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Mary Rowlandson's Captivity Narrative,

an American Jeremiad

Characteristic Puritan?

At the bottom of p. 236 and top of 237, Rowlandson describes her reaction to the death of her mistress' child.

Given what you know about the Puritans and Rowlandson's experiences up to this point, does her reaction surprise you? Why or why not?

Happy Ending?

How is Mary Rowlandson finally returned to her husband?

How do you think her fellow colonists reacted to this story? Do you think most modern Americans would have the same reaction? Explain.

Fit Allusions?

Throughout her text, Rowlandson includes many allusions to biblical characters as well as many Bible verses.

What effect do you think these references had on the readers of the time? What effect do they have on you?

Be prepared to explain the effect of at least one specific instance of such an allusion or verse.

No Pain, No Gain?

On p. 223, Rowlandson writes her interpretation of her situation at that time.

Why does she think she deserves to suffer?

No Thanks

Formal Questions

How does Rowlandson react to receiving a Bible? (p. 225).

Throughout her text, in what ways does having her Bible affect her?

Find other scenes in which she speaks about it, and be ready to explain them.

Same Difference?

Preface Matter

Tails Between their Legs...

Many readers have compared Rowlandson's texts to later slave narratives.

Based on your prior knowledge and specific examples from this text, do you think such a comparison is valid?

Deserved?

What is the purpose of the preface, pages 215-219 (probably written by the well-known Puritan minister Increase Mather)?

What do you think was its effect on the audience at the time it was written?

How does this preface fit into what you know about propaganda?

On page 220, how does Rowlandson interpret the fact that the colonists' dogs don't help to defend them against the attack?

How does her interpretation compare to Puritan beliefs?

Use specifics from your notes and the text for support.

The first pages (219-221) of Rowlandson's narrative detail the Indians' attack on Lancaster.

What tone does Rowlandson use in describing this attack? Would someone in the U.S. today employ a similar tone, given the circumstances?

In your opinion, was such an attack justified?

Use specific information from your notes and the text to support your answer.

King Philip's War

Mary Rowlandson

  • 1660-70s, Puritan immigration to the Massachusetts Bay Colony increased from 20,000 to 35,000+
  • Increasingly, Puritan settlers demanded more power and land.
  • Wamsutta, chief of Wampanoag tribe suddenly died after a peaceful visit to Plymouth.
  • Wamsutta's brother, Metacomet, became chief.
  • Metacomet (AKA King Philip) led a coalition of several tribes against the colonists.
  • Bloody war ensued, killing around 40% of the Indians and 5% of the colonists.
  • Indian warriors also captured and held many English colonists for ransom, one of whom was Mary Rowlandson.
  • Puritan minister's wife
  • captured in Feb. 1676
  • ransomed three months later
  • Author of the most popular book published in North America in the 1600s.

American Jeremiad

Jeremiad

  • a sermon or narrative
  • named after the biblical lamentations of Jeremiah, who called the people of Israel to turn away from idol worship and back to God
  • purpose: help the audience recognize the error of their ways and promote change

American Jeremiad

The invocation involved three steps:

  • provide a biblical or spiritual standard of individual activity and public life
  • outline the manners in which a people has fallen from that standard
  • envision an ideal public life -- with its concurrent individual benefits -- that follows a return to the religious standard.

For next time...

The Salem Witch Trials

As you read, look for...

  • Facts v. superstition/extreme religious beliefs
  • Notions of guilt, innocence, court testimony, evidence, etc. that later influenced the writers of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
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