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John Winthrop "A Model Of Christian Charity"
A speech given by Winthrop sailing on the way to the new world on the Arabella, delivered to the puritans. He addresses how he wants the new colony to be as a "city upon a hill", set examples for future colonies and generations. He describes his plans on how they will act as a religious colony and maintain the puritan ideals. It reflects on the era because it set up how the colonists were supposed to act when they got to the new world. -
William Bradford "Of Plymouth Plantation"
- Talked about how God helped them in the new colony, and their life there. Showed american values, government, and struggles at that time.
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Mary Rowlandson "The Narrative of the Captivity"
This is a journal that Mary wrote while in captivity by indians, and tells about how she lived and how the Indians treated her.
She describes how her time was brutal and how they treated them unequally, as well as moving from place to place being exhausting. -
Jonathan Edwards "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"
Jonathan Edwards preached this sermon as a part of the great awakening.
Has extreme scenes of imagery with fire and hell, and God as the most powerful thing ever.
"keep you out of hell, than a spiders web would have to stop a falling rock" -
Patrick Henry "Speech to the Virginia Convention"
- Patrick Henrys speech was to the Virginia convention, before the revolutionary war. -Told them that the only thing left to do was fight the British, and that we'd put it off too long. -Changed history of the era, because it urged us to take a stand and fight. -"give me liberty or give me death!"
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Benjamin Franklin "The Autobiography"
- Describes Franklin's first coming to America, and how he first adjusted, to where he set on planning a perfect state.
- ""Truth, sincerity, and integrity, in dealings between man and man, were of the utmost importance to the felicity of life."
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William Cullen Bryant "Thanatopsis"
- We don't know what tommorow will bring. If it is life, be grateful; if it is death, go with it willingly. Take comfort in knowing that others will join you eventually. -"So shalt thou rest..."
- Death is peaceful and you should accept it willingly when it calls.
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Washington Irving "The Devil and Tom Walker"
- A man goes into the woods. meets with the devil. But doesn't know if it was a dream or not when he wakes the next morning.
- "Faith! Now i have lost my Faith!" -Antitranscendalism ideals.
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Ralph Emerson "Nature"
-When you are sad, depressed, or at all skewed, go into nature and she will take care of you.
-"look to the stars"
- transcendental, verging on romantic. -
Nathaniel Hawthorne "The Minister's Black Veil"
-Secret sin
-"even the joyous event of a wedding turned gloomy"
-leaning torwards anti transcendentalism -
Henry Thoreau "Civil Disobedience
- go against the rules, break the laws, and live free and for yourself.
- "the government is best which governs least."
- Against government, age of reason.
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Henry Thoreau "Walden
-Man living in nature to achieve total solitude.
-"the beans make me to be strong like Anteaus".
-quite the transcendental piece of writing. -
Henry Longfellow "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls"
-Death is inevitable. We will die but the world will keep going. We will be forgotten and there's no hope of leaving anything behind.
-"The tide rises, the tide falls."
- Many pieces from this era talk about how death is inevitable so we should accept it. -
Henry Longfellow "Cross of Snow"
- About Longfellows wife, and how he misses her. -"Wears a cross on his breast" which symbolizes his love for her.
- Shows that even though time around him changes, his love for her won't.
