Transcript Puritan Literature

NATIVE AMERICAN
COMMUNICATION
August 12, 2009
Before the Europeans…

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Numerous groups of
native tribes living
throughout North
America
The largest tribe was the
Aztec Empire (in what is
now Mexico) –
numbering in the
millions!
Europeans began
arriving in the 1490s.
Native American Communication
The Native Americans passed down stories through
storytelling (also known as
“word of mouth” or “the oral tradition”).
Other forms of communication
While Native Americans
did not have a
sophisticated system of
writing, many tribes used
symbolic drawings
known as pictographs to
communicate stories as
well.
Native American Communication

Two main forms of communication
 Storytelling
 “the
oral tradition”
 Each tribe has a storyteller
 Stories are passed down from generation to generation
 Pictographs
 Drawings
 Often
found in caves, on trees, or on animal hides
Topics in Native American Tales
The Cycle
The Cycle
The early Native
Americans believed in
the cyclical nature of
existence.
Examples:
Nature
Life
Other Details about
Native American Communication
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
practical information about nature
moral lessons
both animal and human characters
stories/chants/actions could be powerful and
make things happen (rain, harvest, successful hunt)
ARCHETYPES!
What‘s an archetype?
An
archetype
is a
repeated
pattern.

An
archetype
could be
a
character,
a plot, or
an image.

•
•

Characters
 Evil villain
 Helpless victim
 The goofball
 The hero
Plots
 Boy gets girl
 Hero defeats villain
 The underdog finally wins
Images



Nature as Mother (Mother Nature)
Tree = giver of life
City = Promised Land
Two European Views
William Bradford



A settler from England
Landed near what is
now Massachusetts
Wrote about his
experiences in a book
called Of Plymouth
Plantation
Cabeza de Vaca



An explorer from
Spain
Explored the west
coast of Florida
Wrote about his
adventures in a book
called La relacion
PURITAN LITERATURE
Presented this 22 day of August in Puritan-appropriate black and white.
Please do not enjoy.
Puritans

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Originated in England
Sought to purify the
Church of England
Persecuted in England
because of their strident
beliefs
Fled England and
initially relocated in
Holland
DUTCHIFICATION!

It is generally believed that the Puritans fled
Holland because they feared the gradual
“Dutchification” of their children.
Some Puritan Terms

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Theocracy – government based on the word of God
Puritan Paradox – fled England to escape
persecution, yet proceeded to persecute others in the
New World
Original Sin – the belief that every human is born in
sin and therefore all humans are innately sinful
Predestination – the belief that God saves only a
chosen few – “The Elect”; you strive to live a decent,
sin-free life in order to insure your place in heaven
should you be among “The Elect”
Saved by Grace
Core Puritan Values
(not necessarily bad)

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Hard work
Simplicity in all aspects
of life (dress, behavior,
speech)
Self-reliance
Education (Puritans
established Harvard
College in 1636)
TRAITS OF WRITING
1. Simple
2. Often religious (Biblically based)
3. Very few figures of speech/literary devices (metaphors,
“flowery” language)
Examples: --journals
--poems
--sermons