on the
right andleft, and the similarities in the central column,as follows:

John Smith Similarities | William Bradford

The twelve questions about John Smith and William Bradford which you
will find below are not meantto be answered with full sentences, but just with
keywords. Such questions are intended to increase your awarenessof relevant
features in the works of both authors, and help you to identify some items that
you mayinclude in the three columnsofthe preceding chart.

1. Regarding the attitude of both writers to the colonial undertaking, did

they have the same or different goals when they embarked on their
voyages?

2. Regarding the purposeoftheir writings, did they write for the same or
for different reasons?

3. Regarding the attitude they displayed to the New World and its
inhabitants, as well as the way in which they perceived the opposition
Unit 2: WILLIAM BRADFORD 23

between wilderness and civilization, what were their main similarities

and differences?

. Regarding the time and spatial context in which they wrote, when and
where did they compose their works?

. Regarding the time and spatial setting of their writings, when and
where did they set the stories they told?

Regarding their original audience, did they address the same or

different readers?

. Regarding the subject matter of their writings, what topics did they
choose to focus their attention on?

Regarding their use of literary sources, did they draw their inspiration
from the sameor from different works?

Regarding their use of historical sources, how doestheir treatment of

history compare? Did they ever blendfact andfiction?

10. Regarding the inclusion of autobiographical elements, what self-

images did these two authors generate?

11. Regardingissuesofreliability, do their narrators seem to be reliable or

unreliable?

12. Regarding style (their characteristic way of writing or mode of

expression, whichis determinedby diction, imagery, tone, and various
devices, such as the use offirst-person or third-person narrators), how
do their writings compare?

Once you have enumerated as many differences and similarities as you can
think of, you can choose the most remarkable ones from your chart and
explain them more fully. When you put in writing your answer to the
comparison and contrast question about John Smith and William Bradford,
you should consider that the goal of this kind of activity is not just to list
similarities and differences, but to reveal something important about whatis
being comparedandcontrasted. In other words, your aim is to get at the deeper
issues and express your owninsights by elucidating how the works of two of
the most outstanding writers in early American literature illuminate each other.
 UNIT 2
William Bradford (1590-1657)

Born in the town of Austerfield, Yorkshire, William Bradford wasspiritually

moved by the sermons preached by the nonconformist minister Richard
Clyfton. When William was 12 years old, he began attending Separatist
meetings in nearby villages. He left his family home for the small village of
Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, in order to join a community ofreligious believers
whohad “separated” from the Church of England. These people werereligious
dissenters, strict Calvinist protestants who hadestablished a church of their
own in 1606. They were called “Separatists” because they acted onthe text of
the Second Book of Corinthians: “Come out from among them and be ye
separate, saith the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:17). Despairing of reforming the Church of
England from within, these independent congregations supported the separation
of church and state and, following Calvin’s model, they formed underground
“covenanted” churches that swore loyalty to the group instead of the king. Ata
time when church andstate were united, those who seceded from the Church of
England were often persecuted because they were seen not only as heretics but
as traitors to-the king.
In 1608 the Scrooby congregation, fearful for their lives, had to flee to
Holland, then knownforits religious tolerance. In the city of Leyden, Bradford
became a weaver and married Dorothy May,the daughter of a Separatist elder.
Due to poor economic conditions and cultural competition in Leyden, the
Scrooby congregation (which did not want “freedom ofreligion” in general,
but“the freedom to practice their religion’) decided to move again in search of
a better life, this time to New England. Their aim wasto set themselves apart
from the rest of the world and establish the City of God on earth. Since they
regarded their journey to the “promised land”asa religious pilgrimage, they
were called “the Pilgrim Fathers,” or “Pilgrims,” a word William Bradford
himself used to refer to them. They werealso labelled “Puritans,” a wordatfirst
used contemptuously by their opponents, but later adopted by the membersof
 UNIT 2
William Bradford (1590-1657)

