Compare and Contrast Essay Sample: Of Plymouth Plantation vs The General History of Virginia

📌Category: Books, History, History of the United States
📌Words: 439
📌Pages: 2
📌Published: 24 January 2022

When European settlers first came to America, the land and its elements created many challenges. The early settlers found themselves in constant struggles to survive as recorded in the histories of the leaders of these new settlements. Two leaders William Bradford and John Smith, both wrote of the struggles and triumphs of the early settlers, but the attitudes towards the hardships facing the settlers were very different due to the personal beliefs of each man. Bradford’s “Of Plymouth Plantation” and Smith’s “The General History of Virginia” both chronicle the establishment of settlements in the new world, but the tones of the works differ greatly. 

Bradford's work has a much more hopeful and positive tone than Smith's. “But here I cannot but stay and make a pause, and stand half amazed at this poor people's present condition” (104) expresses Bradford's surprise and relief at their safe arrival. Bradford is optimistic about his situation, despite its difficulties, because he knows God is watching over him and protecting him. Bradford believes in his people, God, and himself. This belief leads him to a calm mindset and a level head, both of which are excellent qualities in a leader.

Smith's work, however, does not have the same upbeat tone as Bradford's. “Our extreme toil in bearing and planting palisades so strained and bruised us and our continual labor in the extremity of the heat had so weakened us,” (96) demonstrates Smith's pessimistic view of his situation. Instead of being thankful that he was still alive, he grumbled about the labor he had to do and his food rations. While these complaints are justified in light of Smith's poor working conditions, they are vastly different from Bradford's outlook.

In their writings, William Bradford and John Smith both suffered under less-than-ideal conditions, but their attitudes toward these conditions differed. Whereas Smith is dissatisfied with the labor he has been assigned and the food he must consume, Bradford appears to be content with the fact that he is alive and well at all. Bradford is comforted by God and knows he will be protected, but Smith believes that he must handle things himself more than he can leave to God. Smith appears to still believe in God, but his faith is weaker than Bradford's.

In conclusion, Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" has a more positive tone than Smith's "The General History of Virginia." Despite their similar circumstances, John Smith's and William Bradford's stories are vastly different. These stories about the new settlements depict the hardships and victories encountered on their journeys in a variety of ways. The differences between these works are huge.

Works Cited Page

Bradford, William. “Of Plymouth Plantation.” Holt McDougal Literature, edited by Janet Allen, et al., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2012, pp. 104-110.

Smith, John. “The General History of Virginia.” Holt McDougal Literature, edited by Janet Allen, et al., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2012, pp. 94-99.

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