Week Assignment Narrative Essay

He’s bursting with excitement about everything the “new world” has to offer. He literally tells everyone in England to make the voyage. But that each parish, or village, in Cite, or Country, that will but apparel their fatherless children, of heritage or fourteen years of age, or young married people, that have small wealth to live on; here by their labor may live exceeding well: provided always that first there bee a sufficient power to command them, houses to receive them, means to defend them, and meet provisions for them. ” (52) Smith is incredibly passionate about the land here, and obviously thinks it has more to offer than England. However, he also urges the English that they need a vast array of occupations here to truly thrive.
He also tells them that they, too, will succeed. “Carpenters, Masons, Fishers, Fowlers, Gardeners, Husbandmen, Sawyers, Smiths, Spinsters, Tailors, Weavers, and such Like The Masters by this may quickly grower rich. ” (52) On the other hand, William Bradford writes in “Of Plymouth Plantation” how remarkably dangerous the trip across the water actually is. The footnote to the first portion of the first sentence refers to a ship going down and everyone having to move themselves and their possessions from the Speedwell to the Mayflower.
Not everyone survived the crossing; one seaman and one passenger died while at sea: “There was a proud and err profane young man, one of the seamen, of a lusty, able body, which made him more the haughty; he would always be contemning the poor people in their sickness and cursing them daily with grievous execration’s; and did not let to tell them that he hoped to help cast half of them overboard before they came to their Journeys end, and to make merry with what they had; and If he were by any gently reproved, he would curse and swear most bitterly.

But It pleased God before they came half seas over, to smite this young man with a grievous disease, of which he died In a separate manner, and so was himself the first that was thrown overboard. ” (54) I can about being seasick ends up the first to perish on the sea. Was it Just an ironic work of fate, or was it karma? Bradford writes in quick detail about the storms they faced and survived, which landed them in Cape Cod. He details one of the storms where they had to drift and could not sail onward. And in one of them, as they thus lay at hull in a mighty storm, a lusty young man called John Holland, coming upon some occasion above the gratings was, with a sell of the ship, thrown into sea; but it leased God that he caught hold of the topsail halyards which hung overboard and ran out at length. ” (55) Bradford continues in his book about how they found a place to reside, but it wasn’t without worry. The Pilgrims had to be extremely careful any time they went out to hunt or gather food and water, any time they explored a new territory, and any time they slept!
The weather was turning cold, and they needed food and a place to build homes. They came across an abandoned Indian dwelling and took what food they found. “Which, they digging up, found in them divers fair Indian baskets filled with corn, and some in ears, fair and good, of divers colors… ” (60) After their dinghy was fixed and ready for shallower waters, they “found more of [the Indians’] corn and of their beans of various colors. ” (60) If the Pilgrims hadn’t come across the Indian’s corn and beans, along with the seeds, they would have likely starved.
It took them a month to find a decent place to settle and make camp, and an additional 10 days to actually get to the area free from Indians and start building. They had started exploring the lands on November 1 5th, then “On the 1 5th of December they weighed anchor to go to the place they had discovered, and came within two leagues of it, but were fain to bear up again; but on the 16th day, the wind came fair, and they arrived safe in this harbor.
And afterwards took better view of the place, and resolved where to pitch their dwelling; and the 25th day began to erect the first house for common use to receive them and their goods. ” (64) While on the Mayflower, there were Pilgrims (those who made the passage for religious reasons) and Strangers (those who came for business). The Pilgrims came together and wrote he Mayflower Compact, which is widely believed to have been the foundation of our Constitution. After this they chose, or rather confirmed, Mr.. John Carver (a man godly and well approved amongst them) their Governor for that year. ” (65) Our excerpt of Bradford book concludes with their first Thanksgiving. They had a small harvest and started bracing their houses against the coming winter. The Pilgrims that survived the trip and the illnesses after coming to land were “well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. ” (66)