...Nathaniel Hawthorne uses symbolic imagery in the novel of The Scarlet Letter in order to demonstrate the failure of the oppressive Puritan society. Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman, moved to New England while her husband stayed behind in England. While she was alone, she had an affair with Reverend Dimmesdale and they have a daughter named Pearl. In the Puritan society, Adultery is one of the utmost sins that can be committed. When it became known that Hester was an adulteress, she was sentenced to prison and public punishment. Due to the oppressive nature of the Puritan society, Hawthorne writes of the Puritans’ forcing Hester to wear a scarlet “A” upon her chest to make her sin aware to everyone. Through his use of contrasting symbolism, Hawthorne...
Words: 1778 - Pages: 8
...The most iconic figure of the colonial times is John Winthrop because he appears throughout history sailing the new world in search of the “city upon a hill” for his Puritan religion, and for the economic prosperity that came with it. The Puritans led by John Winthrop came to New England in 1630. They came on the Arabella, which was financed by them since they were in the high class of England. The Puritans decided to leave for the New World because they were unable to reform the Church of England. In A Modell of Christian Charity, Winthrop wrote that “the lord make it like that of New England; for we must consider that we shall be as a City Upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us” (Bedford 256). Winthrop imagines and hopes that the new puritan society will be the perfect city that everyone looks too. John Winthrop and the puritans follow their dream to be able to establish their own society and did this with the belief...
Words: 627 - Pages: 3
...Important Puritan Values The Puritans were extremely important in the colonization of New England, and other colonies. During the colonial settlement of the Puritans, civil wars were breaking out in England, and many people were looking for refuge in the New World. Due to the Puritans settling in New England, there were significant changes in the political, economical, and social development of the colonies because of their values of a fair and just government, hard work, education, and faith. One way that the Puritans influenced others was their political views on strong government and allowing for fair trials. An example of the value of a strong government is in The Mayflower Compact when William Bradford told the settlers at Cape Cod and the English government that the settlers were establishing their own separate government, but that they would stay loyal to the king. During this time permanent settlements have been established in the Americas, and many people have been coming to...
Words: 679 - Pages: 3
...At the turn of the 17th century, a new group of settlers arrived in America, resolving to establish a “city upon a hill” that would be the focal point for God’s grace in the New World and would serve as a model for the waves of pilgrims to come. In subsequent decades, the Puritans formed communities across New England; communities governed by and revolving around a strict interpretation of the Christian religion. Essentially, Puritan society was controlled and influenced by the relationship between sin and consequent punishment. Inevitably, this led to conflict over the actual definition of “sin” and if certain acts of “sin” are more severe than others. During the 18th century, the perpetual oppression of the Puritan lifestyle led to major regime changes across the New World as settlers strayed away from the harsh reality of Puritan ideals....
Words: 542 - Pages: 3
...It is difficult to find comfort in an unfamiliar place. In the 17th century, there were many different reasons why people traveled to and throughout the opportunistic new world. Whether it was a puritan or a settler, they all traveled to start a new beginning. For new settlers anticipating the second coming of Eden, civilizing the New World meant changing bad into good. However, for some settlers, the reality of the New World did not meet their expectations and hope turned into disappointment. The colonists were shocked as the wilderness of the New World presented a challenge of survival. The New World was inhabited by wild and savage people, while they were uneducated, the settlers found that they were loving and gentle. Although the settlers...
Words: 775 - Pages: 4
...Laws of Plymouth Colony In the article about laws of Plymouth Colony, the Puritans settled from the native England to the US, immigrated to begin with the new world – civilization. In the new world, I believe the role of the leader was the role model of keeping and maintaining simple life and separation from the world for Puritan societies. What it means to be a Puritan, and how its Puritans lived. The article was written between 1632 and 1682 about the laws about Puritans and a way of life from childbearing to local communities. Some of the laws were omitted. According to the date written, these chapters in the bible reflect upon expectations from communities where sometimes expectations were different. These dates also refer to the chapters...
