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Mary Rowlandson’s Captivity
Mary Rowlandson’s Captivity
Mary Rowlandson’s Captivity
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The discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus led to the inevitable captivity of the indigenous people as well as of people who were considered ‘different’. A new literary genre had grown from the brutal clash between the native Indian settlers and the British colonists during King Philip’s War. Some of these Native Indian Settlers or Colonialists were undeniably captured and kept prisoner by the British and out of this involvement came autobiographical literature of these experiences. This became a new literary genre called captivity narratives which developed a vast audience universally. Both Mary Rowlandson’s Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs Mary Rowlandson and Phillis Wheatley’s On Being Brought from Africa to …show more content…
America became two of the most renowned and influential works of the early American literary canon. This essay will explore how religion had influenced the works of both Rowlandson and Wheatley and how they use religion to develop their works. Following Rowlandson’s capture her work Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs Mary Rowlandson became known by critics and historians as America’s very first best seller. This was a momentous recognition for the captivity works as it was considered an extremely influential American work. The way she presents the relationship between the Indians and Puritan colonists allows Rowlandson to reinforce the traditions of the Puritan religion and their beliefs. Rowlandson was first taken captive by Indians who ransacked Lancaster, the town Mary lived in, in February 1675.
Rowlandson was able to rely on her Puritan religion as a way to survive being taken into captivity. Rowlandson was separated from her husband, a minister, and her children and as a result during her captivity she became exceptionally reliant on Bible she had acquired from an Indian keeping her captive. In similar ways both Rowlandson and Wheatley use religion as a source of hope. Rowlandson uses the Bible as a beacon of optimism “Lord, what shall we do?” (page 267) and her faith is soon restored in God as she is reunited with her children and her husband eleven weeks after her being taken captive. Her writing is very simplistic and uncomplicated like most Puritan writers. She does not reference any other book in her captivity narrative except the Bible which displays the extreme beliefs she had about her covenant with …show more content…
God. Rowlandson believed that God punished people if they did not live up the idyllic view of Puritan Christianity and for breaking the promise they had between each other.
The relationship was composed by God and only the chosen people could every reach this covenant bond that was shared. Rowlandson states “while under the enemy’s hand, and returning us to safety again” (page 267) suggesting that she acclaims the destruction of Lancaster not to the Indians who attacked her town but to God himself. She believed that the Indians capturing many of the Puritans was as a result of the Puritans not being able to withhold this bond with God; John Cotton has also suggested this earlier with “degenerate, to take loose courses, God will surely plucke you up” Rowlandson therefore concluded that “our perverse and evil carriages in the sight of the Lord have so offended Him that, instead of turning his hand against the Indians, the Lord feeds and nourishes them.” She believed God was the creator of the all too convenient attack and it was placed as a test to the Puritan community as she was one of twenty-four Puritans to be taken. God is made out to be almost manipulative in her narrative and the relationship that he controlled between the Indians and the Puritans; favouring the Indians because of the colonists falling into sinful
beings. Puritans in particular John Winthrop in “A Modell of Christian Charity” expressed beliefs that they were thought to be the chosen ones that God would save. They were believed to have a special bond with God that could not be expressed in any other religion. Winthrop believed that all Puritans were there to be the idealistic representation of how Christians should behave as a community. Winthrop further believed that if you did represent the ‘ideal’ then God would be there as your saviour and protector. John Cotton explained that Puritan’s should “Have special care that you have had the ordinances [of God] planted amongst you," because "As soon as God's ordinances cease, yor security ceaseth likewise.” Cotton believed that loss of this idealistic image for a Puritan would mean losing God as a saviour and protector of the divine Puritan’s.
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.
In “Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson”, the author writes about her time in captivity in 1682. This document is considered an autobiography, as it was a firsthand account of the author. She is trying to show the brutal tactics used by the Native Americans. They would utilize hostages as a bargaining chip to negotiate for more authority and power.
Although two different authors wrote these works of literature, A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson and From Africa to America, both stories possessed similar and different elements of writing. These tales were worthy of comparing because they had various things to review, contrast, and realize, such as the worship they had or didn’t have for God, their experiences, and their styles. Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano were remarkable writers whose works will always be a part of America’s history for the various styles and purposes they had to share with their readers.
In the times of colonies when land was untouched there was a distinct hatred between the native Indians and the new colonists. As one reads the essay: A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, written by Mary Rowlandson in 1682, one will understand this hatred. Although the Indians captured Mary Rowlandson, with the faith of God she was safely returned. The reader learns of her religious messages and how she turns to God for safety and strong will. One sees how her Puritan beliefs are of the strong New England Puritans way of life. The reader also understands through her words how she views the Indians and their way of life.
