ipl-logo

A Narrative Of The Captivity And Restoration Mary Rowlandson Essay

909 Words4 Pages

Throughout Mary Rowlandson’s “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration,” Rowlandson repeatedly makes mention to the idea of Puritan dominance over Native Americans. Rowlandson exemplifies this through the use of harsh diction, imagery, and biblical allusions. Rowlandson employs these methods in order to create a chasm between her people, the Puritans, and her captors, the Native Americans. Throughout the text, Rowlandson paints the Puritan community as “God’s chosen people,” justifying their forceful taking of Native land that lead to the onset of King Philip’s war. Ironically, many of Rowlandson’s techniques unintentionally portray her as more savage and immoral than her Native captors. Throughout her narrative, Rowlandson employs the use of harsh diction in order to paint the Natives as barbarous and uncivilized. For example, upon the death of her child, Weetamoo, Rowlandson’s captor’s wife, is described as “howling (Rowlandson 274).” The use of this particular word alludes to the howl of an animal, …show more content…

Rowlandson frequently alludes to the book of Job- drawing a parallel between herself and the perfect Christian martyr. By describing her captors in association with Hell, she casts them as, not only, enemies of the Puritans, but enemies of God as well. Rowlandson does suffer the wrath of her mistress; however, she is met with much kindness from other Natives. For example, she is even given a Bible by one of her “savage” captors (Rowlandson 263). She is offered food by many other Natives (Rowlandson 269). Rowlandson is never beaten nor tortured. The actions are hardly what one would expect from “savages.” Conversely, Rowlandson mentions her taking of food from a child because they could not chew it (277). This episode shows another side of Rowlandson, one that is not at all compatible with the Biblical sentiments she so often alludes

Show More
Related
204 Words | 1 Pages

Both Mary and Equiano suffered greatly upon their being taken. They both endured mental, physical, and emotional distress at being torn from their families and friends. Equiano was only a child when he was taken from his village, away from everything and everyone he had ever known, so the natural fear of parental separation would be terrifying in itself. Many years later, as he was being shipped overseas, he witnessed the cruel and inhumane treatment of innocent people. In describing the living conditions of the slave ship, Equiano states, “The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable” (Equiano 1279).

Read More
195 Words | 1 Pages

he Natives were being treated unfairly by the Puritans caused the King Philip’s War of 1675. King Philip's believed that the colonists took his land without his permission. In document A, “King Philip’s Perspective” King Philip stated, “the English made them drunk and then cheated them ; that now, they had no hope left to keep any land.” Both authors in both documents wrote that King Philip lost land from the colonists. In document B, “Colonists‘ Perspective” Edward Randolph said, “God is punishing them for their behavior."

Read More
262 Words | 2 Pages

In The Great Indian debate, there were two debaters, Mary Rowlandson and Benjamin Franklin. These two people had polar opposite views on the native population in puritan american. Mary Rowlandson was captured and held by native americans for close to eleven weeks during King Phillip’s war. Mary R. published a book titled The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, six years after she was released. In her writings she describes how she was captured and her children 's life as well as her own during her captivity.

Read More
1239 Words | 5 Pages

The old lady told her, “ ‘Little Bird, in the world to come, you will not be asked “Why were you not George?’ or ‘Why were you not Perkin’ but ‘Why were you not Catherine?’ ” (Cushman 17). Catherine didn’t fully understand what it meant at first, but the old woman’s words helped her later when it really mattered. When Shaggy Beard’s messengers came, Catherine ran to her Aunt Ethelfritha’s house in fear and desperation.

Read More
541 Words | 3 Pages

Both Rowlandson and Equiano were captured for the financial gain of the captors: the Native Americans held Rowlandson for ransom to be able to obtain much-need food and supplies (“Mary Rowlandson” 38) while Equiano was sold as a slave for financial gain by his captors and owners. Both captives were separated from their families; interestingly, both had a female relative (a daughter for Mary Rowlandson and a sister for Olaudah Equiano) who was also a captive and with whom they were reunited at least for a time. Both were sold to a series of owners: Mary Rowlandson to various “husbands” and Olaudah Equiano through a chain of owners taking him from his home to the West Indies. Both captives suffered from shortages of food: Rowlandson’s situation seem to be the result of the hardships suffered by her captors, but Equiano’s seem to be the result of cruelty as when his captors on the ship threw food overboard rather than share it with the slaves. Rowlandson’s situation and her attitude toward her captors improve as she becomes better acquainted with the women in the Native American tribe and as she realizes that the Indians do not have food to share.

