Colonialism

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Colonialism

• 1492-1770

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Unit Objectives

• RI 11.1 Cites strong and thorough textual
  evidence to support analysis of what the text
  says explicitly and through inference
• RI 11.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or
  sequence of events and explain how specific
  individuals, ideas, or events interact and
  develop over the course of the text.
• RI 11.4 Determine meanings of words
  connotative and denotative figurative language
  analyze how word choice affects tone

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Focus Skills

• Use quotes correctly
• Explain how the author builds an idea
• Identify bias, subjective and objective writing
• Explain how authors use figurative language to
  affect tone, mood, and meaning

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Memoirs

• A Memoir is a piece of autobiographical writing,
  a form of personal narrative. It often tries to
  capture certain highlights or meaningful moments
  in one's past, often including a contemplation of
  the meaning of that event at the time of the
  writing of the memoir.
• Characteristics Memoirs focus on a brief period
  of time , have a narrative structure, are
  emotional, and contain authors reflection on
  event.

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Memoirs cont.

• There is usually an authors purpose in a memoir
  or personal narrative. The three main types of
  purpose are to inform, to persuade, and/or to
  entertain. The authors purpose may be indicated
  through bias.
• Writing also contains voice. Voice is the
  author's way the author makes his or her writing
  unique and which conveys the author's attitude,
  personality, and character.

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Memoirs cont.

• Memoirs can sometimes have bias.
• Bias is a strong opinion about something. You can
  be biased in favor of something or biased against
  it. In either case, you may have some facts to
  support your position, but a bias is based more
  on feelings and opinions than on facts.

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Puritans

• - Puritans were a Christian sect that believed
  that worship and the Church could be simplified
  in order to more closely resemble biblical
  models.
• - Puritans were persecuted in Europe for beliefs
  and fled to New World, settling in what became
  New England.
• Puritans became pilgrims people who make a long
  journey for a religious reason. Puritans were
  pilgrims, but not all pilgrims are Puritans.

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Puritan Writings

• - Puritans used Bible as a model for writing
  there were direct connections between Biblical
  events and their lives.
• - Puritans used writing to explore their inner
  and outer lives for signs of God
• - Diaries and histories were most common forms
  of Puritan expression and writing often
  published as memoirs

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Puritan Writings, cont.

• - Puritans favored a plain style similar to the
  Geneva Bible. Plain style plain way of writing
  with clarity of expression and no figures of
  speech
• Has archaic writing words suggestive of an
  earlier time period
• - Writing was for education education was
  necessary to understand the Bible

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Major Genres of Writing

• Journals/Diaries - memoirs
• Historical documents
• Sermons
• Historical poems
• Bible most read book

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Colonial Beliefs

• Freedom of religion (for the Puritans)
• Adam and Eves sin damned most people for all
  eternity
• Puritan beliefs the Elect were a select few
  people who were predetermined by God to be saved
  good/holy behavior was the result of being
  saved, or elected.
• Native Americans polytheistic

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Colonial American Dream

• The Puritans who fled religious persecution in
  England became self-made successes throughout New
  England largely on the strength of their
  spiritual beliefs that it was preordained. For
  them, life on earth was a constant battle between
  the forces of good and the forces of evil, and
  the only way to battle evil was to be ambitious,
  work hard, and always strive for success.
• Other colonists believed that the American Dream
  meant a new start, where hard work was enough to
  ensure success, regardless of background.

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Puritan Beliefs

• The Puritan lifestyle was a demanding one where
  there was not much time, nor was it accepted, to
  be creative.
• The Puritans wanted to be controlled by God and
  everything that happened to them was the fate of
  God.
• Strict Puritan code was far from tolerant.
• Any show of emotion. Such as excitement, fear, or
  anger was discouraged, and disobedience was
  severely punished.

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Puritan Beliefs cont.

• Children rarely played, as toys and games were
  scarce. Puritans saw these activities as sinful
  distractions.
• People were expected to work hard and repress
  their emotions or opinions.
• Individual differences were frowned upon. Even
  the dark, somber Puritan dress was dictated by
  the church.
• They believed that all sinsfrom sleeping in
  church to stealing foodshould be punished.

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Historical Background

• Mayflower compact Puritans
• Discovering colonies creating colonies
  Jamestown settlement (English merchant class) and
  Massachusetts colony (Puritans)
• Types of people who came
• Indentured Servants and Slaves
• Criminals debtors
• Those looking for a new start or money

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Historical Background, cont.

• Salem Witch trials
• Colonialism ends with American Revolution and the
  Age of Reason

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• Elements of Literature, 5th course. Austin Holt,
  Rhinehart, and Winston, 2000.
• Flowers, Darlene. The Puritans. Powerpoint.
  2009.
• Livaudais, Kimberly. Class Lecture notes. 2008.