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.”
In Thomas King’s novel, The Inconvenient Indian, the story of North America’s history is discussed from his original viewpoint and perspective. In his first chapter, “Forgetting Columbus,” he voices his opinion about how he feel towards the way white people have told America’s history and portraying it as an adventurous tale of triumph, strength and freedom. King hunts down the evidence needed to reveal more facts on the controversial relationship between the whites and natives and how it has affected the culture of Americans. Mainly untangling the confusion between the idea of Native Americans being savages and whites constantly reigning in glory. He exposes the truth about how Native Americans were treated and how their actual stories were
...like the Puritans. Her plentiful use of scripture not only reinforces the Puritan belief in the mind of the reader, but also in Rowlandson’s own mind. If she can connect each feeling she had that was not correct in traditional Puritan thinking to a verse in the bible, she can be at peace with what she felt. She could believe that she wasn’t wrong in her feelings of gratitude and perhaps even respect for the Indian culture.
To further analyze a more spoiled African American of the time, Phillis Wheatley did address the issues of her race as much as Sojourner Truth did. Wheatley mainly wrote “to Whites, for Whites and generally in the Euro-American tradition at that time” (Jamison 408). Her content focused on Christianity, morality, virtue, and other non-African-American-related topics. Her poetry has an underlying attitude of a white, not an African American. She shares the same views and attitude as a Caucasian, therefore she is part of African American literature because she was born into it, but she did not share the particular views and struggles of the African American population. She was heavily praised, because it was not expected from an African such as herself, although her upbringing should be considered. Some white men admired her work, because it was more than
The article, “Native Reactions to the invasion of America”, is written by a well-known historian, James Axtell to inform the readers about the tragedy that took place in the Native American history. All through the article, Axtell summarizes the life of the Native Americans after Columbus acquainted America to the world. Axtell launches his essay by pointing out how Christopher Columbus’s image changed in the eyes of the public over the past century. In 1892, Columbus’s work and admirations overshadowed the tears and sorrows of the Native Americans. However, in 1992, Columbus’s undeserved limelight shifted to the Native Americans when the society rediscovered the history’s unheard voices and became much more evident about the horrific tragedy of the Natives Indians.
...ve Indians. From the copious use of examples in Winthrop's work, and the concise detail in Rowlandson's narrative, one can imbibe such Puritans values as the mercy of God, place in society, and community. Together, these three elements create a foundation for Puritan thought and lifestyle in the New World. Though A Model of Christian Charity is rather prescriptive in its discussion of these values, Rowlandson's captivity narrative can certainly be categorized as descriptive; this pious young woman serves as a living example of Winthrop's "laws," in that she lives the life of a true Puritan. Therefore, both 17th century works are extremely interrelated; in order to create Winthrop's model community, one must have faith and closely follow Puritan ideals, as Rowlandson has effectively done in her A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson.
The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles by John Smith, portrays the enormous troubles the settlers were faced with by the Native Americans. He explains how he was captured by Indians and also saved by a young Native American girl, Pocahontas. He vividly describes the ceremonies and rituals of the Natives performed before his execution. However, the execution never occurred due to the tremendous mercy showed by the king’s daughter who blanketed John Smith’s body her own. Pocahontas went on to persuade the Native Americans to help the settlers by giving them food and other necessities. Despite her efforts to reach peaceful grounds, her people were still bitter and planned an attacks on the colony. Nevertheless, Pocahontas saved them once again by warning the settlers of attacks. Pocahontas went on to marry an Englishman and traveled to England. She resembled the prosperity and good that was to be found in an untamed land.
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.
In the Puritan communities, religion was not just a belief, but a way of life. Puritans were god fearing. They spent a great deal of time reading the bible and going to church. Puritans believed they were the “chosen ones” and that God was responsible for all favorable activity. Mary Rowlandson demonstrates that she was a great Puritan, and that God had specifically chosen her. She praises God for any good fortune received or deed accepted by her from the Indians. During her fourteenth remove, it began to rain, and the Indians co...
The Sovereignty and Goodness of God is a primary source document written in the 17th century, by a well-respected, Puritan woman. This book, written in cahoots with Cotton and Increase Mather, puritan ministers, tells the story of her capture by Indians during King Phillip’s War (1675-1676). For three months, Mary Rowlandson, daughter of a rich landowner, mother of three children, wife of a minister, and a pillar of her community lived among “savage” Indians. This document is important for several reasons. First, it gives us insight into the attitudes, extremes, personalities and “norms” of the Puritan people we learn about in terms of their beliefs, and John Calvin’s “house on a hill”. Beyond that, despite the inevitable exaggerations, this book gives us insight into Indian communities, and how they were run and operated during this time.