Qualities of Puritan Writing - Reflection Blog

There are many things that I noticed when I read A Narrative of Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, and the poem, "Upon the Burning of Our House." The first thing that I noticed when I read the narrative is just the way that they speak compared to the way that we speak as of today. There were many words that I could figure out because of context clues, but many of them I was not for sure what they meant right away. I really like the way they spoke though because I think it is much more elegant and intelligent sounding. For example, there is a part in the narrative when Mary says "But now I must turn my back from the town, and travel with them into the vast and desolate wilderness, I know not whither." (Rowlandson, 82) Instead of using common words today like "place" it is replaced with a more effective word like "whither."

Another thing that I liked about this narrative and I thought was interesting, is Mary's constant and strong faith in God. I don't think there was one time in this book when she doubted Him and if she ever did, her doubt didn't last long. There are so many examples of her faith in this narrative, one of them being this quote, "but God was with me in a wonderful manner, carrying me along, and bearing up my spirit, that it did not quite fail." (Rowlandson, 83) Not only does she give thanks to God then, but even in really difficult times, like when she is thankful because she is fortunate enough just to get a little bit of food, or not have to sleep in the rain. (Rowlandson, 85) Even after she lost her child, Mary never ever lost faith. I wouldn't necessarily say that her faith in God reflects Puritan writing though. Even if you have faith in God, I don't think many people have that strong of faith. That is why I think Mary's story is very impressive. The poem Upon the Burning of Our House also deals with religious views. For example, in the poem Anne Bradstreet writes things such as "And to my God my heart did cry", and "It was His own it was not mine." ( Bradstreet, 91) These quotes show how she has faith and is willing to give up everything.

Most people I think are not big fans of the rhyming in "Upon the Burning of Our House", but I think it makes the poem more interesting. I like this style of writing because if I wanted to hear just normal phrases, I would just read prose. I also think that, given the circumstances, rhyming can make the message of the poem more effective. I really like the Puritan writing style because I feel that it is very pretty and enjoyable to read. Puritan writing contains many religious symbols and points throughout, but I personally really enjoy reading about those kind of things and I think that that kind of stuff is very interesting.

Wilhelm, Jeffrey D., and Douglas Fisher. Glencoe Literature. New York: Glencoe McGrawHill, 2009. Print.

Journal #2 - Hospitiality

Once upon a time, not so far away from here, there lived a little family of moles. The moles lived in a little network of tunnels under the Hermes' house. There were other animals of course that lived in the neighborhood and the moles were liked by all. They were known for being a kind and respectful family. Every year the other animals would look forward to the mole's annual harvest party. The party was a tradition and was the last time the animals got to see each other before they went into hibernation for the winter. All of the same animals were invited as the previous years, however, there was a beaver that had recently moved into the woods near the Hergenrother's house. Now the moles were very hospitable, so as expected, they invited beaver to their annual Harvest party. The days passed and the weather slowly got colder. Finally it was time for the party. The animals filed into the mole's house and and began to partake in the festivities. Everyone was laughing, eating and having a wonderful time until Beaver showed up. Unlike all of the other animals, Beaver was rude and showed no respect. At first, everyone tried not to notice, but after awhile the animals were tired of Beaver and told him that he had to leave. As Beaver walked out of the moles' little tunnel, he realized that because he was rude and disrespectful none of the other animals wanted to be his friend. Beaver decided that he would go and apologize to the moles and all the other animals. Beaver said that he was very sorry for being that way and promised never to do it again. From then on, everybody loved Beaver and the party was fun again, and continued to be for many, many years. The End.

