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(2014
midterm assignment) Sample Student Midterm answers 2014 #1: Long Essay |
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Cristen Lauck
For a Better Life
Throughout this semester, I have noticed that there is an underlying theme or
idea that comes up repeatedly in various texts. This theme that I have noticed
is the idea that people who came to America were looking for a “better life”.
The colonists and settlers who came who came to America were looking an
improvement in their lives, whether it be because they were looking riches
including gold and slaves or to escape their own religious persecution at home.
This underlying idea that America is a new “utopia” that needs to be discovered
is evident of the intertextuality between these texts.
We first see this idealized view of America when reading Columbus’ letters. In
his letters, he describes America as being “the most beautiful, of a thousand
varied forms, accessible, and full of trees of endless variety (1.2). We can
compare this descriptive language to the original “Utopia” of the Garden of
Eden. The Garden of Eden is described in the Bible as being this plentiful,
abundant paradise with numerous trees and plants. We read in Genesis that God
brought “forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit
after his kind” (9). In both descriptions of America and the Garden of Eden, we
are given the picture of a perfect place that is abundant with life and
nourishment.
The Native American origin stories
similarly present America as being a place of abundance. In the Iroquois
Creation story for example, earth is created by the death of the sky woman and
from her body “grew corn, beans and squash” (2.9) which were the staple food
items of the Iroquois. In their story, earth was created already having an
abundance food. Later, this spiritual history in their culture would have put an
emphasis on America being a kind of utopia where food is available.
We
also see this Utopian ideal with the religious movements that came to America.
Each religious group came to America to escape religious persecution in their
home countries. We see this Utopian imagery in William Bradford’s “Of Plymouth
Plantation”. In this narrative, the Pilgrims describe America as having “vast
and unpeopled countries
... which are fruitful and fit for habitation”
(4.5). Here, they see America as a great opportunity to express their religion
in a free and fruitful place. Also, Bradford continuously describes America as
being the “providence of God” where God has designated a place for them to live
in religious peace, much like a religious utopia.
In
Jonathan Edward’s personal narrative, he also describes America as being a
religious paradise in which he could congregate with God.
He describes it as a kind of Utopian paradise in
which can experience God’s presence here on earth. Edwards describes it saying
“God’s excellency, his wisdom, his purity and love, seemed to appear in
everything; in the sun, and moon, and stars …(7). For him. He sees America as
being a place where he can experience God in a utopia like paradise while we
waits for the to paradise in heaven.
After
reading all these different stories that have an underlying theme of America
being a utopia, I had to ask myself why? Why do we humans continue to look for a
perfect place or life? Perhaps this shows an underlying need for humans to feel
like they can achieve a more perfect world. This is an important idea in today’s
society because it shows that we are always trying to achieve a better life and
make the world a better place. If we all simply gave up and accepted the
imperfect world we live in, there would be no hope for the future.
Looking
back in American history, we can already see the growth that has happened
because of individuals who tried to make a more perfect or “Utopian” world. Many
groups came and are still coming to America for a better life which is why we,
modern students, should accept our history all together instead of trying to
pick and choose which history we want to remember. We should look at the
colonization stories by Columbus the same way we do as the Puritan narratives.
Both are examples of humans trying to improve their lives, just in different
ways. In other words, we cannot decide what in history we want to leave out and
we want to remember. Instead, we should remember it all and see that each story
is an example of an individual trying to make their lives better in America.
Although there were many different ideals trying to be achieved by different
parties, the underlying memory we have is that each were trying to make a better
life for themselves. For instance, wealth and financial stability was being
sought by the Spanish as evident in Columbus’ letters is a very different
motivating factor from the religious freedom trying to be obtained by the
Puritans. Never the less, each of these groups were trying to better themselves
by coming to the new world and we should look at them collectively instead of
pointing the finger as to who came here for the “right” reasons. Both were
trying their luck in a brave new “Utopian” world.
