English Literature

Of Plymouth Plantation –by William Bradford

OF PLYMOUTH PLANTATION:
 Plymouth Plantation: is one of the most significant texts of early American literature.
o A 40-chapter journal that was written over a period of years.
o Written by the second governor of the Plymouth colony in (Massachusetts).
o It talks about and provides a glimpse of:
 The Mayflower voyage.
 The Mayflower Compact.
 The life of settlers in the New World in the 17th century.
o It became a foundational text.

 William Bradford: English man who became a separatist and a puritan (purify church).
o He went to Holland fleeing persecution and searching for religious freedom.
o He came to the NW on the Mayflower with 100 passengers (half were Pilgrims)
o He was elected the second governor of the Plymouth colony.
o He made the passengers sign the Mayflower Compact as they arrived (1620).

 Genre: historical narrative or historical account.

 Historical Narrative: a story about real people and events that happened in the past and
told in a chronological order.

 Elements of historical narrative:

1. Tells a true story about events that happened in the past.
2. May be considered a primary source if the author observed the events personally.
3. A narrative test that relates events in chronological order, or the order in which
they happened.
4. Descriptive with vivid details to help readers visualize the scenes.

 Why is Plymouth Plantation considered a foundational text?

1. Because it has a significant importance in the US history since it provides one of
the rarest documents about the colonial period in the 17th century as it highlights the
life of the settlers there.
2. Because this historical text contains the Mayflower Compact; therefore, it changes
it from historical narrative into a foundational text.

 Foundational Text: a text that establishes a system, object, structure or institution.

 Why was the MFC signed and what did they sign on?

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 Archaic vocabulary used in the text:
1. Patent(n.): an official document granting ownership.
2. Clave(v.): to cling or to adhere.
3. Calamity(n.): an element that brings terrible loss or lasting distress.
4. Sundry(adj.): various or several.
5. Divers(adj.): various or several.

 Why is Plymouth Plantation important?

1. It contains the foundational text (Mayflower Compact).
a. Compact: set of rules that was signed by the passengers on the ship.
2. It establishes the second colony in the New World.
3. It provides detailed descriptions about the life of settlers in the New World
during the 17th century.
4. It was written in a primary source of information by its governor Bradford.

 Primary Sources: authentic letters, diaries or other written accounts from people who
either participated in or witnessed certain events.

 Secondary Sources: text that isn’t reliable such as biographies, word of mouth etc.

 Analyzing a primary source:

Identify the author’s purpose (why did the writer write this text, reason of
writing) whether to inform, entertain, express beliefs or feelings or persuade.
o Genre: historical narrative —a text about real past events.
o Audience: for future generation as a document of historical significance.
o Tone: attitude of the author.
o Theme: central idea or overall message.

 Determining Central Idea:

Through details that should be extracted which include:
o Detailed descriptions, vocabulary, data, statistics, facts or quotes,
personal observations and experiences, transition words and phrases,
explanations.

 Rhetorical Devices: techniques a writer uses to communicate ideas and convince

readers of their truth.
Ex: figures of speech (metaphor, personification, hyperbole, simile, allusion),
repetition, parallelism, imagery (language that appeal to the five senses or descriptive
details’), paradox, rhetorical questions.

 Text Features: illustrations the author may use to convey information rather than a
paragraph or text
 Ex: images, titles, subtitles, headings, side notes, bold words, info graphs, tables…
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 P Quotation from the Text Analysis
Num.

Diction and Word Choice: The author is

1 ethical, faithful, and religious.
“If God”

“If God give me life and EG: he is praying to God to give him life
1 opportunity.” and opportunity to complete the book.

EG: he will be brief (change in structure

“Noting the heads of principal and style of writing).
1 things”
Inference: he was detailed in his first
book (included major and minor events).

EG: informing the readers that he is going

“Passages as they fell in order of to narrate the events chronologically.
1 time”
Inference his first book was not in order.

