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Influential Wriitings In American Literature

The writings of early Americans are important and influential in the way we see our culture and ourselves, for the writings teach us what culture was like back in the time of the story being told. When reading these stories one can relate to their writings by comparing and contrasting the writings to modern day life and times. The following writers are prime examples of writing in the seventeenth century: John Smith, William Bradford, John Winthrop and Anne Bradstreet.
John Smith wrote about the scarceness of food and supplies while living in Virginia all the while waiting for the arrival of provisions from England. He wrote of starting a new life in a foreign land despite having no supplies and of the leadership roles he undertook when times were tough. In Smith’s writings he states that when they set out to establish a new life in America they were all ignorant to what lay ahead. Our culture today sets out to accomplish or succeed in new adventures though few are realistic. In John Smith’s writings of The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles he wrote about his interactions with the natives. John Smith learned to successfully communicate with the natives over time and became friends with them. As Americans, our social interactions with others are similar to the way Smith socialized with the natives. First impressions are important in every relationship whether they are good or bad. Overtime we learn to become friends with many new people and work out our differences. William Bradford wrote of the scarceness of food and supplies in Plymouth as John Smith wrote of the same experiences in Virginia.
Unlike Smith, Bradford did not venture out along the coast and became captive of the natives. Bradford was approached by Squanto within his own village. These interactions lead to the friendship and the first American treaty with the natives. In our society today, many Americans form treaties or contracts to unite two...