Leanna Duncan

Fiction: End of Term Essay

2815 E. 5th St. Apt. 1912

918-378-5148

University of Tulsa

I was informed of this opportunity by my creative writing professor.

Amanda Creedence

Roger Williams

Colonialism and Imperialism

4/18/2012

End of Term Essay

Thesis: Colonies! They need people in them! So some men wrote instructions on how to live in colonies, and talked about the importance of being nice and religion and science in them. Probably need some more detail here. Virginia, 1600s, etcetera.

Some stuff about the writers of the instructional stuff is probably significant here.

The one guy, who'd never been where he was writing about. I've never been to Virginia either, so don't feel bad, buddy.

John Smith, obvs.

The guy who wanted to be taken seriously, so he put that thing in the front of his book about how anyone who criticized him was a bad Englishman. Seems very insecure. A lot like me. Though it sounds more like something you would say.

Sorry, Professor, not you.

This is falling apart. Well, I'll go back and edit later. Moving on.

Then moving on to the colonists. Why did John Smith need new colonists? Well, the old ones sucked. So okay. So things change. People need to move on. No big deal.

They were greedy.

They were lazy.

They weren't very nice.

Of course, this is all according to John Smith and co., here, we really don't get anyone else's side, and that's not very fair, is it?

After all, when you said these things about me—not you, Dr. Williams, I was talking about him again, sorry, oh, I'm taking this out later anyway—they weren't true. Or maybe they were. I don't know. I still don't know.

Point being, everyone always believed you. Him.

So about these instructions. About the ideal colonists.

They would be motivated by spreading the Word of God, just like my mother.

She really liked you.

I haven't been back to our church. I haven't been back home either.

I'm still not sure what to do with the picture we used to have hanging in the prayer corner.

I can't look at it, but I don't want to throw it away either.

Maybe I fear divine smiting if I do.

I think I fear that anyway.

Maybe it fills up the empty space in my closet.

Maybe I'm not ready to give up everything of the old life.

The colonists would be interested in building a new life, maybe adventure, not just out for money. Even though everyone was totally out for money. It would be better if they weren't.

Even though money can be used for lots of things. Even though money is all I think about.

Money for

Food

Warm clothing

Shoes for Chloe

School lunches

Business casual

Bus fare

Field trips so she doesn't have to be the only kid in her class to stay at school and color with Mrs. Thompson instead of going to the zoo

A house, an apartment, a way out

Hold on, Chloe's crying.

So anyway there's that, and then, okay, the science. So- jeez, this is supposed to fill 20 pages? This awful excuse for an outline is barely over a page.

And I'm going to have to take most of this out anyway.

I should double space.

There we go.

So in these manuals they also emphasized science a lot, which you liked to do, biology and all that. You got me to have a kid by telling me that it was my biological destiny, these writers told their wives, or adventurers or future colonists or whoever, that the weather was nice. And there weren't that many diseases.

Future essay topic: relationship between childbirth (specifically, mine) and Manifest Destiny? Discuss.

I don't think I'm very good at outlines. It's been a long time since I was in school last but I never did well on outlines the last time either.

I think there's more about science, but I need more sources. I couldn't get to the library yesterday because I couldn't find a sitter, sorry, Dr. Williams. I'll get down there, I swear.

You used to watch her, sometimes. More as a favor than as a father.

That's pretty catchy. I wonder if I get extra points for wordplay.

I was so grateful for it at the time.

I guess he made sure I was.

"I babysat all afternoon, and you can't do this one thing for me?"

Can one babysit one's own child? Discuss.

"Marriage isn't 50-50, Amanda, it's 100 percent—100 percent."

So I'll leave this space blank too. I'm sure I'll find something to put in here.

Conclusion: The writers of these instruction manuals emphasized science, religion, and selflessness as key tools for colonization and implored their audience to follow the pattern of the ideal settler if they wanted to be successful, so as to increase the glory of the Crown.