(2014 midterm assignment) Sample Student Midterm Answers 2014 #3: Web Highlights

LITR 4231 Early American Literature

Sarah Robin Roelse

March 02, 2014

Female Hardships Intertwined with Femininity

            Throughout the semester, I have found the role of women in writing as well as the captivity narratives to be thoroughly interesting – and I’m not just saying that because I tend to bend more towards the macabre side of life; but because I genuinely hadn’t ever really thought about them as works of non-fictitious literature, only as stories.  Looking at the roles of women in the captivity narratives as well as their places in society is really something extraordinary to consider when reading a captivity narrative.  I feel like when reading these types of stories without any background, most people (such as myself) don’t take the story too seriously, but instead think that this is just some literary work of fiction meant to entertain the reader, when in fact it is often true life for the women mentioned in (or alive to write) the stories.

            I agree with Chrystal Smith’s essay “The Effects of Women in Captivity Situations,” where she mentions a piece from Jone Johnson Lewis describing how the women who were taken as captives were thrown into a world of culture shock (Smith).  These women were plucked from the only lives that they had ever known and thrust into a world which often times included harsh living standards, bad treatment, little to no presence of hygiene, and often times being treated like a piece of meat for men – not to mention the heartache that comes from losing loved ones around you.  Smith really has taken the time while reading to place herself in the shoes of a captured woman, probably Jone Johnson Lewis, and understands that life isn’t going to be a bed of roses any time soon. I think that by taking the time to realize this and to make that sort of mental and emotional connection with the texts really shows her sympathy towards the author’s story. 

            In Elizabeth Eagle’s essay “The Captivity Narrative:  The Stories of Mary Jemison and Mary Rowlandson,” which condenses the captivity narratives of Mary Jemison and Mary Rowlandson, we also see the connection of how life for women changes drastically when torn from white society and submerged head first into, what is often referred to as, a barbaric or savage way of life (Eagle).  Rowlandson, the more negative of the two aforementioned captives, referred to her captors as repulsive in their lifestyles and daily habits. Since she was an educated woman from a seemingly higher social standard, Rowlandson really set the precipice for modern day and classical writers’ thoughts on Native Americans.  This is a story that is much more compelling to read, but is also probably more accurate than that of the ‘ghost’ written tale of Mary Jemison.

            Again, referring to Elizabeth Eagle’s writing on women’s roles in society in her essay “The Female Voice” (both in and out of captivity), we have to realize the hardships that were placed on women during the 17^th and 18^th centuries (Eagle, LITR 4231 Early American Literature 2012 Student Midterm Samples). Many women had no expectations for a higher education, and in most instances were taught what they had learned in secrecy for fear of punishment.  It was very rare for a woman to be proficient in reading and writing, but it seems like the ladies who were also had a higher purpose for their lives – they didn’t just become housewives or swooning fools – they generally made history. When we look at women like Anne Bradstreet, Mary Rowlandson, and Sor Juana Inez de Cruz, we see a whole spectrum of writing - there is romanticism, realism in captivity narratives, and the beginnings of feminist poetry – all done by the likes of extraordinary women who overcame their social surroundings in order to express themselves through the written word.

            I have never considered myself to be a feminist in any definition of the word, but by reading these works from such differing women, I feel a sense of empowerment from my own femininity.  I see the hardships that women have had to go through to get to where we are today – and even though we still have such a long struggle to go, I can see the progress that we have made is immense.  After reading these women’s writings, as well as others, I can say that I am proud to be a female writer – even if my writing doesn’t go down in history as being something superb and memorable; I am just happy to say that I have the ability and strength that these women did in order to keep pushing on through the criticism and harsh realities of our world.