New England: A Question of Perspective John Smith's A Description of New England and William Bradford's OfPlymouth Plantation both present a picture of the same precolonial land of New England. Mr. Smith's writings, by necessity, painted a rosy picture of the new earth, while Bradford's historical account shows that early New England was not heaven on Earth. Mr. Bradford and Mr. Smith are writing about one land, but they present two different accounts of life on that land. John Smith's writings are his ideal vision of what the new land could be like with the best of the people who would colonize it. John Smith's fine literary work can also be seen as a beautifully formulated and finely tuned work of propaganda. Mr. Smith wrote this selection to inspire people to leave their lives in England and move across the world to start a new life in a foreign country. John Smith described a land where little work was required and wealth could be easily acquired. A man with little fishing skills could catch a hundred, two hundred or three hundred fish a day. He talks about animals perfect for hunting that provide plenty of food to live on and rich furs that could be exchanged for money. Mr. Smith declares the land free, so that anyone can come to the New World and accumulate great wealth. John Smith envisioned a land where all men would live in peace and harmony, a vision that would not be realized in New England or any other country in the New World.....