'Mary Rowlandson’s “The Captive” Essay\r'

'In the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries of America, more settlers and colonists were taken absorbed by the Native Americans, commonly known as Indians. The Native Americans had adult maley campaigns and motives for capturing the settlers or colonists. Captives were often taken to be traded, ransomed, or â€Å" choose,” which Native Americans did to replace tribal members who had passed or who had been killed. Two truly famous internment narratives are those of crowd smith and bloody shame Rowland tidings, whose stories are really contrastive repayable to their captors, ggoaler, and religion. James metalworker was 18 years old when he was captured by the Indians just miles above Bedford. metalworker was captured by one-third Indians, one was a Canasatauga and the two separates were Delawares. With the exception of be flogged, Smith’s experiences with the Indians were non terrible. He was fundamentally treated as an Indian. This stems fr om the fact that he was adopted by the Natives. James Smith was given many an(prenominal) freedoms. Smith was very trusted by the Indians. They allowed him to run with them or on his own, they expected him to act as an Indian, and they also trusted him to take care of them when needed. Smith also had the option to leave when perpetually he pleased.\r\nHe did non deal to remain with the Indians for the four years, 1755-1759, that he did. These experiences are very different compared to those of bloody shame Rowlandson. bloody shame Rowlandson’s hometown of Lancaster, Massachusetts was destroyed by the Indians in King Philip’s War and she was taken imprisoned during the destruction. bloody shame Rowlandson was captured in 1676 and remained a enwrapped for troika months before the requested ransom was paid. Rowlandson had very different experiences from James Smith with the Indians. At her capture, she witnessed the Indians killing or harming many in her family. Ro wlandson, herself, suffered a gunshot wound. James Smith was also harmed when first captured by the Indians; how incessantly, he had been aided by French doctors. bloody shame Rowlandson dealt with her gunshot wound on her own. She also had to carry her uneasy peasant for six days before the child passed away. Rowlandson was not able to read freely in front of the Indians, she was not given a circus share of the food, and was often forced to find other Indian tribes to spend the night with, or to incur food from.\r\nRowlandson was sometimes allowed to go and meet with family members who were with adjacent tribes. Compared to James Smith’s experiences, bloody shame Rowlandson had it elusive when she was a captive of the Indians. Gender had a major effect on how the captives were treated. Native Americans often captured women because they were easier to capture, could necessitate in more ransom, and the Indians also believed that the women would be easier to control. Mar y Rowlandson had to key clothes for others in order to all trade with them or to get money that she could thusly use to obtain food with. James Smith, on the other hand, was able to go out and delineate for the food he needed. The food that he and his cuss Indians gathered was evenly divided amongst the tribe. Rowlandson, however, was treated meliorate by some tribes than the one she was being held captive in. Some Indians from other tribes would offer her food or opportunities to get money or goods that she needed.\r\nThis was likely due to the fact that women had more powers and were more respected in some Indian tribes. Smith was expected to befriend and fend for himself while Rowlandson was often provided with food, though it was not a fair share and was often not of the same value that Smith’s was. Overall, Mary Rowlandson was treated disrespectfully, unfairly, and as though she was inferior. Rowlandson had to fight harder to live, as her food was often stolen and her religion, her with child(p)est hope and strength, was frowned upon during her captivity. Religiously, Mary Rowlandson was affected more than James Smith. Mary Rowlandson was very spectral. Rowlandson was married to a minister of Lancaster. Mary Rowlandson’s faith and religion were the only things that kept her qualifying during her captivity. The only thing she had to look forward to was recital her bible, though she had to do it secretly because once, her mistress caught her recitation it, grabbed it out of her hands, and threw it outside. Rowlandson recovered her bible, only if from then on she read it more secretly.\r\nMary Rowlandson believed that all of the trials that she standd and the blessings that she received were from God. Rowlandson wrote of leaving her captivity, â€Å"I have been in the midst of those roaring lions and savage bears that feared neither God nor man nor the devil, by night and day, alone and in company, sleeping all sorts together, and yet not one of them ever offered the least abuse of unchastity to me in word or action; though some are sprightly to enjoin I speak it for my own acknowledgement; but I speak it in the forepart of God, and to His glory. God’s power is as great now as it was to furnace. Especially that I should come along away in the midst of so many hundreds of enemies and not a dog move his tongue.” Mary Rowlandson often quoted bible versifys, one being Psalsms 27: â€Å"Wait on the Lord.” Rowlandson used this particular verse to persuade another captive against trying to carry and run away. and metaphorically related her experiences to stories of the bible.Mary Rowlandson depended upon her religion to survive her captivity.\r\nWithout, her faith, religion, and God, Mary Rowlandson would have had no hope, no reason to go on, or no encouragement to tack on through her captivity. James Smith was not exceedingly religious. Unlike Mary Rowlandson, James Smith did not de pend upon religion to survive his captivity with the Indians. The Indians that Smith was with did not mind him practicing his own religion and they did not force their religion upon him. James Smith was, towards the end of his captivity, traveling with an Indian by the name of Tecaughretanego and his son Nunganey. After Smith laughed at Tecaughretanego’s religious ceremonies, Tecaughretanego said to him, â€Å"Brother,â€I have somewhat to say to you, and I hope you will not be offended when I tell you of your faults.\r\nYou know that when you were training your books in town I would not allow the boys or any one disturb you; but now, when I was entreating, I saw you laughing. I do not think that you look upon praying as a foolish thing; I believe you pray yourself. But perhaps you may think my method or manner of praying foolish; if so, you ought in a friendly manner to instruct me, and not make sport of sacred things.” Smith erudite a lot about the Indiansâ₠¬â„¢ religion through his experiences with them and learned to respect their beliefs.\r\nThough the experiences of James Smith and Mary Rowlandson were very different, neither story will ever be forgotten. Perhaps that was their purpose for recording their exploits. The differences in their stories can be attributed to their sex, religion, and captors. Had Mary Rowlandson not been female, religious, or captured by the Indians she was, her story may have been very different. Also, for James Smith, had he not been male or taken by the Indians he was his story would have been completely altered. The qualities, beliefs, and characteristics of Mary Rowlandson and James Smith were essentially what saved their lives.\r\n'