Fall & Winter

2021-2022

 

 

Legacy Of The Puritans

By Robert Walker

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Grand Canyon University Press

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THE JOURNAL OF JOHN WINTHROP

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SUMMARY

“The Journal of John Winthrop” is the personal record kept by John Winthrop, the first person to be named governor of Massachusetts. The journal provides a firsthand look into the lives of the Puritans, from their culture to the trials they initially faced. These personal experiences will allow students to truly see what life was like in early British America and be able to compare Puritan social and political practices to modern-day America. “The Journal of John Winthrop” has been frequently recognized not only as a significant historical piece but also to personally see how the Puritans lived and survived without the advancements that modern society enjoys.

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KEY APPEALS

• Told in the form of personal experiences, allowing students to picture the life of a Puritan, from when they had first left Great Britain to when they first landed in modern-day Massachusetts.

• Challenging language that will allow students to learn and compare Puritan English to modern-day English. Every section of the journal uses strong details to aid students in picturing what John Winthrop is describing.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Based on the criteria listed by the Arizona Department of Education History and Social Science Standards, “The Journal of John Winthrop” is best suited for secondary education students in grades 10-11. It allows US history students to see firsthand accounts of early colonial America and allows world history students to compare the experiences that the Puritans faced against the experiences faced by other nations also establishing colonies in the New World.

• Teaches students comparative perspective skills by allowing them to compare the social and political practices that the Puritans established to modern-day America. This allows students to see how the sense of American exceptionalism and other Puritan ideals shaped America.

• Teaches students analytical skills by allowing them to analyze Puritan traditions and practices, in order to recognize the ideals placed by Winthrop and how they compare to those of Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson, whom Winthrop mentions in his journal, and how their ideas and practices clashed with his. 

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THE CRUCIBLE

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SUMMARY

“The Crucible” is a tragedy written by Arthur Miller in 1953. This was during the Red Scare when America had become consumed by the fear of Communist infiltrators. This mirrors the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, where the Puritans had become consumed with witches trying to infiltrate and destroy their society. The story takes place during the Salem Witch Trials, exploring why this event occurred, and the consequences that arose from the fear and paranoia the Trials inflicted on Salem. Arthur Miller wrote “The Crucible” as an allegory to the witch hunt America was facing at the time, using several literary devices to compare Senator Joseph McCarthy and the anti-Communist hysteria that he had been involved in, allowing readers to see how alike the two events were.

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KEY APPEALS

• Written as an allegory, allowing readers to compare American social and political traditions to those that were being practiced by Puritan society.

• Allows students to experience the events of the Salem Witch Trials in visual form, enabling them to see firsthand the themes that Miller presented in his play.

• Written as historical fiction, allowing students the opportunity to research the Salem Witch Trials and compare the real-life event to Miller’s version.

• Allows students to see the earliest developments of American feminism, as females became strong people of authority during this time as seen in the play through Abigail Williams.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Based on the criteria listed by the Arizona Department of Education English Language Arts Standards, “The Crucible” is best suited for secondary education students in grades 11-12. It is best intended for those who are mature enough to understand the literal themes and techniques used by the author, as well as understand the allegory that Miller had intended the play to be.

• Appeals to the writing standard by teaching students literary techniques such as themes, metaphors, and other devices that Miller used to great effect, allowing students to understand how to use those same techniques in their own writing.

• Teaches students how to integrate knowledge and ideals by presenting information about the earliest developments of American feminism. Students can explore the events that lead to women becoming strong voices in their community and how it compares to later developments of American feminism.

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THE WORKS OF ANNE BRADSTREET

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SUMMARY

“The Works of Anne Bradstreet” are a collection of poems written by Anne Bradstreet, the first published poet in America. Bradstreet wrote these poems in order to express her struggles in making sense of events that had occurred to her, and how they fit into the divine plan of God. To Bradstreet, her eyes gave her the best proof of the existence of God (Levine, 218), and this can be seen in many of her poems. This collection allows students to read about the religious beliefs of the Puritans through personal experience and explore early developments of American feminism. When the poem was first published, Anne Bradstreet not only became the first published poet in America, but also the first female poet in a male-dominated society.

 

KEY APPEALS

• Allows students insights into the female aspect of Puritan society, the ideals and expectations that were placed on females, and how Bradstreet reacted to them.

• Allows students to experience how important God and the idea of religion were to the Puritans, enabling them to compare the religious practices of the Puritans to modern religious practices.

• Allows the beliefs, values, and culture of the Puritans to be validated by Bradstreet and allows students to see how those beliefs, values, and culture influenced Puritan society.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Based on the criteria listed by the Arizona Department of Education English Language Arts Standards, “The Works of Anne Bradstreet” is best suited for secondary education students in grades 11-12. It is intended for students who are mature enough to understand the female perspective of Puritan society, as well as the complex topics of religion and how it influenced the Puritans.

• Allows students to begin important discussions on important ideas such as American feminism in a respectful manner, and how the topic of being a woman influenced Anne and her writings.

• Allows students to critically analyze the text in order to learn about how religion and faith in God played a significant role in Puritan society culture. 

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