#1 The Trial of Martha Carrier, at the Court of Oyer and Terminer, Held by Adjournment at Salem, August 2, 1692 by Cotton Mather
The quote was said by Benjamin Abbot. Abbot was one of the people who gave testimony against Martha Carrier at the Salem Witch Trials. Currier stood trial accused of being a. witch. He alleged that she had caused a boil to form on his foot. Abbot then claimed that after his foot was lanced “several gallons of corruption ran out of it”. He then claimed that two more sores appeared, each requiring the doctor to lance them. He continued claiming that he was at death’s door until Carrier was arrested and that upon her arrest he began to quickly heal. Finally, his wife told the judges at the Salem Witch Trials that all that her said husband about Currier was true and that their cattle died from no discernable cause.
# 2 “The Author to her Book” by Anne Bradstreet
Bradstreet is writing about poetry or prose that the author does not think is any good and having other people take it to be publish. This rightfully irritates the author, who decides that they will fix up the work in order to ensure the best draft of their work is going to be given to the publisher. Since they know that the publisher is going to publish something. Unfortunately, the author cannot revise her work in a way that is suitable to herself. Instead the more she tries to fix things the worse they become, until she decides to say that it is because the book (child) has no father and only a mother. Bradstreet was saying that her work was her own and did not have any masculine input.
# 3 “The Day of Doom Stanzas” 1-25 by Michael Wigglesworth
The goal of Wigglesworth’s poem was to make people aware that while they were having fun now. They will soon be held accountable for their actions. This is why it was better to adhere to Puritan principles and beliefs. Doing so assures that a person is living a righteous life. This righteous life could only be found in the ways of the Puritans. Men and women who went against Puritan belief were doomed to Hell. In the associated stanza Wigglesworth writes about how the people are choosing to be ignorant of God’s imminent return and continue to commit sinful acts. They spend their nights sleeping calmly and without worry. Despite the wrongs they are committing throughout the day, because they are unaware of the doom that is to befall them.
# 4 A Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration Mrs. Mary Rowlandson by Mary White Rowlandson
Rowlandson tells the story of her capture along with three of her children’s capture by a Native American tribe. The British Army has King Phillip’s tribe within their sights but they are unable to cross the river in order to rescue the captives. She believes that the inability of the British to cross the river is a sign that God does not think they are ready to be delivered yet. This narrative indicates that Rowlandson believed that everything was done according to the will of God. She also seemed to believe that bad things happened because a person was not living according to Christian virtues. She believes that God will only intervene to help a person when he feels that they have suffered enough to be forgiven of their sins
# 5 “Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children” by Edward Taylor
The poem was about the death of one of Edward Taylor’s children. Since he is a Christian he believed that his children were going to Heaven. He is also saying in the poem that their deaths were the will of God. Throughout the poem Taylor envisions his children as flowers. The dead ones getting cropped too soon. Even though Taylor sees this as God’s will the death of his child still pains him. In the line “tore the root up of the same” (Taylor). He is saying that the pain he felt at the death of this child was so terrible that he felt as though he would die. Taylor deals with his grief by turning to God and praying because he believes that his prayers will touch his daughter.
# 6 Vol. II. The Beginnings of Americanism: 1650–1710 by Samuel Sewall
Sewell does not understand the need for men to wear wigs. He sees them as a sign of vanity. He seemed particularly upset that his friend cut his hair in order to wear a wig. Sewell believes that the wearing of wigs denotes that a man is not manly. Sewell talks about God giving men their hair as a test. He thinks that God is doing this test because he wants to see if man would get so involved with their hair that they would forget about God. Sewell’s argument seems to be that by men cutting their hair they are altering what God gave them. He feels that men should spend less time cutting their hair so that it will fit into a wig and more time in prayer.
# 7 The Diary of Samuel Sewall, 1674-1729 by Samuel Sewall
This quotation is a passage from Sewell’s diary in which he talks about advising the people living in the town of Watertown to elect a minister. He tells them that if they are unable to agree on a minister. They would need to have a town meeting. He then went on to mention that five people were executed in Salem as witches in front of a large. Sewell seems to think that these executions are necessary and righteous. This is because Sewell goes on to say that while some of the less intelligent people in the crowd were moved by the words of one of the condemned. Their opinions on the matter had no bearing on the man’s execution. Sewell speaks of events in a frank manner, without any introspection.
References
Mather, Cotton, "The Trial of Martha Carrier, at The Court of Oyer and Terminer, Held by Adjournment at Salem, August 2, 1692”. N.p., 1997. Web. 5 Mar. 2016.
Rowlandson, Mary White et al. The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. Lancaster, Mass.: [publisher not identified], 1903. Print.
Sewell, Samuel. "Diary Of Samuel Sewall | Salem Witch Trials". Salem.lib.virginia.edu. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.
Sewell, Samuel. "Samuel Sewall. Vol. II. The Beginnings Of Americanism: 1650-1710. Trent And Wells, Eds. 1901. Colonial Prose And Poetry". Bartleby.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.
"Specimens of American Poetry." Http://www.bartleby.com/br/96.html. Ed. Samuel Kettell. Boston: S. G. Goodrich & Co, Feb. 2010. Web. 05 Mar. 2016
Taylor, Edward. "Upon Wedlock, and Death of Children by Edward Taylor : The Poetry Foundation". Poetryfoundation.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.
"The Author to Her Book | Academy of American Poets". Poets.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 5 Mar. 2016.
