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The story of Mary Rowlandson
Captivity and restoration of Mary Rowlandson connections with other texts
The story of Mary Rowlandson
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Literature comparison A Narrative of the captivity and restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. The story was a description of the experiences of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson when she was a captive of the Native Americans in 1676 in the war of King Philips. This is a diary where she accounted for experiences she went through from the time she was captured until the time she was released. The time period of her capture went for a period of about 11 weeks. The recounting of the diary was twenty removes. In more specificity, she accounted for her experiences in relation to the Bible and God. In the diary, she described her capture as God’s will, and therefore she has to go through it with faith. She believed that by enduring, she was capable of remaining …show more content…
a true Christian that would easily fit in the Puritan society (Rowlandson 482). In this Christian perspective, she passes judgment on the Native Americans, something that leads to the creation of a bias against the culture of the Native Americans. The intention of writing the story is so that the people around her could read it. The aim of the story seemed to be the promotion of the Puritan belief in God being an active agent that saves and punishes Christian believers (Rowlandson 483). Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford is considered to be one of the most valuable literature pieces in the history of America.
The piece is an insight of the arrival as well as the settlement of the Puritan in 1620 at the Plymouth Plantation. The flow of the story was facilitated by the first-hand knowledge that he had, which gave him the reasons why he was to migrate to the new world. In this book that was wrote between 1620 and 1647, he gives an account of the experiences (Bradford 397). The work is also valuable because it also disappeared because of fire when Increase Mather borrowed it in 1676. After this survival, it was taken to the Fulham Palace’s library by a soldier. In 1876, it was published. The work is also invaluable since William Bradford had been a governor for 30 years in Plymouth Plantation. Therefore, many people view it as very authentic. The work is started by the provision of a rich background of the Pilgrim Church that was in England. This covers a period between 1550 and 1607 (Bradford 397). In the piece, he gives and explanation of the way the Separatists emigrated from England. The Separatists refused to comply with corruption that infiltrated the Church of England during that time. Due to the rebellion, severe punishment was imposed on the Separatists. During those days, these individuals that were objecting the happenings of the church were referred to as Puritans. Even though the Puritans were supported by Queen Elizabeth, the persecution …show more content…
of the Puritans became even worse. Therefore, instead of just talking about himself, William focused on the experiences of others. Rowlandson themes The two authors had many similarities from their writing styles to the themes in their writings. The most important characteristics were that they wrote their works based on the Puritan religious regions and the original colonies of North Eastern US. Their writings were also based on hard work, the belief in order, a God-centered society, education, as well as community. At the same time, the work focused on the belief by the authors that the Puritans had the belief that man is naturally evil as well as God is the one that gives wealth. Their work also displayed the dependence that existed between the ideas of English and England (Rowlandson 485). The first theme in Mary Rowlandson’s story is that of providential history where she has a clear understanding that God was working through the war of King Phillip as a way of manifesting the Deuteronomic code. According to this code, there was a paradigm of cursing and blessing as well as that of punishment and reward. In this manner, she believed that the obedience of people to God was rewarded and vice versa. In her captivity experience, this seems to be both a punishment from God for being proud (Rowlandson 487). At the same time, she views it as divine protection using adverse circumstances as a result of her repentant obedience. The other theme that came out in the pieces is that of Biblical typology. The only way that Rowlandson tries to understand what was happening to her is looking at it from a biblical perspective. He looks at biblical motifs like the brothers of Joseph selling him to Egypt as well as the Israelites leaving Egypt through the guidance of Moses. When expressing remorse, rage, and grief, she used the Psalter’s liturgical government (Rowlandson 489). Bradford’s themes Based on the work of William Bradford, some themes came up that were very similar to those of Rowlandson.
