Essay on "Mary Rowlandson's "A Narrative of the Captivity"

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Mary Rowlandson's "A Narrative of the Captivity," the author narrates a horrific series of events -- her capture by Native Americans, with whom the Puritans were at war, and the subsequent death of one of her children. Rowlandson bears up and weathers her sorrow by reminding herself that God is still with her, and that the life she is living on earth can only be taken by God: "I have thought since of the wonderful goodness of God to me, in preserving in me in the use of my reason and senses, in that distressed time, that I did not use wicked and violent means to end my own miserable life" (Rowlandson 41). Rowlandson asks for a sign from God, when her other daughter will not come near her and at that instance her lost son is returned to her. God also restores a Bible to her from the Indian's plunder, which shows His hand in secular affairs. This is not seen as kindness by the Indian, but as evidence that God is with believers even at the darkest times.

"Of Plymouth Plantation" by William Bradford takes an even more deterministic view of the world than does Rowlandson. When a particularly profane young man is cast overboard, Bradford sees this as God's hand rather than an inevitable consequence of life at sea. When the ship arrives in the Americas, the crew falls to its knees and thanks God for safe passage, even though the land is filled with people whom Bradford calls savages. However, without these 'savages' the Puritans would not have survived. Following their settlement came what Bradford calls the 'starving time' in which the Puritans struggled to find and grow food in their new home. Many died cursing the fact that they ever came to the New World. Only with the assistance of the native populat

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ion, with whom the Puritans temporarily made peace, was the first Thanksgiving possible. The Indian's generosity seems extraordinary, given that the Puritans were effectively invading their land. Rather than compliment these savages, any goodness shown to the Puritans is seen as evidence of God's not native goodness: "Squanto continued with them and was their interpreter and was a special instrument sent of God" (Bradford 33).

Q2. Selection: "Speech to the Virginia Convention" by Patrick Henry

Phrase/Image: I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past....

Emotional Overtones: The image of the lamp suggests that Henry is functioning as a figure of enlightenment. He is bringing light to the darkness. The revolutionaries, who saw themselves as Enlightenment thinkers, are portrayed as seeing things clearly, unlike the loyalists. Yet Henry fundamentally shows himself to be a practical man. He is governed by empirical experience and observation.

Message: The British have reigned on previous promises and continue to abuse the rights of the colonists. Independence is the only solution.

Selection: "The Crisis, No. 1" by Thomas Paine.

Phrase/Image: a generous parent should have said, "If there must be trouble let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."

Emotional Overtones: Paine reproaches a loyalist with his child for wanting peace with England now, implying that conflict with an oppressive government like the British is inevitable. It is selfish to passively endure the yolk of the Crown, effectively condemning the child to slavery in the future, rather than giving the child peace in an Independent America

Message: Paine exhorts the reader to act now, rather than later, to free America.

Q3. Thomas Jefferson considered himself a man of the Enlightenment and a rationalist. "The Declaration of Independence" was strongly influenced by the philosophy of John Locke. Rather than using emotional language to abuse the British monarch, Jefferson draws upon the philosophical notion of inalienable rights, namely that all human beings… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Mary Rowlandson's "A Narrative of the Captivity" Assignment:

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I need a (4)four-page essay on the American Literature course.

There are four separate topics that need to be answered.

Please answer one question per page.

I*****ll include all the literature materials (short stories, poems, etc.).

1) Read the *****Of Plymouth Plantation***** by William Bradford and *****A Narrative of the Captivity***** by Mary Rowlandson.

Although they write about very different events, both Mary Rowlandson and William Bradford focus on the values and qualities of Puritanism that help them to cope with hardship. Discuss their similarities regarding their attitudes toward God and their responses to hardship.

2) Persuasion influences opinion through a combination of logical reasoning and emotional manipulation. Read the *****Speech to the Virginia Convention***** by Patrick Henry and *****The Crisis, No. 1***** by Thomas Paine.

Select a phrase or image from each selection and describe both the emotional overtones and the message of these statements.

Here is an example:

Selection: Speech to the Virginia Convention

Phrase/Image: bind and rivet upon us those chains...

Emotional Overtones: The statement implies that the English are making prisoners or slaves of the Americans. It seems to say that the Americans still have a chance to escape from the chains because they haven*****'t been riveted yet.

Message: Henry would like the Americans to seize the moment and begin the fight for freedom now.

3) The Age of Reason began in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with philosophers and scientists who called themselves Rationalists. Rationalism is the belief that human reason should determine all opinions and courses of action. In your opinion, would Patrick Henry or Thomas Jefferson be considered a rationalist?

Choose one ***** and write one or two paragraph(s) explaining your answer. Support your ideas with at least two specific examples from the selections (*****Speech to the Virginia Convention***** by Patrick Henry or *****The Autobiography: The Declaration of Independence***** by Thomas Jefferson.

4) The *****s, Jonathan Edwards and Anne Bradstreet, are concerned with universal questions about existence and the nature of being. Both in their lives and in their writings, they seek answers to questions such as: What is my purpose in life? How can I influence the course of my life? What happens when I die?

Write a paragraph comparing and contrasting their views about one of these universal questions. Make at least two references to the selections to support your ideas.

Selections: *****Here Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666***** by Anne Bradstreet and *****Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God***** by Jonathan Edwards.

*****

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