Entry B: William Bradford

"Of Plymouth Plantation"
Bradford, William. "Of Plymouth Plantation". Georgetown College. March 17, 2008
http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/english/coke/bradford.htm

Passage
"Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element...And for the season it was winter, and they that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and violent, and subject to cruel and fierce storms, dangerous to travel to known places, much more to search an unknown coast. Besides, what could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts and wild men, and what multitudes there might be of them they knew not. Neither could they, as it were, go up to the top of Pisgah to view from this wilderness a more goodly country to feed their hopes; for every which way they turned their eyes (save upward to the heavens) they could have little solace or content in respect of any outward objects. For summer being done, all things stand upon them with a weather-beaten face, and the whole country, full of woods and thickets, represented a wild and savage hue."

Reflection
I chose this passage because it shows the struggles the immigrants where put up to once they arrived in America. The main point of this passage was to show how they had to deal with the harsh weather and remain skeptical of their surroundings. They didn’t know if the Indians and animals would be friend or foe, so they were on constant watch. This piece represents North America as a mystic place full of surprises and dangers, as there are new crops and inhabitants the immigrants aren’t used to. I'm surprised the men followed the Indians even when they tried to run away. I was amazed the colonists took the initiative to discover if they would get along with the “savages” and I was a little taken aback when they took the corn from the pile they found. When I though about how the story would progress, it made me feel annoyed at the settlers for pushing out the Indians from their land. Although I did feel sympathetic towards the natives because it was clear they were afraid of the white men. This is similar to present-day life in that if someone is different from another, they might run away because they are unsure of how to act, or that they are too ignorant to do anything else. If there is someone I don’t know, I attempt to get to know them before labeling them an enemy or “savage.”
The winter season is a great threat for the immigrants. They had no way to prepare for the violent storms. The weather conditions caused them to be unable to travel to the already discovered places or explore the unknown coast. Exploring the new land could lead to a better life, although they had other trouble besides the weather. Yet they also had unseen fears such as wild animals and savage Indians. The immigrants had nowhere to turn except for the heavens. They placed their faith in the hands of God in hopes He would have mercy on them and allow the harsh weather to end.

September 6, 1620

Dear Diary,
It is now winter and the storms are known to be fierce and violent. This new territory is unfamiliar to us so we aren’t able to explore the land today. The coldness of the land it causing us to stay put, so we can’t even travel to the known places or search the coast. There will be no way to go exploring until the storm lets up. Even if the weather does get better, what will we find if we do go exploring?
We have to be on constant watch for any unknown dangers. There could be any number of wild creatures and savages already inhabited in this area. With nowhere else to turn, we place our future and faith in the hands of God. He would not forsake us in this great time of need. Hopefully conditions will be better tomorrow.



EXTENSION: political cartoons focusing on immigration.

When the Pilgrims first arrived in America, they were under the impression that the land was something to be bought and they had not anticipated to find inhabitants. In the cartoon, the pilgrim is shown wearing clothes and having sailed over by ship, while the Indian is shirtless and shoeless. This gives the impression that the pilgrims were much more civilized than the Indians and therefore at an advantage to take over the land. In the cartoon the pilgrim is saying “We’d like to buy your land. Do you take discover card?” This shows that the pilgrims were going to buy the land whether the Indians agreed to it or not. Due to the Indians’ disadvantages as far as intelligence and experience with the newcomers, they are forced to give over the land to the more equipped people.