Words: 441 - Pages: 2
...Puritans Aspirations of a Model Society Chelsea J. Austin Ms. K. L Gooden, instructor APUSH Fall- 113 Sumter Central High School November 1, 2013 Brainstorm Puritans: Puritans were a religious group Separated from the Church of England Thought that the Church of England in their eyes was corrupt Wanted to purify the Church of England were single-minded visionaries convinced of the rightness of their beliefs were practical and businesslike persecuted for their beliefs and fled England for Holland and, ultimately, for North America Many historians feel that the Puritan ethics of thrift, hard work, and self – sufficiency contributed to the success of the New World. Aspirations of a Puritan Model Society: Peaceful environment Entirely focus on God and do his will Strong community Outline Introductory Sentence: Puritans came from New England in the seventeenth century with hopes of creating a model society. Thesis Statement: Their aspirations for a model society consisted of making a strong community, peaceful environment, and a society focused solely on glorifying God and doing his will. Introduction: Puritans came from New England in the seventeenth century with hopes of creating a model society. They came trying to escape the religious persecution of New England and the corruption of the Church of England. Puritans attempted to establish a utopian society that would thrive from honoring God's laws...
Words: 1105 - Pages: 5
...others, has called Puritan society a culture based on the principle of exclusion. With particular references to Winthrop, Edwards and historical events, discuss the evidence of this principle in Puritan life and culture. ______________________________________________ One may hear or read that the people who founded the early United States of America came to the “New World” in order to practice their religious convictions in peace and freedom, without being persecuted. They are often cited as examples. John Winthrop for instance, who was the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, has been quoted as a source of inspiration by numerous US presidents such as John Fitzgerald Kennedy or Ronald Reagan. Yet, one may consider that John Winthrop and Puritans in general are far from representing a tradition of tolerance and freedom. Looking at history and core principles of Puritanism, it cannot be denied that the puritans’ “city upon a hill” had more in common with a totalitarian regime than with the spirit of the Bill of Rights passed in 1789, which embodies far better the values of the United States of America. Puritans were definitely not tolerant. Their culture was based on the principle of exclusion as they did not accept any religious belief that differed from theirs, and rejected and even persecuted people who dared think and act differently from them. The Puritans’ texts available today can make one understand how intolerant Puritans were. In his famous...
Words: 1137 - Pages: 5
...Puritanism was a religious movement in the sixteenth century that evolved in Europe. The Puritans wanted religious purity. Anne Bradstreet was one of the most prominent female writers during the Puritan Age. Her selection “Upon the Burning of Our House” contains aspects of Puritan lifestyle. The show “Breaking Amish” deals with the realities and struggles of young Amish people who are undecisive if they want to alter to the English lifestyle. During the Puritan Age, the work by Anne Bradstreet can be compared to todays pop culture show “Breaking Amish.” The Puritans were a varied group of people who stood up for religious purity in Europe. “Puritanism was more than a religious belief, it was a way of life” (Anne Bradstreet’s Use of Religious...
Words: 1040 - Pages: 5
...the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” Every Puritan or Humanist in the world uses this philosophy to fight for their ideals. Puritans, who lived in the 1600s to the 1750s, thought that the only way to be rewarded was by God in heaven was to work hard in life now, and reap the rewards later. Humanists, who lived later from the 1750s to the 1850s, believed that their happiness should be taken in this life, not the next. The Puritan idea trumps in today’s world as people work for their salvation, not their pleasure. Religious...
Words: 936 - Pages: 4
...logically or scientifically right away. As individuals, reason and solution is a must and the truth is what keeps life going. This feeling of ambiguity is no different for the Puritans in the sixteen hundreds. In fact, Puritan Anne Bradstreet reveals her struggle in faith within many of her literary works. To readers, the assumption is already made that as a Puritan member and a woman of society Bradstreet would incorporate godly worships in all her pieces of writing. Although that is true to some degree, once readers deeply analyzes her work in poetry they can see that her relationship with God is not always all mighty and secure. There are moments in her poems where she feels a certain disconnect or a sense of disbelief in His power. In rare occasions, she even blames God for her misfortunes. Bradstreet begins to see God differently than how she did when she was raised as a little girl. The mentality of every devoted Puritan man and woman in this New World, now called America, is to be a believer in God and only Him. In fact, it is said that “The [...] Puritan was such as one that honored God above all [...] His first care was to serve God, and therein he did not what was good in his own, but in God's sight, making the word of God the rule of his worship" (Geree). However, the hardships of life in this new land consequently led many faithful believers such as, Anne Bradstreet, to question the sincerity of their personal faith. Having been born and raised in a...
