William Bradford Questions and Answers
William Bradford
How did Bradford initially view the Native Americans?
In his description of the Pilgrims' first encounter with Native Americans, William Bradford writes: It is recorded in scripture as a mercy to ye apostle and his shipwrecked company, yt the...
William Bradford
How are Native Americans represented in William Bradford's work?
When William Bradford initially describes the Native Americans in Of Plymouth Plantation, he speaks of them as barbaric savages. He describes them as violent and wild, saying that, unlike the...
William Bradford
In the passage below from Of Plymouth Plantation, how do Bradford's rhetorical features reflect his intent and...
Bradford employs figurative language, including vivid metaphors, to convey the trials and triumphs of the Pilgrims, and he also uses alliteration to add beauty to their story. His intent is to...
William Bradford
What is so significant about Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford? What important lessons are we taught about...
Modern readers can learn much from Of Plymouth Plantation. The book, authored by William Bradford, is one of the few primary sources from the establishment of the Plymouth colony. It provides a...
William Bradford
I would like a brief summary of chapter 9 from Of Plymouth Plantation. I read it, but I just don't understand the...
Bradford begins the chapter by referring to the resolution of some "troubles"—what happened is that the boat the Separatists had set out from England on, the Speedwell, had developed leaks, so it...
William Bradford
Can you analyze this little piece of text extracted from "Of Plymouth Plantation" by William Bradford? Can you...
The passage you cited is quite typical of New Englander's concepts of Native Americans whom they considered to be members of the "lost tribe of Satan." He describes them as being cannibals at times...
William Bradford
What literary time period does William Bradford belong to and how the author represents that time period?
William Bradford belongs to the early 17th century period of literature. His most famous book, Of Plymouth Plantation, was written between 1630 and 1651. Bradford was the first governor of the...
William Bradford
Discuss the significance of the expectation, suffering, success, and disappointment in William Bradford's work.
In William Bradford's telling, the Pilgrims indeed experienced expectation, suffering, success, and disappointment in the long journey that took them to the Netherlands, back to England, and then...
William Bradford
In Of Plymouth Plantation, what conclusion does Bradford draw from the two occurrences at sea?
A salty young sailor on the Mayflower gives the Puritan passengers all kinds of grief. He's forever swearing at and insulting them. He tells them, somewhat rudely, that he can't wait to see them...
William Bradford
How would history be different if Bradford had described his wife's death in Of Plymouth Plantation? Bradford omits...
While I appreciate that you're reading Bradford's journal and agree that he omitted any details of his wife's death, I don't accept the premise of your question. It doesn't seem reasonable that...
William Bradford
In "Of Plymouth Plantation", what sort of hardships did the Puritans endure in the first winter?
During the first winter, the Puritans went without food, they were cold and they had little understanding of the savages they encountered. Many grew sick. During their voyage, they had lost many to...
William Bradford
In "Of Plymouth Plantation", was Bradford’s aim to record history or to inspire spiritual fortitude? explain.
This is an interesting pair of choices. Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation is, at its core, a journal. To that extent, it's an attempt to document the literal movements and insights of these...
William Bradford
In William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation what is one quote that unequivocally supports the fact that he is a...
In the first chapter Of Plymouth Plantation, entitled "The Separatist Interpretation of the Reformation in England, 1550-1607," Bradford writes about the conditions which convinced the Pilgrims to...
William Bradford
What are the comparisons of the writings between William Bradford to the writings of Thomas Jefferson?
One of the most significant differences between their writings is the influence of religion upon their perspectives. Bradford--especially in Of Plymouth Plantation references Providence (God)...
William Bradford
What was the Mayflower Compact?
The Mayflower Compact was a set of rules for self-governance established by English settlers heading to America on board the Mayflower. It was the first agreement for self-government to be created...
William Bradford
Why do you think Bradford chose to refer to the passengers as "they" instead of "we"?
Bradford's reference to the Mayflower passengers in the third-person as "they," and himself in the first person as "I" can sound a little jarring to modern ears, but it is an effective way to set...
William Bradford
What are important historical events that influenced William Bradford and his works? Of Plymouth Plantation
The son of a prosperous farmer in Yorkshire, England, William Bradford took a radical step as a twelve-year-old: Bradford began attending the meetings of a small group of Nonconformists, a group of...
William Bradford
What was William Bradford's contribution to the Plymouth settlement?
Bradford was the leader, the primary spokesperson, and the most famous chronicler of the Plymouth settlement. He was a member of the initial Separatist contingent that made the trip from England to...
William Bradford
What is an essay idea describing the different hopes of William Bradford compared to Thomas Morton?
William Bradford was a staunch Puritan Separatist and among his hopes was the aspiration for a community that was separate from English religious intervention and uncontaminated by what was thought...
William Bradford
I need some help on this chronicle in my Languge Of Literature textbook called: Of Plymouth Plantation. I have to...
To provide a little background on the book Of Plymouth Plantation and the excerpt "The Starving Time", William Bradford wrote the majority of the text. As exampled by "The Starving Time," he...