Critical Reading

[Bradford] 1- A) what were some of the hardships the Pilgrims faced during their trip across the Atlantic and their first winter at Plymouth?

Terrible winds and storms which shrewdly shook the ship, causing it to become very leaky; and one of the main beams in the mid ships bowed and cracked. During the first winter they also lacked warm shelter and food. This put them in fear of the ship not being to continue the trip.

[Bradford] 5- How are the Pilgrims' values and beliefs evident in the ways they respond to problems? In your response, use at least two of these Essential Question words: commitment, gratitude, conviction.

The Pilgrims most likely had prior knowledge of the dangers of the voyage before going on the trip. Yet, even knowing this, they put all their trust in God and stayed committed to their aspiration. So once they arrived to their destination, they "fell apart upon their knees and blessed the Gods of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean". They demonstrated much gratitude for arriving safely.

[Bradford] 3- In what ways might this account have been different if the Pilgrims had settled farther south?

The Pilgrims would be able to focus on things other than survival because of the lack of harsh winters.

[Bradstreet] 2- A) What is the apparent contraction in the last two lines?

The apparent contradiction of the last two lines is that she's basically telling her husband to keep trying with their love forever and to never give up. And in the second line she's saying that since they'll never give up and they'll continue trying with their love that even after they die, their love will live on forever.

[Bradford] 4- Has this account changed your impression of the Pilgrims? Explain your answer.

Yes because I knew that they went on voyages before reading the story but I wasn't aware of the challenges and dangers that occurred on these trips.

Bradford years

1590-1657

Bradstreet years

1612-1672

[Bradstreet] 3- A) Note where Bradstreet uses repetition in the first stanza.

Bradstreet uses repetition when she says, "If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee;" and in "If ever wife was happy in a man,".

[Bradstreet] 3- B) How does her use of repetition suggestion a growing emotional intensity?

Her use of repetition suggests how much she wants to emphasize how immense her love for her husband is.

[Bradford] 2- A) What message do you think Bradford is trying to convey in this narrative?

I think Bradley is trying to explain to the reader of the Pilgrims' perseverance, courage, and faith in God is what mainly motivated them to continue the journey.

[Bradstreet] 1- B) What other images suggest the richness and abundance of the love the speaker and her husband share?

Other images that suggest the richness and abundance of the love Bradstreet has for her husband are, "all the riches that the East doth hold. My love is such that rivers cannot quench,".

[Bradford] 1- B) What do their troubles tell you about the climate and landscape of Plymouth?

Plymouth's climate was harsh and its landscape was rugged and unyielding.

[Bradstreet] 2- B) What does the last stanza reveal about Puritan Belief's in the afterlife?

The last stanza reveals that Puritans believe in the possibility of life after death and eternal love.

[Bradford] 2- B) How might this message have meaning for people today?

The meaning this message may have on people today has to do with the way it asserts that human beings' inner resources strongly affect what they are able to endure and accomplish.

[Bradstreet] 4- Which aspect of the speaker is more important in this poem--the private or the public self? Use at least two of these Essential Question words in your response: community, personal, unique, social.

The public self aspect in which the speaker is more important because she gets more personal and she's able to find the better words to express her love for her husband while directly speaking to him. She uses more descriptive and unique words to explain the vast amount of affection she shares with her husband as she speaks to him rather than when she speaks to herself.

[Bradstreet] 1- A) What does the speaker value more than "whole mines of gold"?

The speaker values her husband's love more than "whole mines of gold".