Puritan Essay

Mary Nejatifar Ms. Graff English 11H October 11, 2012 Colonization in America Some of the first Europeans to explore and settle in the New World were the English Puritans. In the 17th century, a man called John Winthrop traveled to Massachusetts Bay along with many other Puritans. With troubles with the Church of England, this group of people wanted to launch new lives on a new continent. To support their desires, John Winthrop offered several reasons and arguments to support moving to New England. Winthrop used figurate language to express the views and wants of he and his fellow Puritans.

One of his main reasons was that the group of people could, “carry the Gospel into those parts of the world, and to raise a Bulwark against the kingdom to Antichrist” (Winthrop, 309). He metaphorically explained that with the spread of their civilization their religion would strengthen their church and build a defense wall against anybody who disagreed with a Puritan lifestyle. John Winthrop then reasoned that, “This Land grows weary of her Inhabitants,” which tells his views on humans and their relationship with the Earth (Winthrop, 309).

He tried to explain that Europe was getting way too overcrowded, and needed to be reduced. Winthrop final attempt in his document is to use hyperboles to exaggerate the need to move. He says that, “…all arts and trades are carried in that deceitful and unrighteous course, as it is almost impossible for a good and upright man to maintain his charge and live comfortable in any of them,” (Winthrop, 309). Here, he really stressed the word impossible to hopefully open up people’s mind to the idea of a new life.

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The most embellished reason Winthrop lists is, “the fountain o Learning and Religion are so corrupted as…most children are perverted, corrupted, and utterly overthrown by the multitude of evil examples…” (Winthrop, 309). This is where John really tied in religion with their religion to leave. He included children, and explains that they are becoming so corrupted, and our future cannot be like that. In the late sixteenth century, the majority of England’s population started to grow poor and full of common people.

Many people had to become beggars, and worked as wage laborers. Richard Hakluyt, Hayluyt gave an account of many advantages there would be if the English settled in the New World. Richard used a lot of hyperboles, and details to explain his reasons. He first argument was, “For all the statues that hitherto can be devised, and the sharp execution of the same in punishing idle and lazy persons, for want of sufficient occasion of honest employments, cannot deliver our commonwealth from multitudes of loiterers and idle vagabonds,” (Richard, 36).

He is basically suggesting that instead of having a growing poor population, the country can send the beggars to a new land so they can have successful lives, but more importantly jobs. Richard also explains that the population is becoming way too overcrowded. He claims that, “nay rather they are ready to eat up one other; yea many thousands of idle persons are within this realm,” (Richard, 36). Then Richard focuses on what is already in the New World they can benefit from. He lists many trees, resources, crops, and geographic features that will benefit them in the greatest.

Richard really took his approach in a positive way and later invested his own money in the company that colonized Virginia. Richard and John Winthrop both used a lot of figurative language. Winthrop used a lot of imagery, metaphors, and personification. He also used sort of a negative tone towards England, and his document sort of became a complaint. Whereas, Richard used a more positive tone and focused on exaggerating the advantages of new lives in the New World. They both used their language in a tone that made them seem very committed and eager to get their ideas into place.

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