Reflection Blog: Bradstreet and Rowlandson

 In the writings of the authors Bradstreet and Rowlandson, it greatly reflects the qualities of Puritan writing. Puritan writing is the writing of the Europeans that came over to the new world to start a new life. A few of the basic characteristics of the Puritan people are very religious and single and closed minded. They thought their way of life was the way it should be everywhere.

The first way that Upon the Burning of our House, by Anne Bradstreet, and A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, by Mary Rowlandson, show the way of Puritan writing in their pieces is through their very straight forward writing. Much like Ernest Hemingway, the two female authors do not use figures of speech, or other techniques similar. They do not beat around the bush with their point. This writing makes it easier to get a sense of how the author really felt during the experience written about in the piece.  In Mary Rowlandson, she describes in great detail the nine days she sat on her tired, bloody knees holding her dying child, and the physical and mental pain that came with it (Rowlandson 83). She makes you feel as though you know exactly the feelings she was going through and in turn how it affected the rest of the time being held captive. She does not sugar coat it or anything like that, she tells it exactly how it is, which is characteristic of Puritan writing.

The major way that these pieces reflect the characteristics of Puritan writing is its impact from religion. The Puritans were very religious people, and believed that God had a specific plan for each and every individual person. This is shown in Upon the Burning of Our House, because Bradstreet feels that the burning of her home was God’s way of telling her that the material things are not as important as the things that nature has to offer that will always be there (Bradstreet 91). Along with this theme of religion, the Puritans also believed that through their writing, they could show how God impacts their inner and outer self. In Mary Rowlandson, Mary believes that she was meant to be captured, so she could see that although the Native Americans are perceived as bad and dangerous people, and did capture her, they were truly kind and generous people. When her youngest child dies, she comes back to see him after having to leave him, and sees that they have buried the body, which makes her realize that these people are not bad as she thought they were (Rowlandson 84).God was trying to show her that we are all human, and the way we perceive people is not always right, as Mary and the Puritans did with the Native Americans (Rowlandson 84).

Overall, the Puritan beliefs and writing style is greatly shown through these works. Although they are greatly influenced by religion, everyone can learn lessons through Rowlandson and Bradstreet’s stories.

Rowlandson, Mary. “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson.” Life in the New World. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill, 2009. 82-85.

Bradstreet, Anne. “Upon the Burning of Our Home.” American Literature. Columbus, OH:  McGraw-Hill, 2009. 91. Digital.

Journal #2

           There once was an old lion in the jungle. The lion was at one point a great ruler of the jungle and all of the animals loved and respected him. In his old age, the lion fell very ill and it did not seem as though he was going to get better. When he fell ill, his younger nephew took over to let the lion rest. The other animals in the kingdom gradually stopped taking care of the lion, and left him alone. When the lion could no longer care for himself, he asked for help. The animals that were once so loyal to their ruler, told him he should go leave the jungle so he did not bother the other animals. There he would eventually die. Giving up hope in his fellow animals, the lion decided to leave the jungle. As the lion was leaving the jungle, he had to pass through the outskirt. The outskirt of the jungle was notorious for being very sparse and much poorer than the center where the lion lived. When he arrived at the outskirt, the parrot saw him approaching and went to spread the word to the other animals. As word got around, the old lion was greeted with love and a warm welcome. When they asked what the lion was doing in the outskirt, he explained to them that he had gotten ill and the animals stopped caring for him, so he decided to leave the jungle. When the animals heard this they immediately said they would take care of him, and made him a comfy bed and got him food and water. The lion stayed there until he miraculously got better. When word of the old lion’s wellness got back to the center of the jungle, they told him he could come back. The lion replied that he was not and would not leave the outskirts even if they wanted him to.Even though they had a bad reputation, the outskirt animals were the ones who were truly caring and kind, unlike the others. The old lion stayed there and helped build up the outskirts until his death many years later. 

