English III--Notes on Puritans--Write down so you remember better. Handwriting equals thinking. Write these notes in you binder during class lecture.

Blue Bay and Dunes, Milton Avery (1961)

Handwrite the following notes into your 3-ring binder.  You may abridge (shorten) some of the longer notes as long as the meaning is clear. I could check these notes at any time during the semester for a grade. Be sure you keep them in your binder.

Key Terms and Dates

1. total depravity--the Puritan/Pilgrim belief that from the moment of birth, human beings are filthy, disgusting, and evil.  

2. grace--the one shining light in Puritan theology: God may decide to forgive or demonstrate an act of goodness for reasons unknown to humans.

3. original sin--the original sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: the eating from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  

4. New Eden--the Pilgrim/Puritan idea that the Pilgrims/Puritans would actually establish a New Eden in the New World.  

5. the Fall--the downfall and punishment of humanity resulting from Adam and Eve's original sin.  Forever more, all women would suffer the pain of childbirth, and men would have to work hard.  No longer would human beings be surrounded by Eden's plentiful, verdant environment.

6. the Elect--the belief that only certain people were predestined to go to heaven.  

7. the Damned--all those people going to Hell (which means most of us, according to the Puritans).

8. 1620--the establishment of the Plymouth colony.

9. 1630--the establishment of the Boston colony. 

10. 1692--the Salem Witch Trials. Over 200 people were accused, imprisoned, or arrested.  Nineteen people were hanged; another was pressed to death by stones; two dogs were also executed.  

11. special providence--God intervenes in the daily lives of human beings by showing some kindness.  

12. Bible Commonwealth--the Puritan belief that the laws of their colony should be those reflected in the Old Testament.  

13. predestination--the belief that before all time began, before there was even a universe, God determined who was going to heaven and who was going to hell.  

14. Saints--another term for "the Elect."

15. theocracy--a government ruled by religious leaders.  

16. pilgrim--a person who journeys for religious reasons.  

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Writing Style 

1. plain style--Though it may be hard for you to believe, the writing in "Of Plymouth Plantation" was considered "plain." The Puritans/Pilgrims believed adorning writing with figurative language was sinful, unless used in sermons (or some poetry) for religious purposes only.  They believed that figurative language could cause the mind to wander and be "imaginative," which might make a reader prey for the Devil.

2. archaic language--The Puritans/Pilgrims were reactionary.  And in fact, the language that is in the selection is, at times, anachronistic.  Puritan usage of words such as "whilst," "betimes," and "betook" was actually less modern than other writings at the time.  Puritans/Pilgrims' use of this archaic diction reflected their wish to return to an earlier, more paradisiacal time--the time of the garden of Eden.  These New England settlers literally believed that they could re-establish Eden.

3. Bible-centered--The entire sensibility of the Puritans/Pilgrims was infused by teachings from the Bible.

4. allusive--Puritan writing is replete with allusions to the Bible.

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Writing Genres 
We know so much about Puritans/Pilgrims because they respected the word (logos), and left volumes of writings for future historians. They established the first public school system, believed both boys and girls should be educated.  They also established many of the Ivy League colleges of today.  They deeply respected education.

1. chronicles, histories, annals--These New England settlers were practical people who recorded daily accounts of what happened at the time.  "Histories" tended to be a collection of "chronicles."  Annals were yearly reports. 

2. journals/diaries--Every good Puritan/Pilgrim kept a journal in which he/she recorded mundane facts of everyday life, but also recorded reactions to sermons and Biblical readings, spiritual reflections, and contemplations of whether they were one of the Elect. 

3. some poetry--Although Puritans/Pilgrims did write poetry (secretly, except in the case of Anne Bradstreet who became published) about personal life experiences, it was considered sinful to write poetry (figurative language) unless the theme was religious.

4. sermons--Puritans/Pilgrims loved going to sermons.  They, at times, would listen to two 2-3 hour sermons a day on a Sunday, and during the week they would often travel to neighboring towns to hear additional sermons.  Sermons were discussed at the dinner table, and for many, this discussion was a great source of entertainment.  The meetinghouse (not church), where they would hear sermons was a social event as well as a religious event.

5. Lastly, Puritans/Pilgrims thought imaginative literature, such as drama and short stories was sinful.  The novel as a genre had not actually been developed; this would occur at the end of the 1700s.

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