EG: gives a hint about the style of writing

in the second book

In forms of Annals (4 in chapter xi):

1 “Handle by way of annals” 1. The Mayflower Compact.
2. The Starving Time.
3. Indians Relations.
4. First Thanksgiving.

Annals: brief record of small short

important events wrote in chronological
order.

EG: he will be mentioning imp events.

1 “Profitable to know or to make
use of” Inference: all imp and non-imp events
were mentioned.

Parallelism
2 “Discontented and mutinous”
3

“Made by them before they came
2 ashore, the first foundation of
their govt, speeches, they would
use their liberty…”
“Loyal subjects of our Lord King
3 James”
“11th of Nov Anno Domini 1620”
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4 Tone serious, respectful and formal.
“Faith and Honor of our King and
Country”
4 “Constitution, laws, offices, acts,
obedience, colony, civil body,
Christian faith, glory of God,
presence of God”
4 All paragraph four
4
What did they decide to sign on once
they reached the shore?(purpose of
signing the compact)
1. To avoid future conflict (as they had
no laws to follow).
2. To avoid discontented and mutinous
speeches by some rebellious
passengers who wanted to live freely
without restrictions.
3. To guarantee equal rights for all.
4. Fist foundation of the govt.
Who: all the 100 passengers (signature
excluded women and children) introduced
themselves as loyal subject to the King
James.
When: November 11th, 1620
(Two months voyage).
Language archaic, formal, respectful,
included political legal terms,
sophisticated, ethical (religious), faithful.
What was it about: sets equal laws for all
to follow, maintains unity, establishes the
first colony in the NW in VI in Cape Cod,
promised obedience to the King.

All of paragraph five
5 1. Chose a governor (John Carver).
“Murmuring speeches were
6 overcome by wisdom and
patience”
6 “Wisdom, patience, equal and
just”
7 The Starving Time Annal
7 The Starving Time Annal
7 The Starving Time Annal
What did they do when they settled in
the NW? (What did they sign on)?
2. Signed the Mayflower Compact.
3. Established civil and military govt.
4. Began building cottages for
residents
5. Storing food.
EG: Rebellious people who appeared from
time to time where calmed down by faith,
laws and respect.
Central Idea: Puritans tried to overcome
problems with patience, faith and wisdom.
Parallelism (used to compare, contrast or
list)
Why did Bradford mention this?
1. To portrait the puritans that they are
helpful.
2. To highlight the hardships and
calamity that puritans faced when
establishing a colony (weather, new
place…)
1.
EG (When): starvation in January and
February 1621 that resulted in the death of
half of the passengers (50 remained).
Reasons of famines:
2. Harsh weather.
3. Lack of shelter.
4. Lack of medication.
5. Diseases (scurvy).
6. Lack of food.
5

 Sad and lamentable
 Jan and Feb
 Spoken, spared, fetched, made,
dressed, washed
 Dainty and queasy
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 Willingly and Cheerfully
 Grinding and showing
 Myself and many
 Two or three
 Houses and comforts
 Scurvy and diseases
 100 and odd
 Example and worthy
“Showing their true love to their
7 friends, two of these seven, they
were not infected”
7 All of paragraph seven
Result: 50 remained
Parallelism
Purpose: to emphasize and list the
different hardships faced by the colonists
and the types of help.
Anecdote:
7 puritans, mentioned two (William
Brewster and Myles Standish) who helped
the rest of the colonist during the
hardships.
They washed their clothes, made their
beds, dressed them, sat fire for them.
Those people were not afraid of getting
infected with the diseases.
Purpose:
1. To show how religious and faithful
they were that God protected them.
2. Sign of God’s mercy and protection.
3. Emphasis on how faithful they
were.
Long and Lengthy sentences
To describe and mention details.
EG: The relationship btw colonists and
6

