Of Plymouth Plantation
1. Read the first two paragraphs. What about the language seems strange to you? How do you think a
modern American would paraphrase what Bradford, the author, is saying?
2. What adjectives (describing words) does Bradford use as he writes about this new continent and the
people who live here? Make a list of the words that he uses. What do those words suggest about
Bradford’s attitude (tone) towards this new place and the inhabitants?
3. The Puritans were a devout people who believed that the Bible should be at the very center of every
aspect in their lives. Count the number of references to the Bible, God, Heaven, special providence,
Lord, and other religious-sounding words or phrases from the beginning stopping at “Indian
Relations”. How might the Puritan religious perspective affect their attitudes towards, and interactions
with, a group of people who do not share their background?
4. Emotional appeals (pathos) are parts of a text that an author uses to persuade his audience on an
emotional level. Bradford wrote this seminal U.S. text with future generations in mind. Cite sections of
the text that are meant to evoke feelings/emotions in a future reader. What feelings/emotions do you
think Bradford is trying to generate in each of the examples that you cite? Do you think he is
successful? Does he convince you? Why or why not?
Of Plymouth Plantation
5. Skim the entire selection and make a list of archaic-sounding words. Select any three sentences to rewrite in the
English that we use today. How are your sentences different from the sentences that Bradford wrote? Are they
shorter or longer? What do the differences in wording suggest about the difference between Puritans and people
who are living in America today? How are books that are published today different from Bradford’s book?
6. Prose writing (writing that is not poetry) uses different modes of discourse (ways of writing). Sometimes an
author uses narration (tells a story); at other times an author will use description (imagery), exposition (explaining
something), or persuasion/argumentation (making an argument; trying to convince his audience to think a certain
way). Find sections of Bradford’s text where he uses these different modes of discourse. Are those parts
effective? Which parts of this selection do you like best and why? Which mode of discourse does Bradford use
most?
7. Write a few sentences in which you explain Bradford’s main purpose or objective in writing this very famous
book. Do you think he accomplished what he set out to do? What were some of his other objectives/goals?
8. If the Native Americans were to write something for their future generations (they passed down their stories
through oral tradition, however), how would they describe the same experiences that Bradford records? How
would their point of view have been different? Do you think that the Native Americans shared any ideas or
attitudes about life that were similar to the Puritans, and vice versa? If so, what were those elements of common
ground?