...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 God would reward them was to work hard in life now, and reap the rewards later. Humanists, who lived later from the 1750s to the 1850s, believed that they should take their happiness in this life, not the next. The Puritan idea trumps in today’s world as people work for their salvation, not their pleasure. Religious groups...
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... History 202 Dr. Dawn Dyer October 17, 2013 Word Count: 1527 The Puritans and Quakers both are viewed historically as religiously significant people who aspired to make religion the forefront of their lives. Both had high standards to live by, with the one main goal being to establish their own religious principles based on the way they sought fit to honor God. It seems clear that both the Puritans and the Quakers desired a society of discipline in both religious practice and principle. Less clear, however, are the difficulties both had to maintain the discipline to live up to their high standards. Evidence suggests that important beliefs, attitudes, and behavior of the colonists conflicted with both societies’ religious ideals: many of which are presented in John Winthrop’s A Model of Christian Charity. The beliefs of the Puritans initially were toward the carrying out of God’s responsibilities, but eventually faced a conflict. The Puritans did not break with the Church of England, but instead sought to reform it. Aboard the Arbella, John Winthrop had written a sermon that pointed out their Christian duties and obligations. If they fulfilled their duties and obligations, they would be blessed; if not, they would be punished. Winthrop stated that the Lord expected a strict performance of the articles of the covenant.1 If they neglected the articles, the Lord would break out in wrath.2 The Puritans faced an enormous amount of pressure in order to be able to please the Lord...
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...Nature has always been a source of astonishment and fear for mankind. The natural world is deeply rooted in the formation of all societies, religions, and cultures. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the interaction between nature and man. The setting of the Hester Prynne’s tale is in an American Puritan town, in the middle of a forest. It is physically surrounded by nothing but nature, yet the Puritans renounce that part of their lives completely. The natural world serves to contrast the rigid and structured, yet often bizarre behavior of the Puritans. Although nature is often described in peculiar and frightening ways in The Scarlet Letter, the reader realizes that they can find many of its characteristics in themselves....
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...In the period between 1630s and 1660s, puritan values and ideals profoundly influenced the development of the New England colonies in distinct ways including, emphasis on church, education, and community, a representative, religious centered government and ideals of fair pricing and good work ethic. The Puritan’s emphasis on church, community, and education significantly impacted the England colonies in many ways. The puritans colonized the Massachusetts Bay colony to escape harassment in England in doing so; John Winthrop declared the colony to be a “City upon a hill.” Winthrop emphasized the importance of a community rather than individual interests. “Wee must be knit together, in this woke, as one man,” Winthrop wanted to build a godly...
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...Journalist Alistair Cooke wrote, “People, when they first come to America, whether as travelers or settlers, become aware of a new and agreeable feeling: that the whole country is their oyster.” This proved to be true with the Puritans and their arrival in the new world. They traveled to the New World to escape religious persecution from the Church of England. They were pushed out for being too extreme. The new land provided so many opportunities yet to be discovered. The new life seemed so promising. With the new opportunities came potential for disaster as well. The Puritans found out quickly, settling in New England was not easy. They had to work hard to keep the colony running. Changes would need to be made if the New England colony wanted to stay alive. In coming to the New World, Puritans found the experience they expected, but not as easily as they anticipated. In all, the tendency of English colonists to form like-minded colonies was crucial to the success of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. To the Puritans, the idea of the “City on a Hill” was perfection. A city where everyone wanted to follow the exact word of the bible. Everyone would live each day to be saved by the almighty God. They wanted their city to be the as if it was the Holy City of God. They quickly found this idea to be difficult. John Winthrop writes home to his wife, “It is now bed tyme, but I must lye alone, therefore I make less haste.”(p. 11). Winthrop continues to write home to his wife telling her...
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...“Adultery”, “Able”, and “Angel”. Additionally, throughout The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne suggests that the letter “A” signifies abandonment in that Hester abandons traditional Puritan society and her femininity, and she is abandoned by Dimmesdale when he reaches salvation and ultimately dies. When Hester commits adultery, she immediately abandons the strict Puritan ideals of the society that surrounds her. In this theocratic society, where “religion and law were almost identical,” a sin is equivalent to a crime and is therefore severely looked down upon (35). Hester demonstrates her rejection of Puritan society by acting by her own free will: “she repelled him, by action marked with natural dignity and force of character, and stepped into the open air, as if by her own free-will” (36). In Puritan society, there is no free will. The concept of predestination confirms that the choice of whether a person is going to heaven or hell is already made and therefore, one’s actions cannot change that decision. Bearing the elegantly embroidered scarlet letter on her chest and her illegitimate baby on her bosom, Hester proudly demonstrates to society her abandonment of their ideals and her decision to exercise her own free will. Hester’s decision to remain in Boston ironically demonstrates her rejection of Puritan society. Instead of letting society take over her life and drive her away from her home, Hester boldly chooses not to flee. She lives her life as an ostracized member of society...