Born in the town of Austerfield, Yorkshire, William Bradford wasspiritually

moved by the sermons preached by the nonconformist minister Richard
Clyfton. When William was 12 years old, he began attending Separatist
meetings in nearby villages. He left his family home for the small village of
Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, in order to join a community ofreligious believers
whohad “separated” from the Church of England. These people werereligious
dissenters, strict Calvinist protestants who hadestablished a church of their
own in 1606. They were called “Separatists” because they acted onthe text of
the Second Book of Corinthians: “Come out from among them and be ye
separate, saith the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:17). Despairing of reforming the Church of
England from within, these independent congregations supported the separation
of church and state and, following Calvin’s model, they formed underground
“covenanted” churches that swore loyalty to the group instead of the king. Ata
time when church andstate were united, those who seceded from the Church of
England were often persecuted because they were seen not only as heretics but
as traitors to-the king.
In 1608 the Scrooby congregation, fearful for their lives, had to flee to
Holland, then knownforits religious tolerance. In the city of Leyden, Bradford
became a weaver and married Dorothy May,the daughter of a Separatist elder.
Due to poor economic conditions and cultural competition in Leyden, the
Scrooby congregation (which did not want “freedom ofreligion” in general,
but“the freedom to practice their religion’) decided to move again in search of
a better life, this time to New England. Their aim wasto set themselves apart
from the rest of the world and establish the City of God on earth. Since they
regarded their journey to the “promised land”asa religious pilgrimage, they
were called “the Pilgrim Fathers,” or “Pilgrims,” a word William Bradford
himself used to refer to them. They werealso labelled “Puritans,” a wordatfirst
used contemptuously by their opponents, but later adopted by the membersof
 28 AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1900

on
“oscasam
Ragen er eeReig
- William Wood’s mapof“The South part
' of New England,asit is Plantedthis
. yeare, 1634,” which was publishedin his
_ New England’s Prospect (London, 1634),
showsthe location of Plymouth Colony.

scorer
that religious group, since they wanted to maintain a church of“ancient purity.”
Thus, “Puritan,” originally used only asa jibe or a term of derision, becamethe
most common wordto refer to the community of Separatists to which Bradford
belonged.It should be noted, however,that most English Puritansat that time
were non-Separatist, that is, they did not secede completely from the Church of
England because they hopedto institute reforms while remaining in the
national church.
The Leyden group of believers bought a small ship, the Speedwell, and
sailed to England in July 1620, where they hired the merchant vessel
Mayflower and embarked from Southampton. As the Speedwell leaked badly,
they were forced to turn back,leaving that ship in Plymouth (England), and
travelling on the Mayflower alone. They travelled with other emigrants who
were strangers to the Leyden congregation and had been recruited by the
English investors as equal partners to the Pilgrims. All the passengers had
received financial backing from a consortium of London merchants. In the
UNIT 2: WILLIAM BRADFORD(1590-1657) 29

joint-stock companythat had been formed, the Londoninvestors risked their

money financing the voyage and the settlement, and the settlers invested
their personal labour for a period of seven years. They headed for the mouth
of the Hudson, since their original grant was for land in the northern part of
the Virginia territory. Nevertheless, the two patents they had received from the
Virginia Company were eventually useless because, due to weather conditions,
they arrived farther north than they had intended, off the shores of
Massachusetts. They sighted land at Cape Cod on November9, 1620, and the
Mayflower came to anchor on November11, after 66 daysat sea. Finally, they
disembarked at the site of the future town of Plymouth on December 11,
1620.
Bradford was one ofthe authors of the Mayflower Compact, a civil
covenant or agreement drawn up by the Pilgrims when they were still on
board, in order to guarantee cooperation within their unchartered community.
The church of the Pilgrims was already bound bya strict religious covenant,
but realising that unity was essential for the survival of the colony, they
decided to draw up a civil compact in order to include the settlers who were
outside of the church. The Mayflower Compact provided for social and
economic freedom, while still maintaining ties with Great Britain. Some
monthsafter they landed, following the death of the first governor, John
Carver, Bradford was elected governor of Plymouth Colony, a position he held.
until the last five years of his life, for he was re-elected thirty times.
Apart from Bradford’s historical relevance, he holds an important position
in early American literature. He was a self-educated man who did not receive
a university education but had learned several languages (Latin, Greek and
Dutch) and wasparticularly skilled in Hebrew, which hestudied to “see with
his own eyes the ancient oracles in their native beauty.” Although Bradford
also wrote a journal, some poemsand series of dialogues, his greatest
contribution to American letters was his history Of Plymouth Plantation, in
two volumes. Thefirst one started with the events that led the Scrooby
community to leave England for Holland, and gave a clear account of the
Pilgrims’ voyage and the colony’s beginnings. The second book was written in
the form of annals covering the years 1620-1646 and reflects the author’s
disappointmentat the gradual decline of the once cohesive community, which
he considered in danger of dissolution. He wanted to resurrect a bygone
holiness and to exhort the younger generation to live up to the religious ideals
of the Pilgrims. Bradford wrote the first book of the history Of Plymouth
Plantation (ten chapters) in 1630, and put aside his manuscript until 1644,
when he completed the eleventh chapter. He finished his work between 1646
and 1650, although it was not published until 1857. However,it had exerted
an influence long before the mid-nineteenth century, for it was used by many
 30 . AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1900

