Erasure Poem:
Original:
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I really like the changes Ahmad did to the Mayflower Compact. Through bolding and removing information Ahmad was able to highlight not only the essence of why the compact was drafted but how it is still relevant today. The Mayflower Compact was originally drafted in 1620 and it was created by William Bradford whose name is the only one in black marker. The original document was one of the first pieces of self-government in America and Ahmad shows in his erasure poem why it was created. In the edited version he removes the word mayflower from the title and other words in the document text as though people are agreeing to unjust rule and unfair practices by the king of England. It also states that people are giving in to “submission” and will be obedient. I believe that the message of the poem shows the overall reason why people originally had settled in America, which was to escape the tyranny of the king of England. I believe the erasure poem shows the type of rule the pilgrims had to live under before they came to America. “The Compact” represents the lack of freedoms the king’s subjects had and how they were forced to comply with unfair rules . Additionally, I conclude this type of decree is what forced the pilgrims to create the Mayflower Compact and escape the conditions under “The Compact”. Furthermore, the poem is tied back to today by the three letters that are not bolded in the names that have signed the document. When put together, the letters spell you and it shows how today we too give up many of our freedoms to the governing body. “The Compact” we sign today is allowing no privacy for ourselves and letting the government be able to see many actions that we do on and offline. “The Compact” highlights how although a lot has changed since the 1600s, the same type of rule which persecuted the pilgrims, in a way, we too face.