A compare and contrast paper about two short stories, "A Description of New England" by John Smith and "Of Plymouth Plantation" by William Bradford.

Essay by A-Ray December 2002

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In the writings "A Description of New England" by John Smith and "Of Plymouth Plantation" by William Bradford, the tone of these two selections vary noticeably. Both authors use certain tones to attract and persuade certain audiences. John Smith wrote of what a wonderful place the New World was, while on the other hand Bradford wrote about the difficulties and realities of the New World. Author John Smith, a pilgrim who arrived in the Americas, writes a description of the new land. In "A Description of New England" he shows what a wonderful world of vast food and pleasure await. William Bradford, another pilgrim who arrived in Plymouth on the coast of Massachusetts, gives his take on the early settling of the new land. In "Of Plymouth Plantation" he writes a description of what really happened their, how the pilgrims actually lived.

In "A Description of New England," Smith starts by describing the pleasure and content that risking your life for getting your own piece of land brings to men.

He also implies that building your own house, planting your own crops, and having a "God's blessing industry" would be easy to have without having any prejudice. He talks about the joy of erecting towns and then populating them. John Smith rarely mentions the Native Americans, but when he does he says that they are good people and that they helped them when the arrived. Smith also makes references to ways of profiting from daily activities such as hunting and farming. This is his way of persuading others to make a voyage to the New World. For example, John Smith states "For hunting ... afford not only chase sufficient for any delight that in that kind of toil or pleasure but such beasts to...