New England historians. The original manuscript of the second book

mney
disappeared from Boston during the American Revolution and was considered
lost until it was discovered in the Bishop of London’slibrary. In 1897 it was
returned to the United States and is now deposited in the library of the
Massachusetts State House in Boston.

First, we are going to read the most frequently cited passage in Colonial.
American writing. It is a description of the trials of the expedition, the
hardships of the Atlantic crossing and the bleak impression the Pilgrims
received of the New World.

From Of Plymouth Plantation

Book I, Chapter IX. Of Their Voyage and How They Passed the Sea;
and of Their Safe Arrival at Cape Cod

September 6. These troubles being blown over,' and now all being compact
together in one ship,” they put to sea again? with a prosperous wind, which
continued divers days together, which was some encouragement unto them;
yet, according to the usual manner, many wereafflicted with sea sickness. And
I may not omit here a special work of God’s providence. There was a proud
and very profane* young man, one of the seamen, of a lusty, able body,
which made him the more haughty;° he would always be condemning the poor
peoplein their sickness and cursing them daily with grievous’ execrations; and
did notlet® to tell them that he hopedto help to cast half of them overboard
10 before they came to their journey’s end, and to make merry’ with what they
had; and if he were by any gently reproved, he would curse and swear most
bitterly. But it pleased God before they came half seas over, to smite’® this
young man with a grievous disease, of which he died in a desperate manner,

' Ended without any serious consequences.

2 The Mayflower.
3 They had sailed on board the Speedweil, but they had to turn back because of a leak and
depart a second time on the Mayflower.
4 Showing disrespectfor religious things.
5 Healthy and strong; vigorous.
6 Arrogant.
7 Causing grief or suffering; atrocious.
8 Hesitate.
° Be cheerful; laugh, talk, sing and feast.
© Strike.
UNIT 2: WILLIAM BRADFORD (1590-1657) 31

and so was himself the first that was thrown overboard. Thus his curses
light'! on his own head, and it was an astonishmentto all his fellows for
they notedit to be the just hand of God upon him.
After they had enjoyed fair winds and weather for a season,'* they were
encountered many times with cross'? winds and met with manyfierce storms
with which the ship was shroudly™ shaken, and her upper works made very
leaky;!° and one of the main beamsin the midships'® was bowed and cracked, 20
which put them in some fear that the ship could not be able to perform the
voyage. [...]
But to omit other things (that I may be brief) after long beating at sea they
fell with that land which is called Cape Cod;'’ the which being made and
certainly knownto beit, they were nota little joyful. After some deliberation 25
had amongst themselves and with the master of the ship, they tacked!*® about
and resolved to stand for the southward’? (the wind and weatherbeing fair) to
find some place about Hudson’s River for their habitation. But after they
had sailed that course abouthalf the day, they fell amongst dangerous shoals”
and roaring breakers,”' and they were so far entangled” therewith” as they 30
conceived themselves in great danger; and the wind shrinking’ upon them
withal,”> they resolved to bear up again for the Cape and thought themselves
happy to get out of those dangers before night overtook them, as by God’s
good providence they did. And the next day they got into the Cape Harbor”
where theyrid in safety. 35
[...]
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

'! Descended andsettled.

