Puritan Literature Essay - 885 Words

Puritan values, ideas, and beliefs are evident in the works of Anne Bradstreet, William Bradford, and Jonathan Edwards. Through her poetry, Bradstreet reveals her Puritan values and ideals. Bradstreet was aware of a woman’s role in Puritan society and tried to portray herself as a humble, pious, obedient, and modest wife. William Bradford’s work also encompasses beliefs, values, and ideas of Puritan life. One can see that in Bradford’s writing such as Of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford emphasizes Puritan suffering specifically through the Mayflower journey and how, with the grace of God, they prevailed. Jonathan Edwards’ work also displays Puritan beliefs, values, and ideals through the installation of fear. In an excerpt from Sinners in the†¦show more content†¦In Bradstreet’s poem â€Å"To My Dear and Loving Husband†, Bradstreet mentions the reciprocal love her and her husband share and how she prays that God will realize the strong bond the couple shares and that their love will be ever-lasting and will persevere even after death. Bradstreet stressed how important it was to her to be a good and humble Puritan wife and her poetry exuded the beliefs, values, and ideals of Puritan life. Through his writing, Of Plymouth Plantation, William Bradford emphasized the divine power and grace of God and how He was the complex being that controlled the consequences of sin and the benefits of being a good Puritan. Bradford once stated that Puritans in England were frequently â€Å"taken and clapped up in prison† or â€Å"had their houses beset and watched night and day...† For these reasons among others, Bradford and many other Puritans journeyed to America for religious and authoritative refuge. Bradford fervently believed in the capacity of God’s forgiveness but also in His punishments. In reference to seven dignified and respected men, Bradford recognizes that it was their Puritan ideals and faith fulness to their religion that kept them in God’s grace. â€Å"And yet the Lord so upheld these persons as in this general calamity they were not at all infectedShow MoreRelatedPuritan and Neoclassical Literature981 Words   |  4 PagesPuritan and Neoclassical Literature Since well before the United States became its own independent nation, the people of this land have worked to develop a purely unique identity. Part of the structure of this identity has been developed through the literature of American authors. When the Puritans came to the New World, they led a life that was focused on their religious beliefs. Through the course of time, the people of the British colonies developed an identity apart from both the homeland ofRead MorePuritanism in American Literature Essay1149 Words   |  5 PagesPuritanism in American Literature The Puritans had a large influence in American literature and still influence moral judgment and religious beliefs in the United States to this day. Puritan writing was used to glorify God and to relate God more directly to our world. Puritan literature was commonly a realistic approach to life. â€Å"Puritanism as a historical phenomenon and as a living presence in American life has enriched American literature in ways far too numerous to detail here.† (GRead More Essay on Faith in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown710 Words   |  3 PagesGoodman Brown  Ã‚        Ã‚   For those who have not studied the Puritans or their beliefs, Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown is not much more than a story of lost (or maybe just confused) faith. 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