Journal #1 - "How the lion got its mane"

Once upon a time in a land not so far away, there lived a little lion. The little lion was named Leo. He lived in the beautiful grasslands of Africa with his parents and the little lion was happy. But one day, the grasslands caught on fire and in seconds the land was destroyed. In a panic to escape, all of the animals ran toward shelter, heading into the jungle. Little Leo thought he knew where he was going and tried to follow the others, but once he got to safety, he realized that there was nobody in sight. He searched and searched for his family, but he simply couldn't find them. Eventually, Leo could not go on any further. The days passed, the weeks turned into months and months turned into years. Leo had lived in the jungle all alone for over a year, with nobody but a little monkey that kept him company sometimes. Because Leo lived all by himself in the middle of nowhere, he had not had a haircut for quite some time now. The fur around his neck grew full and fluffy as the time passed. Now Leo had not forgotten about his family, and everyday in the jungle he would search just for awhile. He was convinced that he could find his family if he only had help, but none of the animals would talk to him. They were scared because of his fluffy mane. He did not look like the rest of the lions. Leo looked big and tough. Almost losing all hope, Leo decides to go look in the grasslands one last time. He looked around for awhile and Yes!! They were there! All of them noticed Leo's mane and showed him great respect, as did all of the other animals. From that day on, Leo and all of the other lions were kings of the jungle and Leo lived happily ever after. The End.

My Favorite of the Three

My favorite novel, out of the three that we had, would have to be Their Eyes Were Watching God. This is my favorite for many reasons. Compared to the other two books, I feel like to me, it was the most relateable. That may very well be because the author was a woman and so was the main character. I really liked this book because it was realistic, but at the same time, it was a great story. Janie overcame so much throughout her life and even though it didn't end exactly the way she had planned, she was finally content with herself and with her life when it was all over. I also liked this book because I felt like the author was way more compassionate. For example, in The Grapes of Wrath, it feels like Steinbeck just tells us what the characters do, and barely tell us anything on how they really feel. But in Their Eyes Were Watching God, she gives you a glimpse of what the character is thinking and really feeling. By doing this, it makes you relate to the characters more, because a lot of what they feel, we have felt before at least once in our lives. Also, I read some stuff about the author, and she just seems like an overall nice person. The other two authors may have been nice too, but I really did enjoy reading this book and I would recommend to anyone.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins, 2000.Print.

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Conflicts

I picked out one main conflict earlier in my blogs, but honestly I could probably pick out a couple of conflicts in the book. There is of course the external conflicts first. External conflict means it is man versus man or something else. In this case some of the conflicts are man versus man. Some of the people in Janie's life do contribute to some of her hardships. For example, had Nanny not made her marry Logan, maybe her life could have been a little easier without having to go through the trouble of three bad marriages.

Then there is internal conflicts. I think Janie did have some internal conflicts because she struggled a lot with her inner voice. There were many times when she wanted to speak up, but she just wouldn't let herself. Sometimes this may have been a good thing, but also sometimes a bad thing.

There is also the conflict of man versus nature in this book. While Janie and Tea Cake were living in the Everglades a hurricane began to brew. At first, they were not concerned. After awhile though, things began to get worse. All of a sudden their whole lives were at the mercy of this hurricane. (Hurston, 165) That is why it is a man versus nature conflict.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins, 2000. Print.

The Old Man and the Sea - Conflicts

The conflicts in The Old Man and the Sea are many. First we have the man versus man conflict. I dont think that there is really bad conflict that is man versus man. However, many of the local fisherman made fun of Santiago and gave him trouble for going out to sea day after day. That is not really a conflict, but I'm sure it didnt make Santiago feel too good. Then, you have the whole man versus nature conflicts. The sea is a conflict in itself just because it is so big and unprdictable. Like Santiago said in the book, the sea can be gentle and beautiful, but at the same time it can be cruel and powerful. Another conflict is of course the marlin. The marlin and Santiago fight and fight for days. Neither one of them would give up and eventually Santiago's hand cramped up. Finally, Santiago manages to catch the fish, but shortly after that, the sharks start to come. Santiago cannot stop the sharks but still gains many things. Last but not least, there is the intermal conflict. I believe that Santiago felt as if he had to prove something to himself. He had to prove to himself that he could catch a fish like that so that he doesnt feel like he is useless and old. That is why it is internal because its man versus himself.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea. New York: Scibner Paperback Fiction, 1995. Print.

The Grapes of Wrath - Title

The Grapes of Wrath I believe got its title because originally the tenant farmers had hopes of moving to California and working or even owning a vineyard. Unfortunately, that didn't end up happening. Now here we are with the title, The Grapes of Wrath.





Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin, 2002. Print.