Romanticism In Bryant's Of Plymouth Plantation

Between the early colonial era and romantic era, attitudes toward the land differed between American writers. Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford is a text from the colonial period describing the conditions of the early settlers of America, Bernard Bailyn’s The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution explains the idea of superiority and power struggles between men, Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, is a rebellious pamphlet written during the revolutionary period, William Bryant’s The Prairies is a romantic text describing the lands, and Romanticism in Historical Perspective, by Lilian Furst, is a work that describes the novel and revolutionary values of the romantic era. Bradford empowers himself in suggesting a feeling of savagery
When the settlers arrived in the new world, Bradford states: “What could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts and wild men? And what multitudes there might be of them they knew not. Neither could they, as it were, go up to the top of Pisgah, to view from this wilderness a more goodly country to feed their hopes, for which way soever they turned their eyes (save upward to the heaves) they could have little solace or content in respect of any outward objects.” By using repetition in describing the men and the beasts as “wild,” Bradford is able to analogize the two groups under a common nature of savagery. Furthermore, the use of the words “hideous” and “desolate” inculcate a negative outlook toward the people and the land. By collapsing the two entities into one hostile being, Bradford conveys his lack of understanding of the people and the land of the new world and demonstrates an attitude of supremacy. Bradford also uses biblical typology to describe the turbulent situation of his comrades - he claims the could not “go up to the top of Pisgah”, a biblical allusion, “to view from this wilderness a more goodly country to feed their hopes.” Bradford is able to convey the hopelessness of his comrades in an
Although this description of the land differs from the description of Bradford such that it arises from revolutionary resent towards Britain instead of disdain toward natives in America, it is similar such that it describes the power disparities between two groups. In describing the land in Common Sense, Paine states: “The reformation was preceded by the discovery of America: as if the Almighty graciously meant to open a sanctuary to the persecuted in future years, when home should afford neither friendship nor safety.” By using religious description in comparing the American land to a “sanctuary”, or a holy solace for the protestants who were persecuted, Paine is able to spread patriotism and convey the divinity of the American country. In describing the protestants as being “persecuted”, Paine also attempts to portray Britain’s exploitation of power in oppressing the protestant immigrants. In addition, Paine employs logos to appeal to the logic of his audience and assert that America was “graciously meant”, or destined for the protestants to claim, and that it is the American destiny to separate from Great Britain. In Power and Liberty, Bailyn describes power and liberty as two different spheres of society. He states: “The public world these writers