Two Different Perspectives of Life Experiences with Indians

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Mary Rowlandson’s “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” and Benjamin Franklin’s “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” are two different perspectives based on unique experiences the narrators had with “savages.” Benjamin Franklin’s “Remarks Concerning the Savages…” is a comparison between the ways of the Indians and the ways of the Englishmen along with Franklin’s reason why the Indians should not be defined as savages. “A Narrative of the Captivity…” is a written test of faith about a brutally traumatic experience that a woman faced alone while being held captive by Indians. Mary Rowlandson views the Indians in a negative light due to the traumatizing and inhumane experiences she went through namely, their actions and the way in which they lived went against the religious code to which she is used; contrastingly, Benjamin Franklin sees the Indians as everything but savages-- he believes that they are perfect due to their educated ways and virtuous conduct. Benjamin Franklin holds a completely different point of view than that of Mary Rowlandson’s. In “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America,” Benjamin Franklin actually defends the Indians, and states that he does not believe that they should be looked upon as savages; they are the same as the English in their own unique way. Franklin stated “Savages we call them, because their manners differ from ours, which we think the perfection of civility; they think the same of theirs” (Franklin 476). As a deist, Franklin believes that human beings can become perfect through education and virtuous conduct. By observing their actions, Franklin decided that the Indians do have a “perfect” way of living and chooses to defend them by looking ... ... middle of paper ... ...itan Orthodoxy And The 'Survivor Syndrome' In Mary Rowlandson's Indian Captivity Narrative." Early American Literature 22.1 (1987): 82. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Feb. 2014. Franklin, Benjamin “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. A. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 476-80. Print Henwood, Dawn. "Mary Rowlandson And The Psalms: The Textuality Of Survival." Early American Literature 32.2 (1997): 169. Literary Reference Center. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. "Puritan." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. . Rowlandson, Mary “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. A. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 257-88. Print.

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