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...THE DUALITY OF WOMEN’S SEXUALITY IN SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURY PURITAN MASSACHUSETTS Liesl Schnuck November 1, 2011 Due to the strength of their belief in and fear of God, colonial Massachusetts’s society regulated women’s sexuality through a paradoxical relationship: women as saints and women as sinners. Introduction In the religion-obsessed society of colonial Massachusetts, Puritan beliefs dominated contemporary views on sexuality, especially with regard to women. Although Puritan ministers understood human nature’s inability to avoid sexual relations, they adamantly professed that sex must not interfere with religion. In order to create stability within their society, ministers and lawmakers turned towards the women to implement and describe sexual regulation. Women’s social function was not only complex, but also difficult to define. As historian N.E.H. Hull notes, “theirs was a special place, not altogether enviable—for in this land of saints and sinners, they were viewed as both saintlier and more sinful than men.” Not only did society expect and desire women to act morally, but society also feared women for their supposed tendencies to act corruptly. Carol F. Karlsen accurately differentiates between these two identities by naming these women either “handmaidens of the devil” or “handmaidens of the Lord.” This distinction demonstrates the binary opposition of women’s place in society that existed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. By...
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...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....
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...England’s foundation was built by the settlers who had came there to seek new opportunities and find religious freedom. Puritans were among the first of many to settle in the New England regions, and they brought with them their ideas and values. For the Puritans, life revolved around religion, and their religious beliefs influenced how they viewed politics, the economy, and the social aspects of their lives. Politically, the Puritans believed in liberty and that every man is equal if they put forth labor and hard work. Governmental ideas and values that were brought to New England by the Puritans came from England, which was one of the only government styles they knew. Those who worked hard and cared about the community as a whole were...
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...10 May 2015 Critique of historical “City on a Hill” metaphor: is it attained in modern American society? The Puritan theological and historical “City on a Hill” metaphor for a utopian society reflecting the essence of “God,” although laudable, was not attained in the past nor has it yet been attained in 21st century America. It is an ideal, which arguably this country is moving toward attaining. When John Winthrop used this metaphor in his sermon on the ship Arbella in 1630, his purpose was to inspire and remind the Puritan merchants, colonists, and others aboard that they were to be a shining example—like a beacon of light in the darkness—in their commercial and Christian enterprise to be established at the Massachusetts Bay Colony (Franklin 166). But we must remember that the Puritans aboard that ship were a homogenous group, and were fervent believers in the Calvinist view that “God freely chose (or ‘elected’) those he would save and those he would damn eternally” (Franklin 14). There are both very positive and some negative aspects of American culture as reflected by its literature. In reading the slave narratives of Olaudah Equiano and Frederick Douglas, for example, one learns about the horrors of slavery and a call to recognize the humanity and natural rights of man. This latter idea was also echoed in the “Cherokee Memorials,” which sought the enforcement of the legal treaties made between the Cherokee Nation and the U.S. Federal Government. Neither group was...
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...Bay colony. While departing John Winthrop gave a sermon “ A Model of Christian Charity” In order to arrange his ideas about how the Puritan settlers should treat one another in order to help each other - and the colony - survive. It essentially lays out their norm and societal expectations that were to govern the people of the colony, and such serves as a wonderful primary source for the ideals of its founders. John Winthrop begins his sermon by stating, “God almighty in His most holy and wise providence hath so disposed of the condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich, some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity, others mean and in subjection.” He then states three reasons why...
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...reasons and under different climates. The New England colonies, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were formed and established "as plantations of religion." The first New England colonies, which included New Hamshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachussets, were all founded in the 17th century, beginning with the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1620. All but New Hampshire were founded as havens for various religious groups, including Seperatists, Quakers, and Puritans. The separatist objective was to follow the teachings of John Calvin and separate from both the Roman Catholic and Angelican churches. During the...
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...puritanical society. As punishment for her sin, Hester Prynne must wear the ignominious scarlet letter ‘A’ for adulteress. As a result, she is the constant target of ridicule and persecution, which in Puritan society was a punishment almost equivalent to death.Throughout the novel, multiple Puritan beliefs are reflected, however; these tenets of Puritanism are used to reveal a further symbolic or Romantic meaning. Hawthorne himself, claimed that the novel was more indicative of Romantic ideals. Even the style in which the novel was written is reflective of the Romantic Era. Puritan writing was simple and facile to interpret, whereas The Scarlet...
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...expresses an opinion about a book, a song, a play, or a movie is a critic, but not everyone’s opinion is based upon thought, reflection, analysis, or consistently principles. A single thought does not reflect a complete criticism. To develop literary criticism or any type of academic criticism, a student needs to support his/her ideas with examples from the text. 4. Examples (Frankenstein and Hamlet) Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is an early product of the modern Western world. Written during the Romantic movement of the early 19th century, the book exemplifies themes that were born from the romantic era. The liberation of European revolutions came with high ideals and a strong belief in man's influence over his environment. In Shelley's novel, the reader can see the harsh reality that takes hold of such ideals. The book provides the concepts of the romantic disillusionment with the established order produced a crisis of idealism, faith in human perfectibility, and revolutionary energy. 6. Historical Analysis of the story How does the work reflect the time in which it was written? * In the XIX century, the creationism was in crisis, so that the positivism appeared, -although not totally- the faith in science replaced faith in God. In the story, science itself becomes religion not only for Aylmer but also for Georgina (along with the love for her husband): “...and with her whole spirit she prayed that, for a single moment, she might satisfy his highest and...
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...insisted the doctrine of predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation. Puritans are English Protestants in the late 16th who wanted their church, the Anglican church, to follow the Calvinist model more closely and give up the remnant of Catholicism. Among those Puritans there was a group of people who lost faith in the Anglican church, decided to abandon it, separated themselves from it. These became Separatists(Pilgrim). Pilgrims took the Mayflower to come to America to practice religious freedom....
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