What was the typical childhood of a Puritan like and what role did parental expectations/societal influences play in shaping Puritan childhood? How does the Puritan childhood experience differ from childhood in modern times? How do you evaluate the choices Puritan parents and Puritan society made in rearing Puritan children and how are these similar or different to modern times?
For this essay you will need to focus on what the typical childhood was like for a Puritan (by using examples from the textbooks) and then compare/contrast this childhood with our modern childhood(can be your own childhood or if you are raising a family can be from what your children experience). Finally, you will analyze the choices Puritan parents and society made in rearing Puritan children.
Make sure to directly address:
What the most important characteristics of childhood were; including what expectations and values shaped the childhood experience of a Puritan and what role parental/expectations/societal influences played. Make sure to address the reasons why Puritan children were raised this way and include discussion of all parenting techniques including the role religion, fear, Puritan law, home structure (including living conditions), and Puritan society played in how a Puritan child was parented and raised.
Do you agree or disagree with the way Puritan parents and the Puritan society reared the Puritan children? What choices did they make in regards to how the child was raised and would you have made the same choice if you were a Puritan; why or why not?
What are the main reasons for the differences in modern child-rearing practices and those of Puritan times? Does our society face the same decisions in rearing children as the Puritan society did; why or why not? You can use specific examples from your childhood or if you are a parent yourself, you can use your own parenting experiences to compare and contrast with the Puritan childhood.
Include specific references from the text (put any direct quotations in quotes). You should cite in MLA format.
You may use information from Hollitz Chpt. 2 and any additional information you may find in the Gorn text chpt. 2.
* You will need to use quotes/examples from the Hollitz and the Gorn text (if you use it). Include specific references from the textbooks (put any direct quotations in quotes) as your write your paper.
