17th Century Colonial American Writers

We do not know how much of what Smith writes is true, but we cannot doubt that what the early settlers found was indeed an exciting land of much natural wealth and many potentially dangerous unknowns. It was inevitable that the settlers would experience both plenitude and crisis through the seasons and in their dealings with various native groups, depending on how the settlers themselves responded to those groups. However, much of Smith's story focuses on personal events which we either must believe or not according to our insight. In Bradford's writing, on the other hand, the focus is more on social events which are in many cases far more accessible to historical review in determining their authenticity.

This difference is important because the focus of each man's writing is a reflection of his deeper concerns. That is, wha

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that center. Above all, Bradford wants to "sell" not himself and not the New World, as Smith does, but rather the Christian view of the world as understood by his own particular sect. For example, Bradford makes more references to God on almost any given page than Smith does in the entire excerpt from his work. Smith mentions God only in passing and only when the settlers are saved from some calamity by a change of circumstances Smith himself cannot take credit for. Bradford, on the other hand, at every point credits God and the Christian faith for everything: That night was spent with little sleep by the most, but with friendly entertainment and Christian discourse and other real expressions of true Christian love. . . . Their reverend pastor . . . (and they all with him) with watery cheeks commended them with most fervent prayers to the Lord and His blessing. . . . . And I may not omit here a special work of God's providence (Bradford 41). Bradford means to speak as an authority figure for Christianity, and his style reflects that authoritativeness. On the other hand, he does not want to appear to be putting himself between Christianity and the reader, so his authoritative style is rather dry and straightforward, and even m
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Some common words found in the essay are:
God Christian, Bradford Smith, Accordingly Smith's, Bradford's God, Captain Smith, Bradford Bradford, World God, Smith Christian, World English, Bradford God, smith, plain style, smith 19, bradford intent, fairly conclude, whereas bradford, smith's account, center narrative, smith writes, smith 19, ,
Approximate Word count = 1599
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)