Journal #1

How the dog got his wet nose. The dog had arrived in a town after a long day of traveling, and was very thirsty and dirty from all his running. He decided to walk around town, and  search for some water. As he walked into town, he saw the cat sitting on the stairs of the library cleaning her paws and approached her.

The dog said, “Could I ask a favor?”

“No, I’m busy,” replied the cat and continued to lick her paws.

The dog sighed and continued down the road. Next he saw the raccoon, digging through garbage in the ally.

The dog said, “Could I ask a favor.”

The raccoon looked up annoyed and stared at the dog. “Why would I do something for you? Do you have something for me? Then I would do something for you, if it was worth it.”

 “I do not have anything,” replied the dog, “but I could repay you somehow.”

“The only way you are getting anything from me is if I get something from you. So I guess you will have to find someone else to bug, but not the horse,” the raccoon snapped returning to the garbage.

The dog was exhausted and getting more and thirstier from his long journey, but continued on until he spotted a bird, perched in her nest with three young baby birds.

“Good morning ma’am,” said the dog hopefully. “Could I ask you for a favor?”

“Why hello there,” Said the bird, “I cannot possibly leave my babies right now. You will have to ask someone else, but not the horse.”

Disappointed the dog did not know who else to ask. Everyone said to not ask the horse, because he had a reputation for being very mean, but the dog was desperate.

He approached the horse and said, “Sorry to bother you, but can I ask a favor?”

“Well of course you can,” replied the horse surprised.

“Wow,” Said the dog.”Thank you! Everyone said to not ask you. All I need is some water.

‘Of course you can! Everyone assumes because I look intimidating that I am mean, but I am really not. The water is over there; help yourself to all you want.”

The dog drank all of the water he could, and when he was done his nose was very wet, and he and the horse laughed and talked all night, and eventually became close friends.

The Moon is Down: Question 8

            The Moon is Down very accurately reflects history. The novel is set in a small town, which can be assumed is in Norway. The unnamed town is invaded by a large country, Germany. The novel takes place in the late 1930’s and the early 1940's. We know at that time Germany was in the war fighting against England, Russia, and the rest of the Allied countries. They mention England and Russia in the novel (Steinbeck).

            In the novel, Steinbeck writes about some interesting relationships. The main one that stuck out to me is the respect of the town to Mayor Orden. The way Steinbeck describes it, the people all think very highly of their mayor, and want to be protected by him as much as they want him to stay protected and safe from the invaders. This loyalty seems that it is typical of a town and their mayor in the time period in which the novel takes place (Steinbeck). Another relationship he describes is the relationship between the townspeople. They all seem to respect and have great trust in each other. I think this is true because of the way they act when they find out George Corell, the town storekeeper, was spying on them and leaking the information to the invaders, so they could invade the town with much ease. This hurt them so much because they befriended them, and thought that he was one of them and never expected something like that to happen (Steinbeck). The final relationship described is the relationship of the invaders and townspeople. This relationship would be typical of any situation such as this where one place is being invaded by another. The townspeople hate the invaders, and just wish they would leave so they could have their freedom back. This relationship is typical, because no one wants to be controlled by someone else, and told what to do. It is human nature, and remains true in the novel (Steinbeck).

Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down, a Novel,. New York: Viking, 1942. Print

*Kindle page numbers

The Moon is Down: Question 7

            In The Moon is Down, Steinbeck uses several techniques to keep the reader engaged. The first technique used by Steinbeck is suspense. Suspense is always a good way to keep a reader engaged, because it keeps them guessing. When someone is left guessing, they want to keep reading more and more. This was true for me in this novel because I read it very quickly and really enjoyed it. In the novel, he uses suspense on several occasions, especially when Molly Morden kills Lieutenant Tonder. “Molly went to the center lamp, and her burden was heavy on her. She looked down at the lamp. She looked at the table, and she saw the big scissors lying besides her knitting. She picked them up wonderingly by the blades. The blades slipped through her fingers until she held the long shears and she was holding them like a knife, and her eyes were horrified. She looked down into the lamp and the light flooded up in her face. Slowly she raised the shears and placed them inside her dress" (Steinbeck 1532). This quote, although long, shows an example of how much Steinbeck builds up suspense in the novel. We are now wondering and guessing what she is going to do. Is she going to kill him, or is she going to use them as protection in case he tries to attack her or rape her.

