Essay talking about the time pierod of the Puritans realting to American literature. How the time influences American writing and writers of the Puritan age

Essay by ElizabethanyHigh School, 11th gradeA-, June 2002

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The Puritan writings much resembled their lifestyles. The Puritan life was plain and humble. They were unpretentious people who broke away from England so that they were not restricted in worshiping God. They did not believe in some of the ways of the Church of England, so they traveled to new lands in search of religious freedom. The Puritans believed that they should not act, dress or be at all extreme because they would be taking away from the glory of God. Everything the Puritans did was basic and simple, from the clothes they wore to the food they ate. The Puritan mind-set of total depravity also shone through in their writings. The authors we studied wrote in a plain style of prose and poetry. Anne Bradstreet broke off from the "normal" method of poetry in her works. Many people of her time would not have approved of her writings for it would have been unacceptable to go beyond the boundaries of iambic pentameter and couplets.

Most of the writers of the time kept their pieces plain.

They wrote directly and about God and other related topics. In every author's work, whether they write about God directly or if they just write about Him in their lives, the Puritans clearly show their love and commitment to Him. In William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation," William writes about the various events in relationship to God. During a flood, a ship is thought to be lost but when discovered again Bradford writes, "Yet by God's mercy they recovered themselves?" The Puritans did not write for their own fame or fortune, they wrote for Gods'.

Edward Taylor also wrote to glorify God in everyday activities. In his poem "Huswifery" he applies his Christian beliefs and teachings to making cloth. He...