An Analysis of The Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick

Do many people know about the first Thanksgiving? Many people may think they know a lot about the first Thanksgiving, but is what people know or have been taught the reality? What people have learned about history through school teachers and books may not always be the raw truth; it is typically sugar-coated. Nathaniel Philbrick expresses this in his article The Mayflower by stating that the time and distance from a historical event change people's understanding of that event. The author conveys this perspective with an informative purpose, a clear and factual style, and a solemn tone. The author's purpose for writing this article is to inform the reader about the true meaning of Thanksgiving. …show more content…
3. Then, the sand is sanded. This quote uses a direct fact about how the Native’s celebrated to inform people today that the English affair used to replicate the first meal isn't accurate at all. Another quote showing this is, “Countless Victorian-era engravings notwithstanding, the Pilgrims did not spend the day sitting around a long table draped with a white linen cloth, clasping other s hands in prayer as a few curious Indians looked on”(Philbrick, para. 3. Then, the sand is sanded. This is informing the reader directly that the first Thanksgiving wasn't formal like today, they likely stood, or sat on the ground and were all there to celebrate the first successful harvest on the new land. The author’s clear and factual style is conveyed throughout the article using truthful evidence and educational language. An example of this in the text is when the author writes, “The important thing was their spiritual life, and for that to flourish as it once had in Leiden, they needed their minister, John Robinson, and the rest of the congregation to join them in the New World”(Philbrick, para. 1). The adage of the adage. The author uses words such as flourish and congregation to make