Linebaugh And Rediker: Text Analysis

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Methods Statement: Beginning with accounts of individuals and events, Linebaugh and Rediker expound upon those accounts to explain how the proletariat of society helped to establish capitalism and global market as we know it today, while also following the Hercules/Hydra myth comparisons in society within the Revolutionary Atlantic.

Organizational Style: The text was originally published in 2000 and republished again in 2013. The begins with a Preface to the Second Edition where the authors discuss the history of the text along with things that were added to the text with its second release. The preface is followed by an introduction that explains the Herculean myth in regards to the many-headed hydra and the original symbolism behind the myth- a recurring topic throughout the text, and introduces the goal of the text to explain the importance behind the proletariat of society and capitalism. This is followed by nine chapters: "The Wreck of the Sea-Venture," "Hewers of Wood an Drawers of Water," "A Blackymore Maide Name Francis," "The Divarication of the Putney Debates," "Hydrarchy: Sailors, Pirates, and the Maritime State," "The Outcasts of the Nations of Earth," "A Motley Crew in the American Revolution," "The Conspiracy of Edward and Catherine Despard," and" Robert Wedderburn and Atlantic Jubilee," where the authors discuss various events and individuals in order to explain the wider impact on society back then as well as today. These chapters are followed by a conclusion tying together the ideas of the text into the idea of "herculean process …show more content…

These accounts also make the book interesting and captivating, all while teaching the reader about the lower-classes of societies that are at best, vilified in other texts, and at worst, omitted all together. The use of such a variety of primary sources add legitimacy to their