Read More
1575 Words | 7 Pages

After the attacks, she is then held prisoner and spends eleven weeks with the Wampanoag Indians as they travel to safety. What is different about these accounts is that Rowlandson truly opens up to the reader about the hardships that she faced. Rowlandson shows a captivating personality as she struggles to recognize her identity. The repetition of the ideas of food, along with the use of the word

Read More
436 Words | 2 Pages

Bradford’s uncomplicated diction emphasizes the puritan plain style of writing in the 1700s with concise sentence and simple vocabulary, “Two of these seven were Mr. William Brewster, their reverend Elder, and Myles Standish, the captain and military commander, unto whom myself and many others were much beholden in our low and sick condition”. (Bradford )Smith’s contrasting diction expresses a sophisticated account with brash vocabulary, “Then finding the Captain, as is said, that used the savage that was his guide as his shield, all the rest would not come near him.” (Smith) The native were

Read More
747 Words | 3 Pages

Mary Rowlandson observed the Native American’s hunting and eating habits while she was held in captivity with them. She recalled the variety of animals and animal parts they would eat with a mocking tone. “They would eat…Dogs, Skunks, Rattle-snakes; yea, the very Bark of Trees…and provisions they plundered from the English” (Mary Rowlandson, source 2-4, p. 81). This view of the Native Americans that Mary Rowlandson presented ensured the previous thoughts toward Native Americans. The Indians are presented as mindless consuming beats, killing and eating everything, even the supplies stolen from the English.

Read More
1438 Words | 6 Pages

She believed that if she kept the faith and believed in God she could survive her period of captivity. Rowlandson was a wife of a minister who was taken captive when the Indians raided Lancaster in 1675. She was a strong believer of a Bible that she had found during her captivity. Rowlandson was taken away from everything she knew and was placed into an unfamiliar town with just her youngest daughter out of all

Read More
977 Words | 4 Pages

Sawyer Guest Engl 442 Mini-Essay #2 Hope Leslie & Mary Rowlandson: Captives vs. Captors A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson is a narrative written by Mary Rowlandson, herself. Rowlandson was held captive by Native Americans, and during her narrative tells readers of the many different encounters and experiences that she had when she was taken from her home and held captive by some of the Native American people. Rowlandson had many interesting encounters with the natives, ranging from relatively friendly encounters, to somewhat “cold” encounters. Throughout her narrative she views the Natives in a rather negative light, not really giving them a chance because they are different than she is, and they are not Puritans.

Read More
1438 Words | 6 Pages

She believed that if she kept the faith and believed in God she could survive her period of captivity. Rowlandson was a wife of a minister who was

Read More
1557 Words | 7 Pages

Although, these eating habits went against Rowlandson’s religious beliefs, she realized that she was willing to eat nearly anything to make it out of captivity alive. Rowlandson’s attitude towards her captors’ food changes drastically over the course of her captivity because she wants to survive. In the beginning of Rowlandson’s captivity, she went long periods of time without eating any food because she was disgusted by it

Read More
547 Words | 3 Pages

During the colonial period many settlers came to the New World to escape persecution for their Puritan beliefs. Writers such as William Bradford, John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, and Mary Rowlandson all shared their experiences and religious devotion throughout their literature that ultimately inspired and influenced settlers to follow. This essay will discuss the similarities in Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson’s work as they both describe their experiences as signs from God. Anne Bradstreet came to the New World as a devoted Puritan as she repeatedly talked about it in her poetry. In her poems she discusses many tragedies that happened in her life such as; the burning of her house and the death of her two grandchildren all of which she thinks were signs from God.

Read More
1050 Words | 5 Pages

The arrival of the first Europeans in the Americas is dramatically captured through the many writers who attempted to communicate what they saw, experienced and felt. What is more, the very purposes of their treacherous travel and colonization are clearly seen in their writings; whether it is poetry, history or sermons. Of the many literary pieces available today, William Bradford and John Winthrop’s writings, even though vary because the first is a historical account and the second is a sermon, stand out as presenting a clear trust in God, the rules that would govern them and the reason they have arrived in the Americas. First of all, William Bradford provides an in-depth look into the first moment when the Puritans arrived in the Americas. In fact, he chronicles the hardships they face on their way to Plymouth, yet he includes God’s provision every step of the way.

Read More
1544 Words | 7 Pages

She witnessed her community become destroyed by Indians, people whom she refers to as "barbarous creatures,"(238) "murderous wretches" (236) "heathen,"(236) "ravenous beasts," (238) and "hell-hounds." (237) Rowlandson never questions her faith in God throughout the rough times she is going through, uncertain of her survival. When she and her daughter are wounded and separated from her family, instead of questioning why God would do such a horrible thing to her, she interprets her experiences as signs from God. As a reference, she mentions that "[she has] thought since of the wonderful goodness of God to [her] in preserving [her] in the use of [her] reasons and senses, in that

Read More

More about A Narrative Of The Captivity And Restoration Mary Rowlandson Essay

Open Document