The Familist's Hymn

Name: The Familist's Hymn
Author: John Greenleaf Whittier

This poem is a tribute to the family unit and its importance in society. It portrays the family as a sacred institution that provides love, support, and guidance to its members. The speaker emphasizes the value of family ties and the need for individuals to prioritize their relationships with their loved ones. The poem also touches on themes of loyalty, duty, and responsibility within the family context.

By John Greenleaf Whittier · First published 1827 · Genre: Religious Poetry, Historical Literature, Social Commentary · 886 words

First lines

The Puritans of New England, even in their wilderness home, were not exempted from the sectarian contentions which agitated the mother country after the downfall of Charles the First, and of the established Episcopacy. The Quakers, Baptists, and Catholics were banished, on pain of death, from the Massachusetts Colony. One Samuel Gorton, a bold and eloquent declaimer, after preaching for a time in Boston against the doctrines of the Puritans, and declaring that their churches were mere human devices, and their sacrament and baptism an abomination, was driven out of the jurisdiction of the colony, and compelled to seek a residence among the savages. He gathered round him a considerable number of converts, who, like the primitive Christians, shared all things in common. His opinions, however, were so troublesome to the leading clergy of the colony, that they instigated an attack upon his "Family" by an armed force, which seized upon the principal men in it, and brought them into Massachusetts, where they were sentenced to be kept at hard labor in several towns (one only in each town), during the pleasure of the General Court, they being forbidden, under severe penalties, to utter any of their religious sentiments, except to such ministers as might labor for their conversion. They were unquestionably sincere in their opinions, and, whatever may have been their errors, deserve to be ranked among those who have in all ages suffered for the freedom of conscience.

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The Familist's Hymn is listed on Textopian as a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, dated 1827 CE.

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Work type: Poem
Author: John Greenleaf Whittier
Date: 1827 CE
Language: English
Genres: Religious Poetry, Historical Literature, Social Commentary, Lyric Poetry, Narrative Poetry
Length: 886 words
Structure: 1 section, 12 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Similar titles

Genres

Religious Poetry — The work expresses deep spiritual themes and appeals to divine intervention, characteristic of religious poetry.
Historical Literature — It reflects on historical events and societal issues faced by early Puritan settlers, providing context to the religious struggles of the time.
Social Commentary — The text critiques social injustices and the treatment of dissenters, highlighting themes of oppression and the quest for freedom of conscience.
Lyric Poetry — The personal and emotional tone, along with the use of first-person address, aligns with the characteristics of lyric poetry.