            Another thing that Steinbeck uses to engage the audience is mystery. We can assume, or read the introduction, that the novel is a World War II novel. Although it is labeled fiction, it could very well have happened, or something very similar to this plot. The way Steinbeck uses mystery is not typical. He uses it in that we are never directly told what the name of the town is, and that the invaders are the Nazis from Germany and the Leader is Hitler (Steinbeck). This kind of mystery lets the reader imagine their own picture of what the plot is.

Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down, a Novel,. New York: Viking, 1942. Print

*Kindle page numbers

The Moon is Down: Question 6

          Why do we still read this book?  What is so timeless about its message and characters?  What can we learn from reading this novel? We still read The Moon is Down, because although it is an old novel, we can still learn from the messages within. The characters in the novel are part of what makes the novel so timeless. Although the invaders are not people to look at for inspiration and respect, but they are humans. That is what makes it so good; everyone is human, no matter how good or bad. The Nazis are obviously terrible people. We have been taught this in school for many years. What makes this novel different is that Steinbeck gives them these characteristics that make them seem like real people, rather than monsters. The townspeople represent strength and persistence. They never stop trying to resist the invaders. This persistence makes them admirable, because it teaches the reader that if you want something done, never stops trying (Steinbeck).  

            In the novel, we can learn several things. We can learn persistence, as I mentioned earlier, and we can also learn about unity. Unity makes everything better. If we can work together in peace, we can accomplish anything. If an entire town can work together to save up dynamite and put away their differences for the time being, then it makes things so much easier to get things done (Steinbeck). Another thing we can learn in the novel is about the nature of war. In war not only the people being invaded suffer. In the novel, the invaders gradually get more and more tired of being hated. Human nature makes us want to be accepted and liked, and if every single person you deal with during the day has so much hatred, and even killed your friend, you are bound to get a little fed up and stir crazy (Steinbeck).

Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down, a Novel,. New York: Viking, 1942. Print

*Kindle page numbers

The Moon is Down: Question 5

            The Moon is Down reflects history very accurately. The novel takes place during World War II. Although it never directly say it, the introduction and putting it together shows that the invaders are Germany and the town is a little town in Norway. The soldiers, including the Colonel, Major, Captains, and Lieutenants, we can assume are the Nazis. They also discuss that there is a leader. They say the Leader has a very specific plan, and may or may not be a kind of crazy. Based on this, we can assume this crazy leader is Hitler. This is a World War II novel, so it is set sometime in the early to mid 1940’s. Since the novel was published in 1942, it must have taken place before then. The novel also discusses that the country is at war with England and Russia. This is another fact that proves the World War II was taking the place (Steinbeck). The book gives the reader a look into a different side of the war we do not typically hear about. The small town, which remains unnamed, is invaded for their mine and forced to work. This is very accurate, because this happened frequently during the war (Steinbeck). The novel also shows betrayal that took place during the war. In the novel, George Corell lived in the town, got to know the people, and gained their trust. When the time came, he turned on them (Steinbeck 418). This reflects history, because it was a tactic used in the war to invade smaller towns such as the one in the novel.

            The novel has symbolic and thematic significance. The novel symbolizes that everyone is human. Even the people, who can seem so evil, such as Hitler and the Nazis, are human and have human qualities and characteristics. Steinbeck describes the Nazis as dog lovers, poets, and family men (Steinbeck). This just makes them seem more human and less like monsters.

Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down, a Novel,. New York: Viking, 1942. Print

*Kindle page numbers