Comparing Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson
Sabrina Smith
Faithful Women Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson were two influential women in early American literature. They were both women of “firsts”. Anne Bradstreet’s poems were the first published volume written by an American (110). I found it amazing that Bradstreet, a woman, was the first considering how women were looked upon in matters of literature and science. I admire her for being modest about her poetry and how she is very unassuming, but at the same time Bradstreet never gives writing poetry up. She continued to write about love, God, her suffering, and her children. In a time where women were treated as inferior and not as intelligent, Bradstreet is an inspiration. Mary Rowlandson was strong in her faith and held on to hope throughout her ordeals. Her Indian captivity narrative was the first of its kind and began a whole collection of captivity narratives. She was a good example that hardship can better a person. In the context of her own time period, she showed that keeping faith in God and relying upon His word and timing are all you need in life. She also proved that a person can come out on the other side of the “savages” still a devout Christian. In the context of modern ages, she models the classic lesson of walking in somebody else’s shoes or in this case, moccasins. She finds that the Indians are not as savage as her former and fellow Puritans made them out to be. Rowlandson learns that the line between the Puritans and the Native Americans was not as big as she believes in the beginning. The Indians showed respect and civility towards her and sometimes she descended into savagery. Rowlandson seemed to discover that civility and human decency is based on the person, not the race. Anne Bradstreet wrote many poems including “The Prologue”. This poem is about her poetry and how, although stated with a sarcastic tone, her work would never be as good as a man’s poetry. In “To My Dear Children”, Bradstreet writes a letter
Faithful Women Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson were two influential women in early American literature. They were both women of “firsts”. Anne Bradstreet’s poems were the first published volume written by an American (110). I found it amazing that Bradstreet, a woman, was the first considering how women were looked upon in matters of literature and science. I admire her for being modest about her poetry and how she is very unassuming, but at the same time Bradstreet never gives writing poetry up. She continued to write about love, God, her suffering, and her children. In a time where women were treated as inferior and not as intelligent, Bradstreet is an inspiration. Mary Rowlandson was strong in her faith and held on to hope throughout her ordeals. Her Indian captivity narrative was the first of its kind and began a whole collection of captivity narratives. She was a good example that hardship can better a person. In the context of her own time period, she showed that keeping faith in God and relying upon His word and timing are all you need in life. She also proved that a person can come out on the other side of the “savages” still a devout Christian. In the context of modern ages, she models the classic lesson of walking in somebody else’s shoes or in this case, moccasins. She finds that the Indians are not as savage as her former and fellow Puritans made them out to be. Rowlandson learns that the line between the Puritans and the Native Americans was not as big as she believes in the beginning. The Indians showed respect and civility towards her and sometimes she descended into savagery. Rowlandson seemed to discover that civility and human decency is based on the person, not the race. Anne Bradstreet wrote many poems including “The Prologue”. This poem is about her poetry and how, although stated with a sarcastic tone, her work would never be as good as a man’s poetry. In “To My Dear Children”, Bradstreet writes a letter
Cited: Bradstreet, Anne. "The Prologue." 1650. The Norton Anthology American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W Norton, 2013. 110-12. Print. Bradstreet, Anne. "To My Dear Children." 1867. The Norton Anthology American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W Norton, 2013. 123-26. Print. Rowlandson, Mary White, and Neal Salisbury. The Sovereignty and Goodness of God with Related Documents. Boston: Bedford, 1997. Print.