Assertion Analysis #10: Cotton Mather
Within a Puritan community, it is contemplated to heed and obey the Bible, establish a holy life, and praise to God every second of everyday to fully attain salivation. Any other activity or lifestyle that don’t incorporate God is disrespectful and inappropriate and is deemed as sin or the service of the devil. In his statement, Chasity of Soul , Cotton Mather articulates not only this but also the strict engagement in Puritan theology. Mather surmised that not taking action in anything that obeys or follows the Bible, will deviate God by one’s side and exhilarate the devil. In the opening portion of Chasity of Soul , Mather states that poetry will cheat God, explicating how it is composed of necromancy and diabolism. He contrasts poetry with drinking from a “Circean cup” using diction. He maneuvers an unfavorable implication with poetry using terms such as “sickly” and “engross”. Mather clarifies and covets us to be aware that poetry is against God. In his second poem, it dis...