Mary Rowlandson And Olaudah Equiano Essay - 1140 Words

Narratives about captivity have often intrigued readers in Western culture. Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano’s stories helped pave the way for stereotypes within both European and white culture; teaching Europeans to see Native Americans as cruel and allowing whites to see the evil in the American slave market. In both â€Å"A Narrative of the Captivity† and â€Å"The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,† Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano share their individual stories of being kidnapped and enslaved. Though the two narrators share similarities in their personal accounts of being held captive, either individual’s reaction sheds light on the true purpose of both Rowlandson and Equiano’s writing. Rowlandson was a 39-year-old†¦show more content†¦Equiano wrote to help show society the evils that lie in slavery. He used writing, to tell the truth of conditions of life for slaves, making readers feel every word he used through their senses: â€Å"The stench of the hold, while we were on the coast, was so intolerably loathsome, that it was dangerous to remain there for anytime† (Equiano 364). While they both wrote with different purposes in mind, Rowlandson and Equiano managed to paint a picture so vivid that it invoked emotions that edified society. A major deviation between Rowlandson and Equiano’s experiences was the conditions of their captivity. The distance traveled set them apart substantially. Rowlandson’s travels remained near the town she was abducted from; the Native Americans that held her captive were trying to escape from the soldiers who were after them. Equiano’s travels included Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, and even Europe. Rowlandson’s distance traveled in comparison to Equiano was inferior, to say the least. This speaks measures to how long-term their situations were. Rowlandson was a pawn, a bargaining tool in order for the Native Americans to be able to obtain food. Equiano wasShow MoreRelatedOlaudah Equiano And Mary Rowlandson Essay1264 Words   |  6 PagesEnduring through hard conditions, facing unbearable horror, and events that deteriorated their lives forever, both Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano share similar experiences they encountered in their lifetime, as we ll as differences, allowing us to compare the two and the hardships they faced. As Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano had variation between both of their experiences, such as gender roles and different ages and past life, they both experienced relatively the same horror nobody shouldRead More Compare Contrast Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano Essay1667 Words   |  7 Pagesmake up a piece of literature. For example: choice of diction, modes of discourse, and figurative language. Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano were great examples of authors that used these elements of literature. There are similarities and differences in A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson and From Africa to America. Though Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano shared similarities in experiences, they had different writing personalities, purposes, attitudes, tones,Read MoreMary Rowlandson Essay1960 Words   |  8 Pagesthe Native Americans, Mary Rowlandson, is a perfect exampl e of how she felt threatened by them during this time, â€Å"I had often before this said that if the Indians should come, I should choose rather to be killed by them than taken alive, but when it came to the trial my mind changed; their glittering weapons so daunted my spirit, that I chose rather to go along with those (as I may say) ravenous beasts than that moment to end my days.† (Rowlandson, 129-130) Here, Rowlandson is frightened by the NativeRead MoreBrief Survey of American Literature3339 Words   |  14 PagesPreparatory Meditations (1682-1725, pub. 1939, 1960) - Mary Rowlandson (1636-1711), A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson (1682) American Literature 1700-1820 From Colonies to Nation Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), whose passionate sermons helped revive religious fervor during the â€Å"Great Awakening†Ã¯ ¼Ë†Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¨ §â€°Ã©â€ â€™Ã¨ ¿ Ã¥Å  ¨, 1730s-1740s) Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) Olaudah Equiano (1745?-1797) Philip Freneau (1752-1832) PhillisRead MoreThe History of American Literature3501 Words   |  15 Pagessermons and other religious writings dominated literature in America in the 1600s. John Cotton, Thomas Hooker, Roger Williams, and John Winthrop were among the most prominent religious writers. A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson (1682). This work is a firsthand account by a colonist who was taken captive by Indians during King Philips War. It presents a dramatic tale of suffering and of Rowlandsons efforts to make sense of that suffering. Her story became the model