How Early American Writers Depicted Through Their Writing That Puritans Saw God's Intervention in All Aspects of Their Lives

Essay by shayyy333High School, 10th gradeA, June 2009

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NOTE: This essay was written based on solely an article handed out by my teacher that included a compilation of Early American Writers.

Understanding Puritan literature is important to understanding their lifestyle, ways, and beliefs. Puritan literature is also an essential part of the building blocks of history and to the shaping of what is today The United States of America. By studying the literary works of William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor and Jonathan Edwards we can understand that because they constantly strived to achieve God's Grace, it caused them to accredited many common occurrences to God's intervention.

To begin, knowing about the Puritans major beliefs is first important to understand what they were striving for constantly that led them to relate ordinary occurrences to God's intervention. Their first belief is that people should not rely on material possessions or horde or love them, as Anne Bradstreet, an uncommonly well educated woman and one of the first American writers, articulates, "There's wealth enough, I need no more, Farewell my pelf, farewell thy store.

The world no longer let me love, My hope and treasure lies above" (Hodgins 36). Here she says that she has the bare minimum of wealth that she needs, and says goodbye to her material possessions, because what truly matters is what's above: Heaven and God's Grace.

Sticking with Anne Bradstreet, we can see in her poem "Upon the Burning Of our House, 1666" how, by striving for God's Grace, she comes to relate many humble occurrences to God's guidance. In her poem she discusses her beliefs about material possessions, and accredits the burning of her house to God reminding her to not become attached. So, because she is striving to dutifully follow the beliefs of her religion, she sees the occurrence...