8 “Skulking, aloof off, ran away,
stole”
8 Paragraph eight
“Five more with him, brought all
tools that were stolen and came
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with their Sachem Massasoit after
five days later, made peace with
them”
“Injure or hurt any of their
people, if any hurt, they might
punish him, if anything is taken
away should be restored back, if
any did wat on them, they should
aid, compromise in terms of
peace, Indians should leave bows
and arrows behind them”
9 must help.
Indians was distant at first
He was biased as he portraited the Indians
as robbers (according to his choice of
words).
Reality: colonists were the real robbers
since they came to colonize the Indian’s
lands.
EG:
March 16th: Samoset came to talk with the
colonists and after two days he brough his
friend Squanto who spoke better English
since he had been in England.
EG
After 5 days, their leader (Sachem)
Massasoit came and brought back all
stolen items and signed a peace treaty that
lasted for 24 years.
Peace treaty terms:
1. No one has the right to hurt one
another.
2. If anyone hurts anyone from the other
side, then this person will be
punished.
3. No one has the right to steal, if it
happened, then it should be restored
back.
(Used passive because the author wants to
emphasize the action of stealing).
4. If anyone enters a war, the other side
5. In terms of peace, they should support
each other.
6. If the Indians want to visit the
colonists, they should come unarmed
without bows or arrows.
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 “Indians should leave their arrows BIASED and unfair as it managed to
9 and bows behind them”
Paragraph ten
10
“Returned to Sowams and was
10 their interpreter and special
instrument, directed them, take
fish, corn, pilot until he died”
10 “He was a special instrument sent
of God for their good”
“He was native of this place, was
carried away, to sell him as slave
10
in Spain and got away in England,
was entertained by a London
merchant and employed to NW.”
“Harvest, winter, plenty, corn,
11 store, food, fish”
deceive the Indians since the colonists had
no restrictions towards weapons.
EG: Relationship changed from distant to
mutual, interdependent and close as
Indians helped colonists coexist.
EG: Massasoit left to Sowams (their town)
but Squanto remained with the colonists
and helped them:
Translated for them, taught them how to
fish, how to set corn, guide them to places
(pilot), stayed with them until his death.
Diction:
Religious: as he refers to God and thank
him for his blessings.
Underestimate and dehumanize: Squanto
that he is not a human but rather an
instrument sent from God for their good.
Deceptive and biased: Colonists looked
like they appreciated him and other
Indians but they actually used him
EG: Squanto’s origins:
He was originally living in the Indians
lands until he was kidnapped to be sold as
a slave in Spain, he escaped to England
where whom he had stayed with a
merchant for a while and was brought
back to the New World.
Rhetorical Device (Repetition) to
emphasize on the outcome of the hard
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 work and blessings they had and who they
succeeded in managing food for winter.

Parallelism to emphasize the hardships,

11 “Health and strength” gratitude and faith.
“Houses and dwellings”
“To gather and to fit”

Reasons on the colonist’s decision to

celebrate the first harvest:
11 “Recovered in health and strength 1. To express gratitude and thanks to
and had all things in good plenty” God for all the blessings they had.
2. To express gratitude to God for their
survival and protection.

EG: celebrated Thanksgiving on the last

Thursday of Nov and shared food with the
Indians.

How the colonists’ lives changed:

1. Colonists’ conditions changed from

“Recovered in health and strength
11 and had all things in good plenty,
were exercised in fishing, took
good store”
hard and miserable to stable and
convenient.
2. They had plenty of food to eat and
store for winter.
3. They had built houses.
4. Life became stable so they entered
winter prepared.

Why did Bradford mention that:

To express how their lives changed, to
inform readers in how they managed to
survive in the NW and succeed in
adjusting to the new environment.

Traditions on Thanksgiving:
“Meal to a person, wild turkey 1. Family reunion.
11 besides venison.” 2. Express gratitude.
3. Help people.
4. Eat food.

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 “Recovered in health and strength Activities the colonists engaged in to
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and had all things in good plenty, prepare for winter:
were exercised in fishing, took
good store” 1. Built and adjusted houses.
2. Harvested corn.
3. Stored food.
4. Fishing

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