In his work, he also depicted the importance of having faith. He showed how the Puritans trusted in God so much despite their prosecution because they knew God would save them. The most important theme that came out is that of the benefits of unity in a community. The Puritans, including Bradford, firmly believed that God is a provider (Bradford 397). They also had a strong belief that God guided everything. Bradford expressed the will of God in his writings when one bad shipman, in a storm, was knocked overboard in the Mayflower voyage (Bradford 400). The main point of the writings of Bradford was the faith of the Pilgrims. In his work, he goes ahead to mention about seven individuals that good things for the infirm and the ill. All this they did cheerfully and willingly without feeling bad for doing it. This was a true display of the true love they had for their brethren and friends. He describes this as the real community unity that comes out all through the novel. He showed that even in hard times they were together and this was facilitated by their faith, which enhanced their survival (Bradford
400). The work also shows perseverance and how it helped the Puritans to survive. Despite all the suffering they had to go through because of the persecution, they never gave up on their faith and thus persevered through all that. The rewards for good work have also emerged in the book. The Pilgrims experienced many problems including skirmishes with Pequot, the first winter that was very harsh, diseases, as well as many struggles of having to build in a novel world that was very far from Europe. Still, they were able to survive and started flourishing. All this was because of their perseverance during the difficult times. Another reason for the perseverance was the fact that they knew that they did not have a place in Holland or England anymore. This means that they did not have any other places they could go to and just had to survive through the challenges as they kept their faith stronger (Bradford 402). Due to the perseverance that the Pilgrims had, many rewards were written by Bradford. The first one us establishing a peace agreement with the Nauset tribes. The Nauset tribes would then provide the necessary help as well as vital commodities to the Pilgrimage settlers. The other reward that came with this is that it led to the Massachusetts Bay Colony being established. At the same time, the founding of Harvard University was as result of this reward. The formation of the England Confederation was also done as a result of this reward of the perseverance of the Pilgrims. Most importantly, the settlers were eventually given the freedom to practice their religion. All the benefits came by because of the Pilgrims’ perseverance, hard work, as well as their strong faith in God (Bradford 401). Looking at the above discussion of the work of Bradford and Rowlandson, there are very many similarities. The first one is that both of them were Puritans and witnessed the faith of people save them from their problems. Both of them also had a strong faith in God and were disgusted by the evil of men. Even though the pieces looked like an expression of their experiences, it revealed so much concerning the generation. Therefore, their work helped in enlightening the public today and even shape history. Still, despite all the striking similarities in the themes of their work, they still exhibit some differences. The first one is that while one had Rowlandson had to experience the issues in captivity, under the rule of someone else, Bradford was the governor that time and thus had control over some things. At the same time, while she believed that what she was going through was her fault, and God was using it to rescue her, he did not think the suffering of the pilgrims was in any way their fault. Something else that came out conspicuously is that Bradford talked more about the experiences of the other people that he witnessed and shared in. however, Rowlandson majorly talked about her issues and personal experience. In the above work, two pieces of literature have been seen. They are those that have been written by William Bradford and Mary Rowlandson. Both authors were Puritans and believed in God deeply. Still, they wrote at a time when Puritans were being persecuted for their faith in God. The work entails a small summary of each piece, the themes that have emerged from those works, and the manner in which they are similar. Later, there was also a discussion of the various differences that have been seen in both their works. The two works are truly interesting and have revealed the path of Christianity and what some believers have to go through because of their faith. The main lesson from the two stories is that one should never give up on his/her beliefs because they may liberate them. It has also shown that perseverance, togetherness, and hard work really helped those who believed in the goodness of God to be saved and lifted up.
These Puritans were strongly opposed to the church of England. They felt that the church had become corrupt and defiled because of the idolatrous worship. They began to meet in secret until one day they were discovered. Among these was Wilford Bradford, a young man who joined the Pilgrims religious group. In later chapters we see an older Bradford becomes Governor of the Plymouth colony who is also student of the Hebrew language;for he believed that he would achieve a stronger connection with God. Very early in his life, Bradford read the Bible and sought to please God and he believed that the best way to do this would be to separate from the church of
On February 10, 1675, Mary Rowland was captured in Lancaster, Massachusetts. While being held captive, she narrated her experiences and tried to affirm her Puritan beliefs throughout her survival of being in captivity. She’d rather go with the “ravenous Beasts” than die because she wanted to “declare” of what was happening to her throughout her journey (70). Mary Rowlandson believed God was omniscient, forgiving, and omnipotent and it shaped her perception of the world in an affirmative way throughout all the chaos and suffering.
William Bradford and Mary Rowlandson are very well known for their Puritan faith. They both have different journeys involving their faith and beliefs. However, Mary Rowlandson and William Bradford have the same religion and beliefs there are differences to compare and contrast. The Puritans religious ideas and their beliefs were influenced by the enlargement of the New England colonies, economically, politically, and socially.
The seventeenth century was marked with a wide revolution for exploration, to a new world filled with land and opportunity. In William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation, we are given a window into the exclusive lives of the pilgrims and their experiences along their journey to and through Massachusetts. We are able to read the account that “epitomizes the spirit of determination and self-sacrifice that seems to us characteristic of our first ‘Pilgrims.’” Bradford’s narrative plainly, yet elegantly describes the success, failures, triumph and unity in the early beginnings of the new founded puritan community.
...e. She spent all day walking and carrying articles while the Indians rode horse back. Rowlandson was forced to weave for the Indians and give her clothing up for the comfort of the Indians. My head also was so light, that I usually reeled as I went, but I hope all those wearisome steps that I have taken are but a forwarding of me to the Heavenly rest (Rowlandson p. 43). Near the end of her eleven weeks of captivity Rowlandson wanted nothing more but to give up and let the Lord take her away. The Indians stood laughing to see me staggering along; but in my distress the Lord gave me experience of the truth and goodness of that promise (Rowlandson p. 51). Finally, after eleven long weeks of death, pain and suffering, the Indians gave heart. They leaded her near Boston where she would find some English men that helped reunites her husband to his long lost wife.
