Yesenia Gomez
American Literature
Period 4
October 28, 2007
The General History of Virginia by John Smith and Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford
The first settlers of America all came for different reasons, had separate goals, and different ways of life. Although they were all different they all risked their lives for a new life in a new world. John Smith and William Bradford were two completely different types of people. John Smith was an adventurer which one can easily see from his writing, like in “The General History of Virginia”. William Bradford was a pious Puritan, which is brought out in his writing in “Of Plymouth Plantation”. Their differences and similarities on their views on Indians, tone and style are personified through these two works of writing. John Smith and William Bradford have strong personalities that live through their writing. The two men are very different from each other, but still share some similarities. The beginning of colonization was very difficult for the early settlers in the New World. Disease, starvation, greed, and aggressive Native Americans were factors that lead to the end of many colonization attempts in the Americas. The first two successes were Jamestown and Plymouth Plantation. There were many differences between the two, such as the type of local government established, the kind of relationships maintained with the local natives and the way they became self-sufficient.
Both John Smith and William Bradford encountered Indians in their explorations of the new world. They handled these encounters very differently. . .
He also is very informative and historical. John Smith believes that when he was captured there was “much sorrow for his loss”, even...