Jeremiad

The term jeremiad originally and commonly known from the biblical book of Lamentations. In the literature the term jeremiad called a general social decline Mourning work. As a result, the concept faded and became the general term for lament, lamentation speech and often pejorative connotation received a. Of special importance is the term jeremiad for the American culture; it is closely linked to the American exceptionalism ( chosenness faith ).

Origin

The prophecy of the Bible Jeremiah initially met with deaf ears and eventually fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was ascribed to the authorship of this poem of lamentation to the 19th century.

Literary use

Friedrich Schiller lamented the lack of subtlety of his German contemporaries in a poem entitled " jeremiad ":

American jeremiad

The New England Puritans had emigrated with the intention to build in America, a "city on the hill " to which above all England should be a shining example. This guiding principle called City upon a Hill coined the longtime governor of the first New England colony, John Winthrop. Already the second Puritanergeneration was accused in former sermons, however, the required role models no longer meet. As evidence, among other customs violations were cited. The sermons were threatening then propagated to the wrath of God on the failings of the New Englanders; Crop failures, and Indian wars were interpreted as harbingers of impending Judgment. This was the American " jeremiad " to reflect societal trends with the aim to identify unfavorable trends and to correct and continue to pursue the objective since the Puritans ideal of the " Holy Commonwealth ".

Literary use

Jeremiads are raised again and again in the face of crisis situations and can be found in every era of American history. Authors and texts of the 18th and 19th century umfssen among others Jonathan Edward, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Fenimore Cooper. The jeremiad is a self-image as religiously motivated economic and political experiment under constant threat.

Also in American literature, the term has been used since the knotted since the Puritans to America Parusieerwartung many writers increasingly appears as an illusion in the face of social reality. As jeremiads were among other works of Norman Mailer ( The Armies of the Night ), Thomas Pynchon (The Crying of Lot 49 ), Nathanael West ( The Day of the Locust ) and Hubert Selby ( Last Exit to Brooklyn ) interpreted, as well as older referred to works of American literature such as Herman Melville's the Confidence Man and William Faulkner's Southern novels.

Political role

According to the Canadian literary scholar Sacvan Bercovitch is in a typical American jeremiad biblical promise of a perfect society to the actual misconduct of Americans in opposition. The jeremiad thus has the function of a social corrective by links the salvation of the righteous conduct of the Americans. This pattern was Bercovitch in many political speeches especially conservative speakers (see Manifest Destiny ), his preface to the 2012 edition of his book appeared sees the jeremiad as a part of the discourse of the American left.

The role of America as a myth and healing concept is an important part of U.S. political rhetoric and is described inter alia in inaugural speeches. America is described as the world's salvation history and experiment with exemplary character as a vision and cited as selbstanklägerische and apocalyptic tones. It corresponds to a civil religious tradition of rhetorical millennialism. Even the Yes we can the current president Obama is set in this context. The disputes over sectarian remarks of his former pastor Jeremiah Wright, who so Obama's success in the election campaign in question were discussed as it were, twice the jeremiad, Obama's answer, " A More Perfect Union " is also in the tradition and was the turning point of the campaign.