Words: 1840 - Pages: 8
...The Salem Witch Trials Witchcraft is the practice of black magic. In the late 17th century in New England, at least 344 individuals were tried and 35 were executed as witches in Salem in 1692. More than 95 percent of all formal accusations and more than 90 percent of the executions for the witchcraft in British America occurred in Puritan colonies. Many factors contributed to the hysteria that gripped Salem. Impact of King William‘s War, the Puritan belief system and gender roles all led to the Salem witch trials. The foundation of the witchcraft crisis lay in the Puritan New Englanders’ singular worldview, one they had inherited from the first settlers of Massachusetts Bay more than sixty years earlier. That worldview taught them that they were a chosen people, charged with bringing God’s message to a heathen land previously ruled by the devil. And in that adopted homeland, God spoke through his providence - that is through small and large events of daily life. New England’s Puritans even in the third generation, believed themselves to be surrounded by an invisible world of spirits as well as by a natural world of palpable objects. Both worlds communicated God’s messages, because both operated under his direction. Losses sustained in the Second Indian War, King William’s War, prompted doubts or spiritual anxiety within the Puritan community. “That their Wabanaki enemies were Catholic (or at least aligned with the French Caltholics) made matters worse, suggesting that the...
Words: 1901 - Pages: 8
...The Puritan Contribution to American Culture In 1630, a group called the Puritans made their way to the New World, a part of it that would later become America. They brought with them a uniquely structured culture of their time, a structure shaped by factors of ideology and necessity that was to be shaped further by extenuating circumstances down the road. The Puritans undoubtedly had a massive impact on an infant America so long ago, an impact that can be seen to this day. With both forerunners to modern American ideology and social and political practices, and twisted stigmas that would take generations to water down and wash out, the Puritans left a mixed American legacy, but one that played a vital part in developing American society. The Puritans were, at heart, a religious group. Indeed, that was the primary purpose for which they left Europe and traveled to the New World: they desired the ability to assert their own religious practices in what they considered an empty world without persecution by a group with more power and conflicting ideas. This resulted in a variety of beneficial results as regards the common wealth, but was interspersed with a few less than benevolent practices. One of the better religious contributions, interestingly enough, came from the idea of predestination, the idea that no matter what an individual does, their fate to either heaven or hell has already been decided. This idea spurred people on to try to prove to their fellow inhabitants that...
Words: 1144 - Pages: 5
...The Puritans’, Enlightenment/Founding Fathers’, and Transcendentalists’ View of God American literature was influenced by three different religious philosophies between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Even though the Puritan, Cotton Mather; the Enlightenment author and Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson; and spiritual philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson had a different view of God, each philosopher believed in God and felt a connection to our Creator on some spiritual level. Their ideas differed particularly on predestination, science and rationale, and intuition. (clearly stated thesis) During the seventeenth century, Puritanism was the most common form of religion and played an important role in Puritan life. Since God was at the forefront in Puritanism, individuals believed that human and natural occurrences were messages from God. Cotton Mather was a great historian and a highly respected clergyman during this period. In one of his most famous works, The Wonders of the Invisible World, Cotton Mather gives his account of the Salem Witch Trials in which he was convinced that he received this command from the Lord. Cotton Mather believed that witches were doing the work of the devil and had to be destroyed before the Puritans could fulfill their destiny as “a people of God.” The Puritans believed they were chosen by God to serve a special purpose which was already predestined. According to the Puritan beliefs, one cannot choose salvation; since God was all-knowing...
Words: 548 - Pages: 3
...The Massachusetts Bay Company set sail to the New World in hope of reforming the Church of European nation. whereas crossing the Atlantic, John Winthrop, the puritan leader of the good migration, delivered maybe the foremost renowned sermon aboard the Arbela, entitled “A Model of Christian Charity.” The Puritan’s goal to urge eliminate the offensive options that Catholicism left behind once the Protestant Reformation came about. below Puritanism, there was a relentless strain to devote your life to God and your neighbors. not like the recent European nation, they needed to prove that geographical area was a community of affection and individual worship to God. There they created a covenant with God and would live their lives up to the covenant....
Words: 1125 - Pages: 5