12 A period of time.
3 Unfavourable.
4 An old form of shrewdly, in its original sense of wickedly.
‘5 Allowing the accidental entrance of water.
'6 The middle part of a ship.
‘7 They arrived at Cape Cod in southeastern Massachusetts on November9, 1620, after a
66-day voyage.
'8 They changedthe course of the ship by turning its bow into and across the wind.
'9 Toward the south.
20 Shallow places in the sea.
1 Large wavesbreaking into foam as they advance towardsthe shore.
Involvedin difficulty.
23 With the aforementioned (shoals and breakers).
4 Holding back.
25 In addition; besides.
26 Now Provincetown Harbor,at the tip of Cape Cod.
27 Daniel 2:19.
 32 AMERICANLITERATURE TO 1900

over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and
miseries thereof,?® again to set their feet on the firm andstable earth, their
proper element. And no marvelif they were thus joyful, seeing wise Seneca
wasso afflicted with sailing a few miles on the coast of his ownItaly, 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.”
45 But here I cannot but stay and make a pause, and stand half amazedat this
poor people’s present condition; and so I think will the reader, too, when he
well considers the same. Being thus passed the vast ocean, and a sea of
troubles before in their preparation (as may be remembered by that which
wentbefore), they had now no friends to welcome them, norinnsto entertain
50 or refresh their weather-beaten bodies; no houses or much less towns to
repair to, to seek for succor.* It is recorded in Scripture as a mercy to the
Apostle and his shipwrecked company,that the barbarians showed them in
refreshing*! them,” but these savage barbarians, when they met with them (as
after will appear) were readierto fill their sides full of arrows than
) otherwise? And for the reason it was winter, and they that know the winters
of that country know them to be sharp and violent, and subject to cruel and
fierce storms, dangerousto travel to known places, much moreto search an
unknown coast. Besides, what could they see but a hideous and desolate
wilderness,** full of wild beasts and wild men—and what multitudes there
might be of them they knew not. Neither could they,as it were, go up to the
top of Pisgah* to view from this wilderness a more goodly country to feed
their hopes; for which way soever* they turned their eyes (saved*’ upward to
the heavens) they could havelittle solace** or content in respect of any

28 Concerningthat.
29 Seneca, Moral Epistles to Lucilius, line 5.
3° Aid; help; relief.
3! Giving rest andrelief.
32 Saint Paul records how,after their shipwreck, they were welcomed by some“barbarians”
(people who spoke a language unknownto them). “And the barbarous people showed us
no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the
present rain, and becauseof the cold” (Acts 28:2).
33 They were attacked bythe local inhabitants, but no one was harmed.
34 “7 ..] more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations” (Ezekiel
6:14).
35 Mountain ridge east of the north end of the Dead Sea, from which Moses viewed the
Promised Land in Deuteronomy 3:27.
In any way.
37 Except.
38 Comfort.
 UNIT 2: WILLIAM BRADFORD (1590-1657) 33

outward objects. For summerbeing done, all things stand upon them with a
weatherbeaten face, and the whole country, full of woods and thickets,” 65
represented a wild and savage hue.”

The second passage we are going to read is about an episode which took |
place the following autumn, when the colony was firmly established. Their first
winter (1620-1621) had been extremely harsh, and half the group died of |
exposure, malnutrition and illness—out of 102 passengers, only 51 survived. |
They madefriendly contact with the Wampanoag"! Indians, who taught them
how to plant corn. That spring the settlers planted their crops and in the ©
autumnof 1621 they celebrated the harvest with a feast later associated with —
the Thanksgiving holiday, on the fourth Thursday in November. It was.a
traditional English harvest celebration which lasted three days and. was
attended by Indian guests—the regional leader Massasoit and about 90of his
men, who provided five deer. In the nineteenth century Alexander Young, in
his Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers (1841) erroneously identified the 1621
harvest celebration as “the First Thanksgiving,” although they were twototally
separate events in the minds of the Puritans. The former was a secular feast
(with meals and time for recreation) and took place in November, whereas the
latter was a religious observance at church and tookplace in July. Thefirst real
Calvinist Thanksgiving in New England was celebrated in Plymouth Colonyin _.
1623, after a providential rain shower saved the plantation’s crops. Apart
from the end ofthe drought, the 1623 Thanksgiving also celebrated the news
that a ship carrying new colonists, feared sunk, was safe.

