William Bradford Journal

Tanya Barragan
Scott Lankford
English 48A

William Bradford

12/01/2011

AUTHOR’S QUOTE

“And here is to be noted a special providence of God, and a great mercy to this poor people, that here they got seed to plant them corn the next year, or else they might have starved, for they had none, nor any likelihood to get any till the season had been past (as the sequel did manifest).” (118)

INTERNET QUOTE

“Bradford was a corduroy worker, and in 1613 became a new husband with his marriage to his beloved Dorothy May. In 1617 they had a son, John. Life in Holland was not easy, and Bradford’s business life suffered, resulting in a loss of a good bit of his inheritance. His response? His losses were “a correction bestowed by God…for certain decays of internal piety.” A Puritan, was Bradford, to the core.”

 

SUMMARY

William Bradford writes in, Of Plymouth Plantation about the journey him and many others who came from England took, to find new ways. He writes that their main goal was to set forth in Virginia but that did not work out and they were set for another land. He also writes about the journey in the seas and how they came to arrive at Cape Cod. Bradford tells of their arrival and how they had no food and were looking for anything to live by. But his story goes into their meeting with the Indians and how they came to be with each other. In his writing I see a lot of praising God and God being a huge part of they journey and life that Bradford is writing about.

YOUR IDEAS/REACTIONS/RESPONSES TO THE AUTHOR’S IDEAS

So some of the ideas that I got from Bradford is that he wanted to talk about his life and journey in which he had coming to America. But I also got that he wanted to shed light on God and share that is God who made their journey harsh and rough but is was God who gave them land in a place that was not heard of to Bradford. I reacted to his thoughts, ideas and work as hypocritical because he uses God as his answer for everything and I really didn’t like that. That is why I chose the quote from him and the internet because they explain my response to the author.

My response to the author’s ideas are a little confused; I get that he wanted to bring the word of God but how Bradford uses God at times makes, me feel as though he is using him as an excuse. In History God was everything and people used him to live and thanked him for everything; it is like that now but it was a bigger deal in History. The quote that I chose explains this. These English men are giving thanks to God fro the corn that they had received because they could live another day. I understand that they needed to live and survive but however I saw this as Gods work but not for them. They just took the corn as if it was there for them; this is how these mean thought; the land the food was there for them. It was the Indians who planted and were on land and it was because God had given them the food and land and these men just took it; as if they could take whatever they wanted. They knew that the corn was planted from the Indians because they saw this, but it was God who gave them it; just makes me think what ignorant men.

But that’s why I also chose the Internet quote that I did. This says that Bradford was a true Puritan, who truly believed in God and this is the way he and the Pertains thought. I can’t put down someone for what they believe; especially a strong believer but that doesn’t also make what they believe in, is the right way to think and feel.