Tuesday, 25 April: The Pilgrims, the Hebrew model of national migration, and late Anglo-American culture

·        Web highlight: Carmen Ashby

Introduction:

When I went through the finals for 2002 & 2003 I found the following samples that related to this weeks reading. It is interesting that the Exodus story and the Pilgrim story are so closely related.

2002 final exam

Question:

How has the Exodus narrative from the Bible shaped the immigrant narratives of Jewish America and Anglo-America. In what ways do these group's immigrant narratives conform to or vary from the standard immigrant narrative? Based on the required and optional readings listed above, what are some possible future trends of Jewish American and Anglo-American culture? 

Selection from sample answer:

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, I am the Lord Your God.  After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, wither I bring you, shall ye not to: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.  Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the Lord your God.  Ye shall therefore keep my statues, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 18:1-5)

With such implicit directions, the Israelites under Moses knew exactly how to interact with the Canaanites with whom they came into contact in the land which God had given unto them.  And for the future generations of Jews and Christians who viewed America as the Promised Land, these ordinances were strict instructions on how to behave in their newfound land of freedom and prosperity.  For the early Anglo-American settlers from England, by way of the Netherlands, these directions applied to their voyage from England as well as to the “uninhabited” lands of America.  Bradford, in Of Plymouth Plantation, told the pilgrims that they “must rest herein on God’s providence” (32) to point them to the proper place to dwell, and, even through the division of their numbers due to transportation problems and sickness, Bradford decided that “like Gideon’s army, this small number was divided, as if the Lord by this work of His providence thought these few too many for the great word He had to do” (60), proving the depth of his belief in God’s anointment of the Pilgrims as His Chosen People, like the ancient Jews.  Bradford’s ultimate insistence on the direct involvement of God in his people’s journey and settlement in the New World gave his writing a Biblical resonance and informed his decisions on interactions and peace with the “savages of these parts” (90).  Bradford’s repeated quotations from the Bible and correlations between the Puritan Pilgrims and the Exodus narrative from the Bible prove the depth of the connection between the Pilgrims’ journey and the feelings of being God’s Chosen People.  [CR 2002]

2003 final exam

Question: How do the narrative of America’s dominant culture (Of Plymouth Plantation) and the related narratives of Jewish American culture (Bread Givers) and the ancient Jews (the Exodus story) resemble and differ from the “standard immigrant narrative?” What specific values or identities does this narrative create in these cultures?

Selection from sample answer:

The Pilgrims in Of Plymouth Plantation were seeking the right to practice their religion and hold on to their own traditions.  First they moved to Holland, but they found many were beginning to assimilate into the dominant culture there.  In order to keep their traditions and culture alive a group of them decided to leave Holland and leave for America.  In America they were so isolated (after removing the natives) they were able to establish their own community, which became the background for the dominant culture in the United States today.  As stated in a 2002 final exam, “Bradford’s repeated quotations from the Bible and correlations between the Puritan Pilgrims and the Exodus narrative from the Bible prove the depth of the connection between the Pilgrims’ journey and the feelings of being God’s Chosen People.”  Both groups have this religious connection and feeling of being “chosen”.  Much like the Pilgrims the ancient Jews in the Exodus story were seeking a place to practice their religion without persecution.  The ancient Jews with the help of Moses and God were able to escape from their persecutors and travel to a new land.  In this land of “milk and honey” (after removing the natives) they were able to establish a separate community and attempted to resist assimilation.  [Giselle 2003]

conclusion:

All the final exams that covered Of Plymouth Plantation noted how closely related the Exodus and Pilgrim stories are. Reading these finals helped me to understand the concept of "national migration."