From Book H, Chapter XII. Anno 1621

They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their
houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and
strength and hadall things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in
affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other
fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. 5
All the summer there was no want;and now began to comein store of
~ fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came

» Thick growth of shrubs, underbrush, or small trees.

4 Aspect; general appearance.
41 Wampanoag means “Eastern People,” “People of the Dawn,” or “People of the First
Light.”It is the collective name of the indigenous people of southeastern Massachusetts
and eastern RhodeIsland.
# Lack; scarcity.
 34 AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1900

first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl* there

wasgreat store of wild turkeys, of which they took many,besides venison, etc.
10 Besides they had about a peck“ a meal a week to a person, or now since
harvest, Indian corn* to that proportion. Which made many afterwards write
so largely of their plenty“ here to their friends in England, which were not
feigned*’ buttrue reports.

They begane now to gather in ye small harvest they bad,

and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against minter,
being well recovered in health & strength, and had all
things in good plenty; for some were thus imployed in
affairs abroad, others were ercersised in fishing, aboute
cond, & bass, & other fish, of which yey tooke good store,
of which every family had their portion. AU ye somer ther
was no wante. And now begane to come in store of foule,
as winter aproached, of which this place did abound when
they came first (but afterward decreased by degree). And
besides water foule, ther was areat store of wild Turkies,
of which they took many, besides venison, &c. Besids they
had aboute a peck a meale ao weeke to ao person, or now
since harvest, Indean corne to yt proportion. Which made
many afterwards write so laraly of their plenty hear to
their freinds in Gngland, which were not fained, but trne
reports.

4 ‘Water birds (esp. ducks).

“4 A unit of dry measure, equal to 1/4 bushelor 8 dry quarts. A large amount.
45 The word corn wasusedto refer to any grain (wheat, rye, barley and oats). Indian corn
was what we know now ascorn or maize. It became the Plymouth Plantation’s chief crop
and wastraded with the Natives to the north for beaver skins.
46 Abundance; prosperity.
47 False.
UNIT 2: WILLIAM BRADFORD (1590-1657) 35

1. Whatearly evidence of God’s favour toward the expedition does the author
give?
a. No-one wassea-sick.
b. The winds were in the right direction.
c. The seamen wereall healthy and vigorous.
d. One seaman’s atrocious behaviour was punished by disease and death.
2. Which of the following is the most accurate description of the weather
encountered by the Pilgrims on their crossing?
a. always rough and unpleasant
b. calm and mostly enjoyable
c. changeable and occasionally extreme
d. changeable but mild
3. Howdid the Pilgrims feel about arriving at Cape Cod?
a. happy but uncertain
b. confused and apprehensive
c. argumentative
d. resolute
4. With whichofthe following statements would the author be mostlikely to
agree?
a. Crossing an ocean is a hazardous business, only to be undertaken with
God’s help.
b. It is better to remain on land, whatever the circumstances.
c. God favoursall those whosail the seas.
d. Skilled sailors can be sure oftheir safety at sea.
5. Which of the following best describes the character of the Pilgrims as
exhibited during the voyage?
a. reckless
b. devout
c. cowardly
d. stubborn

6. Why does the author ask his readers to feel pity for the recently landed
Pilgrims?
a. They hadleft all their friends behind them.
b. They were attacked by the Natives.
36 AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1900

c. They had been shipwreckedlike the Apostle Saint Paul.

d. They had nowhere comfortable to go.

The author’s description of the landscape invites readers to think that the
Pilgrims’ immediate future will be
a. difficult and dangerous.
b. absolutely hopeless.
c. inspiring and hopeful.
d. safe and pleasant.

. Whatis the main idea behindthe first excerpt?

a. Travelling to unexplored lands is dangerous.
b. The Pilgrims were like characters from the Bible, struggling against the
elements to do God’swill.
c. The Pilgrims wereill-prepared to make such a hazardous journey.
d. The New World wasa harsh, waste and unwelcomingplace, not worth
the efforts made by the Pilgrims to discover.

