EARLY AMERICAN LITERATURE Who were they A group of Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England Pur itan Pur ify Not very popular in England Imprisoned tortured killed etc ID: 582370
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THE PURITANS
EARLY AMERICAN LITERATURESlide2
Who were they?
A group of Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England
Pur
itan ---
Pur
ify
Not very popular in England
Imprisoned, tortured, killed, etc.
The “New World” became a safe havenSlide3
Basic Puritan Beliefs
Original Sin
Everyone was born sinful because of Adam and Eve’s fall.
God’s will is all.
Guides and controls the universeSlide4
Basic Puritan Beliefs
The
Bible is all you need
.
Look there for laws, guidance, answers, etc.
Religion is PERSONAL.
Different from other churches
You don’t need a priest.
Examine yourself to detect God’s presence and grace.Slide5
Basic Puritan Beliefs
Covenant
Promise or deal
Some Biblical examples
Noah and the Ark
Moses and the 10 Commandments
God makes covenants with his people
People have to hold up their end of the dealSlide6
Basic Puritan Beliefs
Salvation
General Definition: After
death, your soul will be saved from hell and sent to heaven.
Predestination
Elect
Only
a few people will be saved.
God knows before birth who those few are.
God already knows where you will end up…but you don’t!Slide7
Puritan Behavior
Inner arrival of God’s grace demonstrated by outward behavior
Act like you are saved, even if you’re not sure.
Consequently, Puritans valued…
Self-reliance
Industriousness
Temperance
SimplicitySlide8
Puritan Views
Cyclical, repetitive history
What has happened before will happen again.
History’s base is the Bible.
They thought they were God’s chosen people.
Repeated cycle:
God saved the Israelites from oppression in Egypt.
God saved the Puritans from oppression in England.Slide9
Puritan Life
Life is a pilgrimage to salvation.
Read your own life very closely and monitor your actions.
Are you behaving like a good Christian, like someone who is saved?
Writing is highly introspective and purposefulSlide10
More on the Bible
The Bible was seen as the literal word of God.
Everyone had to read it.
This led to education.
Harvard was the first college established in the colonies.
For educating ministersSlide11
Women’s Roles
Daughters
Wives
Mothers
Maintain the home
Have and raise children
Rely on man (father or husband) for everythingSlide12
Salem Witch Trials
1691-1692
Salem, MA
Started with the daughter and niece of Rev. Samuel Parris
Betty and Abigail
The girls became ill
Lesions, seizures, fainting
Doctor diagnosed witchcraft as causeSlide13
Salem Witch Trials
Girls blamed two unpopular townswomen and a slave for “witching” them
Touched off a wildfire of accusations
If accused, one had two choices:
Confess and repent
Die
Nineteen people were hanged.
One person was crushed to death under stones.Slide14
Salem Witch Trials: Why?
Shared delusion?
Repressive society finally burst?
Greed?
Fear of nonconformists?
Most of the “witches” were unmarried women.
Sometimes women with special knowledge
Sometimes women who could potentially inheritSlide15
Work Cited
Arpin, Gary.
Elements of Literature, 5
th
Course: Essentials of American Literature
. Eds. Kylene Beers and Lee O’Dell. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2007. 6-19.