Study Document
Mayflower in Human History Many Research Proposal
Pages:7 (2199 words)
Sources:3
Subject:History
Topic:Thanksgiving
Document Type:Research Proposal
Document:#97728011
Why, though, is the name so popular and so utilized to mean change, evolution, choice, and really as an icon of a perilous journey to a new life? And what is the real story of the First Thanksgiving? In brief, the name has remained a popular icon because of the inherent nature of the story -- lively persecuted group befriends new population and thrives. Now, let us simply revise the point-of-view by one cog; instead of viewing the story as a European colonist, imagine if you will, a land that supported numerous bands of hunter-gatherers who took only from the land what they needed, had deep traditions about their interaction with nature, and, just like other societies, had passive and aggressive cultures. New people arrive who do not know how to dress, to hunt, to fish, or even how to build the proper house to stay warm. So, you help them, and they give you the chance to become their slave and return to their far off country, take more corn than is appropriate, and also decide to fence in the land into these unusual squares that prevent the wildlife from roaming. In addition, every village these colonists visit seems to acquire a strange sickness -- in fact, some villages completely die off, leaving the areas "ready" for new towns to be set up by these new colonists (East Texas Review, 2004).
Conclusions -- When dealing with revisionism and post-revisionism of sacred topics in history, one can always run the risk of cynicism on a heightened level. Was there really a Noah's Ark or Great Flood? Did Washington really chop down a cherry tree? Are the dimensions of Plymouth Rock important? Did the colonists actually arrive near Plymouth and come ashore near the rock?
Actually, the veracity of many events becomes immaterial when viewed in broader brush strokes -- in terms of the 1620 colonials, it probably does not matter how much of their story is fact and how much embellishment for symbols serve culture, and Plymouth Rock as a symbol signifies the transformation of culture from Europe to the Americas -- of changing the colonists as they passed over the rock, a rite of passage for the long dead that becomes important to the modern world when viewed through the needs of patriotism and national worth. Icon meanings serve to bind individuals together, to let them see something far larger, broader, and clearly more long lasting. If we combine this tolerance for embellishment in the appropriate context with the use of symbols in popular culture that are easily identifiable and shared, we find that the Mayflower had far more to say to the contemporary world that the simple historical facts of her voyage. Thus, if we are mindful that historical accuracy remains important, but that popular culture serves its purpose, too, then we have taken a rather large step in synergizing the Mayflower story and its original intent with what the Mayflower now represents (Seeyle, 634-41).
REFERENCES CONSLUTED
Adkins, R. (2005). "Mayflower: The Voyage That Changed the World." Geographical.
77(9): 78.
Arenstam, P., et.al. (2007). Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage. National Geographic Books.
Bush, S. (2000). "America's Origin Myth: Remembering Plymouth Rock." American Library
History. 12(4): 745.
East Texas Review. (2004). "The True History of Thanksgiving." AANativeArts.Com. Cited in:
http://www.aaanativearts.com/article937.html
Nickerson, W. Sears. (1997). Land Ho! A Seaman's Story of the Mayflower. Michigan Philbrick, N. (2007). Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War. Penguin.
____., ed. (2007). The Mayflower Papers: Selected Writings of Colonial New
England. Penguin.
Seeyle, J. (1998). Memory's Nation: The Place of Plymouth Rock. University of North
Carolina Press.
"Who Were the Pilgrims?" (2008). Plimouth Plantation. Cited in:
http://www.plimoth.org/kids/homeworkHelp/pilgrims.php
Willison, G. (1953). The Pilgrim Reader: The Story of the Pilgrims as Told by Themselves
and Their Contemporaries Friendly and Unfriendly. Doubleday.
See for example: Carew, M. And J. Garratt. (2004). Flight of the Mayflower. Mark Carew and Associations. "Background -- Plymouth Argyle Football Club." Cited in: http://www.pafc.co.uk?
www.pafc.co.uk?.
It is not the purpose of this essay to complete revise the story of the Mayflower and its…
Sample Source(s) Used
REFERENCES CONSLUTED
Adkins, R. (2005). "Mayflower: The Voyage That Changed the World." Geographical.
77(9): 78.
Arenstam, P., et.al. (2007). Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage. National Geographic Books.
Bush, S. (2000). "America's Origin Myth: Remembering Plymouth Rock." American Library
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