eng test 1

Creation myth / creation narrative

A transcription or translation of an oral story whose origins existed long before it was written down. It presents a worldview about creation, often emphasizing balance, shared agency, connection to the immediate world, and creation as a process rather than a single event.

Oral tradition:

Stories and cultural knowledge passed down through spoken storytelling before being transcribed or translated.

Puritans:

Protestant reformers who wanted to “purify” their religion. Their beliefs included predestination, the Bible as law, introspection, and an emphasis on plainness and simplicity.

Pilgrims:

Separatist Puritans who settled Plymouth Colony with William Bradford. 

Act of Supremacy

The monarch declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England, taking the place of the Pope as the church's highest authority in England.

Act of Uniformity:

Established a required form of public worship and prayer that the monarch's subjects had to follow, including compulsory church attendance. 

Encomienda:

from the spanish word “to entrust” the spanish crown granted a person a specified number of natives for whom they were to take responsibility (protect them from wearing tribes, instruct them in the Spanish language and the Catholic faith) In return, Spaniards could exact tribute in the form of labor and gold in reality not very different from slavery. 

Black Legend

Based on Las Casas’ publication; a powerful and lasting indictment of spanish behaviour toward indian population in the new world. At the legend’s core are two intertwined stereotypes: the peaceable, childlike, innocent Indian and that of the cruel, rapacious, self serving spaniard

Rhetoric

The art of effective persuasion.

Anglicization

The process of making something English in culture and character.

Allusion

A passing reference, possibly to another literary work, a place, a historical event, a famous person, etc.

Protestant Reformation

A religious reform movement that spread through Europe and changed people's beliefs about the role of religion in everyday life. The notes connect it to reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, whose ideas developed into Calvinism and influenced the Puritans. 

Captivity narrative

A popular genre in 17th- and 18th-century America, usually told from a first-person point of view. The notes describe a three-part structure: the captivity itself, the hardships experienced during captivity, and the joyful return home

Spectral evidence:

Evidence or supposed proof that an accused person was possessed by spirits. The notes explain that spectral evidence was used during the Salem witch trials and later became increasingly questioned by ministers and intellectuals.

Colonialism

The practice of one country taking control of another land and its people, usually through settlement, political control, and exploitation of land/resources.

Culture hero

An important figure in an oral tradition whose actions help shape or establish a people's culture.

Unreliable narrator

A narrator whose version of events cannot be completely trusted because their perspective may be biased, limited, or distorted.

Theocracy

A government based on religious authority or beliefs, where religious law and political government are closely connected.

Exegesis

The interpretation and explanation of a text, especially the Bible or other religious scripture.

How did Columbus “take possession” of the islands for Ferdinand and Isabella?

He read a proclamation and unfurled a flag.

What did Columbus often name the islands after?

Catholic saints and religious concepts.

What feature of the New World does Columbus emphasize?

its fertility.

Which “odd” group does Columbus NOT claim to encounter/hear about?

People with no hair.

What does Columbus order built before leaving for Europe?

A fort.

Who is De Las Casas appealing to?

The King of Spain

What does De Las Casas repeatedly call the Spanish?

The Christians.

How does De Las Casas describe the Spanish approach to conquest?

As excessively cruel, often engaging in irrationally vicious acts.

How does De Las Casas say Indigenous peoples initially viewed the Spaniards?

As gods, “descended from heaven.”

What other Spanish goal does De Las Casas say the violence interferes with?

Converting Native peoples to Catholicism.

Who saves John Smith from execution, described as “the first Christian ever of that nation”?

Pocahontas

Which resource did the New World NOT offer the Jamestown colonists?

Slaves

What point of view is John Smith's narrative oddly written in?

Third person, “He…

True/False: Smith helped settle Jamestown to establish religious freedom.

False

What did Bradford's Pilgrims find to sustain them in their trials upon arriving at Cape Cod?

God and His grace

What civil government document did Bradford's group draft after landing in Massachusetts instead of Virginia?

The Mayflower Compact

True/False: Bradford's group consisted of non-separatist Puritans.

 False

How many of the original 100 Pilgrims survived the first winter?

50

In “The Author to Her Book,” what does Bradstreet compare her first published poetry book to?

A bastard child

How does Bradstreet view worldly attachments/material goods in “Upon the Burning of Our House”?

She wrestles with her attraction to worldly things and must continually remind herself to focus on her spiritual state.

Who is the primary creator figure in pima

Juh-wert-a-Mah-kai, the Doctor of the Eart

In Pima Is creation presented as one finished event?

No, the world goes through creation, destruction, and recreation.

What role do animals/other beings play in pima?

They participate in the process of shaping and preparing the world.

In Cherokee Creation story, What is the earth originally like?

A great floating island surrounded by water and suspended by four cords.

(Cherokee) Which animal retrieves the material that becomes the earth?

Water Beetle.

How are mountains and valleys formed in cherokee?

The Great Buzzard's wings shape the still-soft earth as he flies over it.

Why does Smith present New England so positively in A Description of New England?

To persuade English people that settlement offers opportunity and is worth pursuing.

What does Rowlandson call the stages of movement during her captivity?

“Removes.”

What happens to her attitude toward Indigenous food?

Hunger causes food she initially finds disgusting to become desirable.

What does she repeatedly use to understand her captivity and suffering?

The Bible and her belief in God's providence.

Whose witchcraft trial appears in the assigned excerpt?

Martha Carrier.

What kinds of claims are used as evidence against Carrier?

Claims involving apparitions, afflicted people, unexplained illnesses or injuries, livestock deaths, and testimony from confessed witches.

Who is the central figure in matheous’s story?

Hannah Dustan.

What biblical figure does Mather compare Dustan to

Jael.

How does Mather interpret the characters' survival and escape?

Through God's providence and the power of prayer.

What is Colonial Literature? Give types/examples.

Colonial Literature is the first written American literature and focuses on the New World and colonial life. Types include descriptions of the land and Native peoples, laws/government documents, journals and letters, colonial histories, poetry, and religious texts.

What were the four reasons Europeans colonized the New World?

• Wealth and prestige, including gold and land

• Spread Christianity and convert Native peoples

• Find new trade routes to the Indies

• Religious freedom

What is Bradford's biblical narrative?

Exile → Wilderness → Promised Land. Bradford viewed the Pilgrims' journey as a biblical pattern: leaving their old home, suffering and being tested in the wilderness, then establishing a new home.

What are five characteristics of Puritanism?

• Total depravity: Humans are naturally sinful.

• Predestination: God already knows who will be saved.

• Bible as law: Scripture is the highest authority.

• Introspection: Examine your own spiritual condition.

• Plainness/simplicity: Avoid unnecessary decoration and extravagance.