ELA 11 -- Meet the Pilgrims: Core Beliefs and Val

Arrival at Plymouth, 1620

Core Beliefs and Values

●What values and beliefs did the Pilgrims hold dear?

●How did they view their own trials and tribulations?

As you learn about some of the core beliefs and values of the settlers,
consider the source of these values and how they influenced the writings of
the time.

Pilgrims of 1620

Ancient Israelites (from the Bible)

Persecution

While living in England, the Pilgrims were harassed,
fined, and imprisoned because of their religious
beliefs. They were forbidden to practice their religion in their home country.

The ancient Israelites lived as slaves in Egypt for
many years and were denied freedom of all
kinds—including the freedom to practice their
religion—by their Egyptian masters.

Flight

The Pilgrims decided that leaving England to establish a settlement in North America was the only way to escape the harsh treatment they received at the hands of King James I.

Their escape from Egypt was an escape from a brutal and unsympathetic pharaoh, or Egyptian king.

Struggles
of
Emigration

The Pilgrims endured a long and grueling journey
across the Atlantic Ocean. Many of their group grew ill with scurvy, and the Mayflower itself was battered and weakened in the crossing.

The Israelites endured 40 years in the wilderness after escaping captivity. They faced not only the possibility of being recaptured, but also harsh physical conditions and the constant threat of death.

The
Promised
Land

The Pilgrims viewed America as a new Promised
Land, a place reserved for them by God for the
purpose of creating a society that glorified God and
exemplified the piety and faith of its founders.

In return for their faithfulness, God made a covenant with the Israelites and promised them a place where they could settle and create a model society based on piety and goodness.

Parallels to Ancient Israelites from the Bible

Checking for Understanding

According to the Bible, the main reason the ancient Israelites fled Egypt was to
escape the persecution of the pharaoh. Based on your knowledge of the Pilgrims,
which of the following was most likely a main motive for their journey across the
Atlantic?

A)

A desire for adventure and a new way of living

B)

Disapproval of Protestantism

C)

Financial profit

D)

The freedom to practice Christianity as they wished

​Correct!

​Corect!

Match

In their writings, the Pilgrims often compared and contrasted what was actually happening to them and passages from the Bible. To do this, they used allusions, which are references within a work of literature to a different work of literature or historical event outside that work of literature. People use allusions every day, often without even realizing it. Here are some allusion examples you might've heard (or even said yourself!) in everyday conversation.

Match the allusion example to the reference!

• "Chocolate cake is my Achilles heel."

• "He's a cool guy, but he becomes a lovesick Romeo every time he's around her."

• "We got a new Einstein in school today."

• "Why are you always such a Scrooge? It doesn't cost much, and it'll be fun!"

• "She's a good swimmer, but she's no Katie Ledecky."

From literature, one obsessed with love

From literature, a selfish penny-pincher

From Greek mythology, a weakness.

From current events, an elite athlete

From history, a genius

• From literature, one obsessed with love

• From literature, a selfish penny-pincher

• From Greek mythology, a weakness.

• From current events, an elite athlete

• From history, a genius

Figurative Language: Allusion

In their writings, the Pilgrims often compared and contrasted what was actually happening to them with passages from the Bible. To do this, they used allusions, which are references within a work of literature to a different work outside of that literature, or a historical event outside that work of literature.

People use allusions every day, often without even realizing it. Here are some allusion examples you might've heard (or even said yourself!) in everyday conversation.

"Chocolate cake is my Achilles heel."
Allusion: "Achilles' heel," from the Greek myth about the hero Achilles and how his heel was his one weakness. In this case, the speaker's "one weakness" is chocolate cake.
"He's a cool guy, but he becomes a lovesick Romeo every time he's around her."
Allusion: Romeo from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, is head-over-heels in love with Juliet, causing him (and her) to act impetuously.
"We got a new Einstein in school today."
Allusion: Physicist Albert Einstein was a genius, so this means that the new student is extremely smart.
"Why are you always such a Scrooge? It doesn't cost much, and it'll be fun!"
Allusion: Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens' famous tale A Christmas Carol is known for being a selfish penny-pincher, so calling someone a Scrooge is essentially saying they are cheap grouchy.
"She's a good swimmer, but she's no Katie Ledecky."
Allusion: Katie Ledecky has won 9 gold Olympic medals in swimming; apparently, the subject of the sentence is not on Ledecky's level of accomplishment.

Drag and Drop

Example: In Of Plymouth Plantation, William Bradford says that when the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts, and started to explore the land, they could not “go up to the top of Pisgah to view from this wilderness a more goodly country to feed their hopes.”​ ​

Placeholder

​ ​ ​

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Bible: Moses saw Promised Land from Mt. Pisgah.

Bible: Barbarians kinder than Native Americans!

Shakespeare: Miranda says "O Strange New World!"

• is demonstrated through piety, courage, and industry

• helps earn God’s favor and salvation of one’s soul

Let’s go to the VIDEO:
(2:25)

Think about it: What impression do you get of life in New England for the Pilgrims? Was there much time for play? What would happen if one person slacked off, refused to do their part?

​The Pilgrim and Puritan way of life

​Religious Faith

​Video: Life in New England 

(non-working link)

Categorize

Options (10)

Religious devotion

God's Protection

Survive harsh weather

endure isolation

Farm crops

Hunt animals

Build homes and towns

Store food

Deal with unfamiliar people

Sense of Community

Organize these options into the right categories

Piety

Courage

Industry

Pilgrim Values

●

Piety

●

Courage

●

Industry

Piety

• Means deep religious faith and observance

• Assures Pilgrims of God’s protection

• Delivered the Pilgrims safely across the sea

• Essential to surviving the unknown wilderness

• Requires public demonstration - church attendance mandatory in most Pilgrim/Puritan settlements

Courage

●

Difference between life and
death

●

Struggle in unknown land
○Isolation from home country

○Brutal winter weather

○Native people with unfamiliar ways

Industry

●This word’s Pilgrim usage has NOTHING to do with
the way we think of industry today (like factories or
industrial parks). The word industry means hard
work or strong work ethic.

●Having a strong work ethic enables the Pilgrims to:

○Create the first forts and towns in America

○Learn basic survival skills

○Learn how to farm the region’s crops

○Learn how to hunt the area’s wild animals

○Learn how to store and preserve food

●Laziness - more than just an annoying trait -- a
grave character flaw that could result in hardship for
all in the community.

Values Influence Life

What BIG THREE values were most important to the Pilgrims (and the Puritans as well)?

How did the Pilgrims view their difficulties in getting to North America and getting settled?

Christmas was not a holiday for
celebration, as you can tell by
reading the above notice!

Pilgrim Power

Based on your knowledge of the settlers’ circumstances and beliefs, name another value they
would likely have championed, and explain your choice. (Review the video from slide 8 if you need ideas!)

What might have happened if the early settlers had not valued piety, courage, and industry?