Nothing Special   »   [go: up one dir, main page]
Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 84 views

    The Witch of The Blackbird Pond

    Uploaded by

    api-339339152
    The document summarizes three key elements from the novel "The Witch of Blackbird Pond": 1) The religious element - the story is set in 1600s Connecticut where the Puritans practiced strict religious conformity and anyone who deviated was often accused of witchcraft, including the character Hannah. 2) The women's role - women had clearly defined roles with little power and education was only allowed for the purpose of religious instruction. 3) Women's apparel - Puritan women dressed in simple, modest clothes without ornamentation as fancier clothes were seen as sinful. The main character Kit had to replace her colorful dresses with more practical Puritan styles.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    The Witch of The Blackbird Pond

    Uploaded by

    api-339339152
    84 views3 pages
    The document summarizes three key elements from the novel "The Witch of Blackbird Pond": 1) The religious element - the story is set in 1600s Connecticut where the Puritans practiced strict religious conformity and anyone who deviated was often accused of witchcraft, including the character Hannah. 2) The women's role - women had clearly defined roles with little power and education was only allowed for the purpose of religious instruction. 3) Women's apparel - Puritan women dressed in simple, modest clothes without ornamentation as fancier clothes were seen as sinful. The main character Kit had to replace her colorful dresses with more practical Puritan styles.

    Original Description:

    Original Title

    the witch of the blackbird pond

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document summarizes three key elements from the novel "The Witch of Blackbird Pond": 1) The religious element - the story is set in 1600s Connecticut where the Puritans practiced strict religious conformity and anyone who deviated was often accused of witchcraft, including the character Hannah. 2) The women's role - women had clearly defined roles with little power and education was only allowed for the purpose of religious instruction. 3) Women's apparel - Puritan women dressed in simple, modest clothes without ornamentation as fancier clothes were seen as sinful. The main character Kit had to replace her colorful dresses with more practical Puritan styles.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    84 views3 pages

    The Witch of The Blackbird Pond

    Uploaded by

    api-339339152
    The document summarizes three key elements from the novel "The Witch of Blackbird Pond": 1) The religious element - the story is set in 1600s Connecticut where the Puritans practiced strict religious conformity and anyone who deviated was often accused of witchcraft, including the character Hannah. 2) The women's role - women had clearly defined roles with little power and education was only allowed for the purpose of religious instruction. 3) Women's apparel - Puritan women dressed in simple, modest clothes without ornamentation as fancier clothes were seen as sinful. The main character Kit had to replace her colorful dresses with more practical Puritan styles.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Kristina Arkhipova

    English 414
    Richard Burke
    November 15, 2016

    The Witch of the Blackbird Pond

    3 Elements and Explanation


    The religious element:
    The setting of the story, The Witch of the Blackbird Pond, is in Westerfield Connecticut during
    the 1600s. The Puritans had traveled from England into Massachusetts and Connecticut to
    escape religious persecution in England. Their goal was to establish a community where they
    would be able to worship God in the way saw fit. They have been driven from England by King
    James I because they refused to follow his religious reform. The Puritans were driven by the idea
    of strict religious conformity; every facet of their lives were governed by their religious ideas.
    This element was significant to the story because the main character Kit was challenged
    immediately upon her arrival by her aunts familys religious boundaries. Prayer was a frequent
    occurrence in the Woods home and church attendance was mandatory. Having grown up as free
    spirt in Barbados, she was now forced to follow a strict religious regiment, one that was totally
    foreign to her nature. Eventually, Kit discovers ways to escape the religious hold of her new
    home. Kits favorite escape was visiting Hannah, a Quaker outcast that lived in the Meadow.
    Hannah had also been rejected by the Puritan community and branded a witch. This eventually
    leads to her being accused of being a witch, a common practice of the Puritan religion in the

    1600s. This event is a major turning point in the story and forces Kits family to reevaluate their
    religious beliefs and practices. In the end Kits uncle Matthew defends Kits actions and rejects
    the idea of her being a witch.

    The womens role:


    During the colonial period in America, womens roles were clearly defined. Men were perceived
    as the more superior of the two sexes. The female gender role was inherited from generation to
    generation, and girls were molded from an early age for the roles they eventually fill as colonial
    women. The primary job of a woman was to maintain her home: they were to cook, take care of
    children, sew the majority of the clothing for her family, and most importantly be subservient to
    her husband. Women were allowed to read; however, this skill could only be applied to
    educating their daughters and use primarily for reading the bible. They were never allowed to be
    land owners and were financially bound to their husbands for life. Women who exhibited any
    tendencies toward power in the New England colonies were often accused of witchcraft. As a
    woman in Barbados, Kit had received an education and was knowledgeable about the world
    around her. Education was valued in Kits world and respected. Upon arriving in Connecticut Kit
    quickly learns that education is viewed in a different light. Reading has a clear defined purpose
    and it is not related to new experiences. In the novel, Kit has the opportunity to use her education
    in a positive way when she is asked to teach in the Dame School. Kit was overjoyed at the
    opportunity to earn money and to escape from her daily routine. During an unconventional
    lesson of acting out a story, kit was reprimanded by the school master and lost her job and was
    dismissed from her position. In her attempt to make learning fun, Kit broke the rules of a Puritan
    education.

    Womens apparel:
    Puritans womens clothing could best be described as simple, modest, and practical. While most
    assumed that Puritans dressed only in black, they did dress in other colors that were symbolic to
    their religion. Clothing needed to be practical and was void of any ribbons, lace, buttons, or other
    ornamental design. Caps covered the hair of girls and women and shoes were also practical in
    their design. Clothing that did not follow these guidelines were considered sinful. Kit quickly
    learns how Puritan women are expected to dress when, in an attempt to show her gratitude for
    her aunts hospitality she unpacks the seven trunks of clothing she has brought with her. Kit
    excitedly brings out dress after dress, and eagerly gives her cousins some of the clothing she
    brought from Barbados. Although Judith and her sister were delighted to see dresses in vibrant
    colors with ribbons and bows, uncle Mathew quickly forced the girls to pack up the clothing. He
    did allow Mercy to keep a blue shawl. Kit was forced to trade in her beautiful silk and indigo
    dresses for more practical wool. Uncle Mathew reminded his wife that this type of clothing
    served no purpose in the Puritan community. A small part of Mathew Woods understood his
    daughters excitement at Kits beautiful dresses, but he also realized how Kits untraditional
    clothing would be perceived by the people of Westerfield. Clearly, she is an outsider in this
    Puritan town and needed to conform in order to fit in.

    You might also like