Compare And Contrast William Bradford And John Smith

John Smith and William Bradford traveled to uncharted America with the intentions of creating a finer quality of life. In a time of new settlements, both men were forced with the tasks of similar challenges and hardships. Handling these situations however distinguished Bradford and Smith from one another. John and William’s attitudes, tones, and objectives both deviate from and correspond to each others’ accounts, allowing the reader to visibly see the differences and similarity. In the narrative, the viewpoints differ due to the intentions of the authors. William Bradford’s uncomplicated diction emphasizes the puritan plain style of writing in the 1700s with straightforward sentences and clear facts, for example, “After they had enjoyed fair winds and weather for a season, they were encountered many times with cross winds and met with many fierce storms…”. (Bradford 78) In contrast, John Smith’s exaggerated diction evokes the reader, “Then finding the Captain, as is said, that used the savage that was his guide as his shield, all the rest would not come near him”, with brash vocabulary and intense action scene. (Smith 75) Native were stated within both accounts. In Bradford’s narrative, the Natives are spoken in a congenial matter as referred to as plainly “indians”. The Natives in Smith’s account are …show more content…
John Smith wrote for an audience, who could be charmed into funding his future explorations. On the other hand, Bradford write to an audience that was curious about the voyage and the religious lifestyle which guided the pilgrim to success. Although Smith did go through hardships during his time in America, in his writings, he wrote objectively of only his success and of his heroic nature. Like wise William also went though difficult trials while settling, but in spite of this his account was true story of the suffering of a colony endeavor to