In “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,” Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan mother from Lancaster, Massachusetts, recounts the invasion of her town by Indians in 1676 during “King Philip’s War,” when the Indians attempted to regain their tribal lands. She describes the period of time where she is held under captivity by the Indians, and the dire circumstances under which she lives. During these terrible weeks, Mary Rowlandson deals with the death of her youngest child, the absence of her Christian family and friends, the terrible conditions that she must survive, and her struggle to maintain her faith in God. She also learns how to cope with the Indians amongst whom she lives, which causes her attitude towards them to undergo several changes. At first, she is utterly appalled by their lifestyle and actions, but as time passes she grows dependent upon them, and by the end of her captivity, she almost admires their ability to survive the harshest times with a very minimal amount of possessions and resources. Despite her growing awe of the Indian lifestyle, her attitude towards them always maintains a view that they are the “enemy.”
Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano both had many obstacles in a certain period of life. From the different narratives, trials and tribulations were brought upon both. Taken from the life of which accustomed to and put in sometimes very harsh conditions had an antagonistic effect. Despite it all, Rowlandson and Equiano were able to get through by keep faith in God, the word of the bible, and spiritualism in itself. After all of the trials and tribulations Rowlandson and Equiano were able to escape and look back on all the things they went through. Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano can be compared and contrasted by family life, conditions while captured, and moment of rescue.
William Bradford was a well educated man and was a son of a preacher and was governor of Plymouth. William Bradford came to the New England in 1620. He felt that the Puritans were God chosen people. They believed God gave them signs and things happened to people that went against Gods will.
While residing in England, the Puritans and faithful Catholics faced prosecution, which led to their immigration to the New World. Most left England to avoid further harassment. Many groups and parishes applied for charters to America and, led by faithful ministers, the Pilgrims and Puritans made the long voyage to North America. Their religion became a unique element in the New England colonies by 1700. Before landing, the groups settled on agreements, signing laws and compacts to ensure a community effort towards survival when they came to shore, settling in New England. Their strong sense of community and faith in God led them to develop a hardworking society by year 1700, which Documents A and D express through the explanation of how the Pilgrims and Puritans plan to develop...
Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford and A Description of New England by John Smith are essentially irrelevant to one another in the way that each piece has a very different point of view. The author John Smith was a pilgrim who arrived in the Americas and wrote a description of the new land. William Bradford was also a pilgrim who arrived at Plymouth and wrote more about the realities of his personal journey. The purpose of this essay is to contrast the purposes of the writers, their intended audiences, and how each writer gives out a specific feeling.
In Mary Rowlandson, “A Captivity Narrative”, Rowlandson recounts her experiences as a captive of the Wampanoag tribe. The tribe took captives from Lancaster in 1676 because of the ongoing violent altercations between the English colonists and Native Americans during King Philip’s War. Since many of the Native Americans brethren had fallen in battle, they saw it fit to take English folk captive and use them to take the place of their fallen brethren, trading/ransom pieces, or killing them in revenge. This was becoming a common practice for the Native Americans to attack villages and in result, some English started fleeing the area or started to retaliate. Rowlandson was a Puritan wife and mother, in her
Religion was the foundation of the early Colonial American Puritan writings. Many of the early settlements were comprised of men and women who fled Europe in the face of persecution to come to a new land and worship according to their own will. Their beliefs were stalwartly rooted in the fact that God should be involved with all facets of their lives and constantly worshiped. These Puritans writings focused on their religious foundations related to their exodus from Europe and religions role in their life on the new continent. Their literature helped to proselytize the message of God and focused on hard work and strict adherence to religious principles, thus avoiding eternal damnation. These main themes are evident in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, Cotton Mathers, and John Winthrop. This paper will explore the writings of these three men and how their religious views shaped their literary works, styles, and their historical and political views.
The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson is a personal account, written by Mary Rowlandson in 1682, of what life in captivity was like. Her narrative of her captivity by Indians became popular in both American and English literature. Mary Rowlandson basically lost everything by an Indian attack on her town Lancaster, Massachusetts in 1675; where she is then held prisoner and spends eleven weeks with the Wampanoag Indians as they travel to safety. What made this piece so popular in both England and America was not only because of the great narrative skill used be Mary Rowlandson, but also the intriguing personality shown by the complicated character who has a struggle in recognizing her identity. The reoccurring idea of food and the word remove, used as metaphors throughout the narrative, could be observed to lead to Mary Rowlandson’s repression of anger, depression, and realization of change throughout her journey and more so at the end of it.
Mary Rowlandson was a pretentious, bold and pious character. Her narrative did not make me feel sorry for her at all, which is strange since she really did go through a lot. During the war, the Narragansett Indians attacked Lancaster Massachusetts, and burned and pillaged the whole village. During the siege Mary and her six year old child were shot, she watched her sister and most of her village either burn or get shot. She was kept as a captive, along with her three children and taken with the Narragansett’s on their long retreat. The exposition of the story is set immediately. The reader is perfectly aware of Missus Rowlandson’s status and religious beliefs. She constantly refers to the Narragansetts in an incredibly condescending way, to the point that you know that she does not even consider them human. She paints them as purely evil pe...
In her account, A Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Rowlandson