Project Gutenberg 2004-09-01 Public domain in the USA. 155 Holland, J. G. (Josiah Gilbert) 1819 1881 Holland, Josiah Gilbert Titcomb, Timothy Bitter-Sweet: A Poem Produced by D. Garcia, Tom Allen, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team "Bitter-Sweet: A Poem" by J. G. Holland is a poetic exploration written in the late 19th century, likely reflecting the philosophical and spiritual questions prevalent during that period. The work delves into themes of faith and doubt, offering a narrative interwoven with personal and familial relationships against the backdrop of seasonal transitions, particularly a Thanksgiving celebration in a Puritan family setting. The main character, Israel, serves as the patriarch whose reflections on suffering, joy, faith, and the acceptance of God's will frame the discourse among the family members. The opening of "Bitter-Sweet" sets a somber yet contemplative scene during a fierce winter storm, where a Thanksgiving gathering unfolds in an old farmhouse. The narrative introduces Israel and his children, including the spirited Ruth, who challenges traditional beliefs about faith and suffering. Dialogue among characters reveals a tension between the need for belief in a good, just God and the reality of life's hardships, illustrated through personal anecdotes and theological debates. As they navigate their thoughts on joy intertwined with pain, the reader is invited to reflect on the complexity of human emotions and the bittersweet nature of existence itself. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 85.1 (6th grade). Easy to read. en American poetry -- 19th century PS Text Category: Poetry Category: American Literature Category: Religion/Spirituality 220990 2025-08-03T07:47:31.209661 text/html 220811 2025-01-09T23:08:53.811360 text/html 141984 2025-08-03T07:47:37.822619 application/epub+zip 143721 2025-08-03T07:47:33.044645 application/epub+zip 143721 2025-08-03T07:47:31.900647 application/epub+zip 288296 2025-08-03T07:47:40.724629 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 258680 2025-08-03T07:47:36.973622 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 216888 2022-09-03T11:53:58.400348 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 168397 2025-08-03T07:47:30.825703 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 163487 2020-12-29T16:45:07 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17515 2025-08-03T07:47:40.846589 application/rdf+xml 13708 2025-08-03T07:47:32.385635 image/jpeg 3462 2025-08-03T07:47:32.141641 image/jpeg 64176 2020-12-29T16:45:07 application/octet-stream application/zip 139361 2025-08-03T07:47:31.226653 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia