On the Emigration to America
American Lit and Comp A
7 June 2013
On the emigration to America, A literary analysis.
The poem On the emigration to america, written by Philip Freneau in the late 1700’s was a literary piece that described America through the eyes of a puritan emigrant. It puts a lovely flourish on one of its main themes; the untouched world, filled with unknown riches and bountiful land as compared against the pomp and circumstance of the british-european east. It is a great example of many of the stylistic devices outlined in the colonial unit and effectively conveys the glory of a brand new world as compared to its inhabitants homeland.
The puritans and the settlers were among the first foreign peoples to inhabit America, their origins sprouting from britain, and their reasoning in part being indifference towards the holy church of England. These people were the first to introduce literacy to the country, effectively allowing a beginning to types of literacy that would have gone undeveloped for decades longer. Their foremost reasoning for coming was for the puritans to avoid being punished by the church of England for their indifference towards the churches tendencies towards pomp and circumstance, and the settlers to escape the power invested in the church by the king of England. Many saw America as a brand new world, and in on the emigration to America Freneau elaborates on the emigrates excitement upon arriving in the new land and its seemingly unlimited riches and beauties.
Freneau’s use of archaic words and conceit give way to an America not many of us know today and creates a vivid image of the land that once was. Poems weren’t very popular during this time, and so the poem is made even more unique in its difference from its literary brothers and sisters. The archaic word choice, although normal at the time, aids in painting a vivid comparison between the new and old worlds and accompanies Freneau’s choice of conceit, well, brilliantly. The major theme
7 June 2013
On the emigration to America, A literary analysis.
The poem On the emigration to america, written by Philip Freneau in the late 1700’s was a literary piece that described America through the eyes of a puritan emigrant. It puts a lovely flourish on one of its main themes; the untouched world, filled with unknown riches and bountiful land as compared against the pomp and circumstance of the british-european east. It is a great example of many of the stylistic devices outlined in the colonial unit and effectively conveys the glory of a brand new world as compared to its inhabitants homeland.
The puritans and the settlers were among the first foreign peoples to inhabit America, their origins sprouting from britain, and their reasoning in part being indifference towards the holy church of England. These people were the first to introduce literacy to the country, effectively allowing a beginning to types of literacy that would have gone undeveloped for decades longer. Their foremost reasoning for coming was for the puritans to avoid being punished by the church of England for their indifference towards the churches tendencies towards pomp and circumstance, and the settlers to escape the power invested in the church by the king of England. Many saw America as a brand new world, and in on the emigration to America Freneau elaborates on the emigrates excitement upon arriving in the new land and its seemingly unlimited riches and beauties.
Freneau’s use of archaic words and conceit give way to an America not many of us know today and creates a vivid image of the land that once was. Poems weren’t very popular during this time, and so the poem is made even more unique in its difference from its literary brothers and sisters. The archaic word choice, although normal at the time, aids in painting a vivid comparison between the new and old worlds and accompanies Freneau’s choice of conceit, well, brilliantly. The major theme