Study Questions
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How did John Smith and other early explorers describe America
for the people back home in Europe? Why did they describe the area in this
way?
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What did the Puritans believe? Distinguish between the Pilgrims
and the Separatists. When and why did each group come to America? How did
the Puritans' beliefs and personalities manifest themselves in their writings?
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Compare John Smith's and the Puritans' narratives about life
in America. Try to account for the similarities and differences by referring
to their personalities, motives, and backgrounds.
Bibliography
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Bercovich, Savcan. The American Jeremiad. Madison:
University of Wisconsin Press, 1978.
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Billings, Warren M. Jamestown and the Founding of the
Nation. Gettysburg, Pa.: Thomas Publications, ?.
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Black Robe. Dir. Bruce Beresford. Vidmark Entertainment,
1991.
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Jehlen, Myra. "The Papers of Empire." The Cambridge History
of American Literature. Volume One: 1590-1820. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1994. 13-36.
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Miller, Perry. Errand into the Wilderness. Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 1956. 1-15.
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People
Places
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Jamestown, Virginia
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Massachusetts Bay Colony
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Plymouth, Massachusetts
Events
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Settling of Jamestown (1607)
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Landing at Plymouth Rock (1620)
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Salem Witch Trials (1692)
Terms
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prose
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nonfiction narrative
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hyperbole
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sermon
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poem
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lyric
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narrative poem
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literal language
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figurative language
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metaphor
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simile
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personification
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imagery
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persona
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pun
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alliteration
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rhyme scheme
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rhythm
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stress
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meter
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iambic
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trochaic
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anapestic
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dactylic
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spondee
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pyrrhic
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dimeter
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trimeter
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tetrameter
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pentameter
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hexameter
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