Summary Of The Infortunate

The Infortunate is an autobiography written by an indentured servant named, William Moraley. In his memoir, he talks about how he became an indentured servant, as well as some of the experiences and people he has encountered throughout his voyage and stay in the The New World. Through his words, readers will be able to capture what it is like being in the New World and to understand the hardships that immigrants and slaves have gone through during the eighteenth century. However, editors named Susan E. Klepp and Billy G. Smith were able to prove that Moraley has exaggerated several instances, which makes us question if The Infortunate is a valid primary source. This also makes us think about what could possibly be his intention in writing this

Before he became an indentured servant, he was initially trained to be a lawyer (Moraley xvii). Though, he ended up being in a financial crisis, which led him to work as an apprentice for his father who was a watchmaker (Moraely xviii). Moraley was willing to accept this offer because he wanted to improve his life, even though he was forced to leave his home country in England (Moraley 14). The preface is an important feature in his memoir because he first expresses his gratitude for all the experiences he’s had ever since he accepted this offer (Moraley 3). He says that he not only wants to reflect his unhappy life, but to, “persuade Mankind, that the only Way to avoid the like Difficulties, is to take care how they misapply their Talents, and endeavor to improve ‘em to a better Purpose that the most unfortunate of Mankind” (Moraley 4). The message that Moraley was trying to convey to readers was that although he wasn’t successful in America, he still wanted to make his life meaningful by writing out his experiences into a book, which has given him a greater sense of purpose in the

He says, “During my stay at Philadelphia, which was three Weeks, I had an Opportunity to survey one of the most delightful Cities upon Earth. As I was one Day amusing myself with Prospect from the Water, being in a Poetrick Strain, I hammered out the following Rhyme. The Reader must not expect from me a fine Performance, but such as it is, I freely give” (Moraley 28). This chapter is important as well because we get to see how his writing was influenced by contemporary literature since it involves some poetry (xxxiii). In addition, Moraley even shows his quirky sense of humor that can keep his readers intrigued and entertained, which is a quality that I think is pretty rare in memoirs during that time period. People generally have a bad impression of servants from a lower-class society. We tend to think of them as being uneducated, not talented, or not capable to achieve something greater in life. However, Moraley was able to show that he has other skills and talents as a writer who can also be very funny and articulate, and that he’s not just a poor