. What wasthe Pilgrims’ only source of comfort in such hostile surroundings?

a. Thinking that it would soon bespring.
b. Climbing to the top of a mountain called Pisgah.
c. Walking in the wilderness.
d. Looking at the sky and thinking about heaven.

10. Whichstatement does not support the main idea behind the excerpt ofthe
journey and arrival at Cape Cod?
a. The Pilgrims travelled in the Mayflower.
b. The Pilgrims felt their sea voyage was perilous and miserable.
c. The Pilgrims thanked Godfor their safe landing.
d. Once landed, the Pilgrims faced an uncertain future.

11. ThePilgrims spent their first summer in the New World mainly
a. resting.
b. doing business transactions.
c. looking after those who weresick.
d. making provisions for the following winter.

12. The sentence “All the summer there was no want” meansthat during the
summerthe Pilgrims
a. were notable to get the kind of food they wanted.
b. had enoughtoeat.
UNIT 2: WILLIAM BRADFORD (1590-1657) 37

c. wanted more food than they couldeat.

d. were not able to get the amount of food they wanted.

13. From the last sentence of the last excerpt we caninfer that at the end of the
summerthe Pilgrims felt
a. anxious.
b. distressed.
c. satisfied.
d. regretful.

14. The prevailing tone of both passagesis

a. dignified.
b. aggressive.
Cc. sarcastic.
d. harsh.

15. The prevailing moodof the narrator in the excerpt from BookII, Chapter XII
is
a. sad.
b. peaceful.
c. melancholic.
d. wistful.

. William Bradford himself is the “I” or first person narrator of the history Of
Plymouth Plantation. How importantis the first person narrator in the
passage extracted from Book |, Chapter IX? What effect does the author
attempt to have onhis readers by using a first person narrative instead of a
third person one?
. Being Calvinists, the Puritans believed that God wasin charge of the
universe and they interpreted all events as symbols with spiritual meanings.
How did Bradford interpret the death of the young man aboard the
Mayflower? |In whatsenseis this incident an example of God protecting his
chosen people? Consider the event described as “a special work of God’s
providence” and commenton the waythe authortries to demonstrate the
workingsof divine providencein his cautionarytale.
. Analyse Bradford’s idea of God, bearing in mind that in the covenanted
churches God was considered as a contractual partner to the believers.
38 AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1900

Rememberthat the Pilgrims were struggling to fulfill what they believed to

be God’s plan.
Most events were regarded by Puritans as a manifestation of God’s
judgement. Good fortune could signify righteousness and divine favour,
whereas bad fortune could mean divine punishment. At the same time, the
conceptof “spiritual ordeal” (the idea that trials can bring out the best in
believers) played an important role in Christian thought. How did Bradford
explain the misfortunes of the Pilgrims?
. In contrast to other accounts, Of Plymouth Plantation showslittle interest in
Native culture, and pays almost no attention to the beauty of the New
World’s flora and fauna. The key to that attitude is already evident in the
author’s depiction of the landscape of New England onhis arrival. Analyse
that description and commenton the perception of nature it implies.
. Describe the balance between the threat from the wilderness and the
support that, according to the author, the Pilgrims received from God.
. The chief influence on Bradford’s writings was the Bible, which he often
quoted or paraphrased. For instance, he drew a direct analogy to Saint
Paul’s shipwreck. Note that, according to the author, the plight of the
Pilgrims was even worse than that of “the Apostle and his shipwrecked
company.” What difference did Bradford point out between the
“barbarians” that Saint Paul and his followers found in Malta (where the
inhabitants built a fire for them against the cold and provided them with
food and shelter for three months) and the “savage barbarians” the Pilgrims
found in America? Comment on this biblical reference. In order to
understand the Natives’ attitude toward the Pilgrims, we should bear in
mind that the Wampanoag had had previous contacts with European
explorers, often in the form of commercial exchanges but sometimes ending
in violent disruption of their stable wayoflife (e.g. In 1614, 27 Wampanoag
men were kidnapped by Thomas Hunt and sold as slaves in Malaga; in
1618, an epidemic brought by the Europeans decimated many oftheir
communities; in the summer of 1620, a battle took place).
Bradford regarded the Pilgrims as the new Israelites or “chosen people” and
America as “the promised land of Canaan.”First, find in the first passage
you have read a specific reference to this important concept in American
culture. Then, commenton the basic difference which Bradford pointed out
between the New World, as seen by the Pilgrims, and Moses’s vision of
Canaan in Deuteronomy3.
. The genre of Puritan history served the useful purpose of enhancingspiritual
life by interpreting God’s design, because humanhistory was considered a
progress of mankind toward a predetermined end. In other words, history
was perceived as a continuum, moving toward a particular outcome,
UNIT 2: WILLIAM BRADFORD(1590-1657) 39

