ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -William Bradford initially views the Native Americans as “savage barbarians” who want only to kill the Pilgrims . He describes them as something close to a natural hazard rather than as individuals or even human beings.

Detailed explanation-2: -The native inhabitants of the region around Plymouth Colony were the various tribes of the Wampanoag people, who had lived there for some 10, 000 years before the Europeans arrived. Soon after the Pilgrims built their settlement, they came into contact with Tisquantum, or Squanto, an English-speaking Native American.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower were poverty stricken in their native lands and expect to be poverty stricken in this New World, as well. Bradford is referring to the poor savages from the wilderness.

Detailed explanation-4: -A friendly Indian named Squanto helped the colonists. He showed them how to plant corn and how to live on the edge of the wilderness. A soldier, Capt. Miles Standish, taught the Pilgrims how to defend themselves against unfriendly Indians.

Detailed explanation-5: -He wrote this account for two specific purposes: To inform: Bradford sought to tell the new generation about the Pilgrims’ history. To persuade: Bradford sought to inspire the new generation to uphold Puritan values.