Puritan SynthesisWeeds & Roses

Do your citations PERFECTLY!! Ahhhh!

• What is wrong with the following?– God will keep his “chicks” safe (source a).– Correct: God will keep his “chicks” safe

(Source A).– Edwards believes humans “were made to

serve God.” (Source A)– Correct: Edwards believes humans “were

made to serve God” (Source A).

– Jonathan Edwards believes “God holds you up” (Source C), showing his compassion while Anne Bradstreet too believes that God is merciful even in the midst of losing all her possessions in a fire (Source B).

– Correct: Jonathan Edwards believes “God holds you up” showing a compassionate and loving God while Anne Bradstreet also believes that God is merciful even in the midst of losing all her possessions in a fire (Source A; Source B).

POV= Point of View Statement

• Add the author’s name or the source’s title (or both) in order to add context to your writing.

• Do this when you first use a source or when clarification is needed.

Add POV statements when first using a source

Weed: According to Puritan beliefs, God is the protector of all mankind and saves his “little darlings” from the devil (Source A).

Change to: According to Edward Taylor’s view of Puritan beliefs, God is the protector of all mankind and saves his “little darlings” from the devil (Source A).

For a SYNTHESIS paper, you must SYNTHESIZE!!

• To synthesize, your sources must interact with each other. Why are all these sources in the same paper?

• Use transitions to help: Similar to Bradstreet…, likewise, also, furthermore

WEED:Puritans believe that God dictates and

is involved in every aspect of one’s life.In Edward Taylor’s poem, God is seen

as a compassionate God who forgives when the Devil tempts and his followers sin. Anne Bradstreet shows that God is there in the midst of tragedy as when her house burned down (Source B). God is also seen as loving yet wrathful (Source C). The Puritan schoolbook shows God is present in their educations (Source D).

Through Puritan poems and books, it is clear that Puritans believe that their future, choices, and days are determined by God. Many Puritan writers have documented their beliefs into poems and other writings, and although they may be different, their trust in that God has their fate in his hands is conveyed through all of them.

Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor’s poems are joyfully positive and show optimism and complete faith in God’s decisions. Taylor writes of his savior and his ability to lift people from their sins, as Bradstreet’s “hope and treasure lies above” even after experiencing a terrible setback (Source A; Source B). On a heavier note, Jonathan Edwards sincerely conveys the significance of God’s wrath and the ability to let one prosper or suffer. Edwards uses the metaphor saying that God’s wrath is a bow and arrow and that “justice bends the arrow at your heart” (Source C). Edward conveys the same message, but unlike Bradstreet or Taylor, uses fear to express God’s ultimate judgment. Lastly, the Puritan alphabet book preaches God’s power in both a fearful and joyful way. The book is intended as both a learning tool for young children to learn the alphabet and at the same time, show both the darker and joyful incidents people have experienced from God (Source D). All in all, Puritan writers sent a message to the world that only God has control over what happens to them, whether good or bad.