according to God’s plans. Of Plymouth Plantation is not a chronicle (a

record of mere deeds or a simple sequence of events), but a history (a
series of events with a shape and a purpose). From the analysis of the
passages above, to what extent do you think that this work is an intentionally
ideological document? If you pay attention to the author’s reflections on the
ways of Providence, you will be able to decide whether Bradford produced
a good example of providentialist historiography or not.
10. Puritans officially condemned ornate speech, which they associated with
the English aristocracy and the preachers of the Church of England.
Rejecting literary artifice, the English Puritans promoted humble modesof
verbal expression that were intended primarily to inform and instruct, not to
please. From the outset, the author of the history Of Plymouth Plantation
declared that he would write in the plain style of biblical simplicity.
However, being a true Renaissance man, Bradford was familiar with the
literary fashions of his day, which aboundedin figures of speech of greater
or lesser complexity. To what extent do you think that he achieved his
goal of directness and simplicity in the passages you have read?
11, For Puritans theology was not merely an intellectual exercise. Theology was
designed to transform lives and to inspire action. To what extent is Puritan
theology relevant for the analysis of Bradford’s writings?
12. Whatattitude did the author express about the Native People in thefirst
passage you have read? Bear in mind that, according to the Puritans, Christ
died for the elect alone; therefore, “savage barbarians” were considered as
excluded from Redemption.
13. Reread the passage from Book II, Chapter XII and comment on the
opposition between wilderness and civilization. Notice how Bradford’s
horror of the wild (which pervadedthefirst passage) has been transformed
in the second passage you have read, and how his perception of the
American landscape andhis attitude to nature has changed in one year as
a result of colonization.
14. Compare and contrast the two versions of the passage from BookII, Chapter Xi.
15. Bradford had read Smith’s works before he began writing. Contrast the
ways in which Captain John Smith and Governor William Bradford looked
at the world and how their different perspectives were reflected in their
writings. How does their rhetoric compare? Rhetoric is the art of using
language for persuasion.
40 AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1900

goonstudying, youmay te .
ork of certain authors, noting similarities anddifferences.In thisunit, |
fteenth exploratory question has led you to make such a comparison
ou have probably observed howJohn Smith and William Bradford |
ravelled to America chartered by English merchants, and both were keen to
ffer their first impressions of the New World. You may also have—
lentioned how,although they never went to university, they were learned
1en_ whose primarily utilitarian texts have earned them a prominent —
osition in the canon of early American literature. Bearing in mind that_
radford had access to Smith's maps and reports, you may have suggested_
_that the former’s perception of the Native People of North America was _
_influenced by that of his predecessor. These were points they had in
ommon, but what about the main differences between them? Before you _
rite an essay on this topic, making a list of differences by simply jottin
own key words may help you to present your views later in am
matic way. This is anexample ofhowyoucanstart thiskindof|
John Smith William Bradford

¢ Explorer ° Settler
¢ Emphasis on the individual self: ¢ Emphasis on the welfare of a
first person singular and third cohesive community: third person
person singular (I + he) plural (they)
* Political intent ¢ Religious intent
e Secular concerns ¢ Spiritual concerns
¢ Classical sources ¢ Biblical sources
* Fusion offact andfiction ¢ Providential interpretation of facts
¢ Informative and entertaining e Didactic
¢ Ornatestyle ¢ Plain style