unredeemed
The Unredeemed Captive The Unredeemed Captive is a true story of the life of a Puritan minister's daughter who is captured by the Indians and decides to stay and immerse herself in the Kahnawake Indian culture. John Demos describes the different societies of the New Englanders and the Indians in a knowledgeable and believable way. Many sources are provided as evidence to his story, but many gaps are left to be filled in at the discretion of the author. Such lack of evidence does not provide the reader with a complete and solid history of the events, creating a novel based more on Demos' conclusions, rather than fact. The Unredeemed Captive begins with an invasion by the French and Indians into Deerfield, Massachusetts. Many colonists were captured, including Puritan minister John Williams and his family. On the march to Canada, Williams kept the captive's hopes alive through his sermons and prayers. With time, Williams, his other surviving family members, and many other captives were released, or "redeemed" from the Indians' captivity. His daughter, Eunice, remained with the Indians and began to adapt to the Indian culture. Upon returning home, John Williams was perceived as a hero, and h
e proceeded to write down his experiences for others to read of his adventures with the "savage" Indians. Williams and his son Stephen did not stop pleading with the Indians to send Eunice back home. To their dismay, Eunice had adopted Catholicism as her religion and married a Mohawk Indian. Eunice clearly acculturated into the Indian society, and it is easy to see why, because of their calm and unworried environment. She changed her language from English to that of the Kahwanake's, showing her complete assimilation into their culture. Many efforts were made by the New Englanders, especially the Jesuits, to change the Indian's "barbaric" way of life, but the Indians stood firm in their belief system, and many remains of the past would always exist inside of them. Many strengths in John Demos' The Unredeemed Captive emerged throughout the novel. As seen in the "preface," Demos gave evidence that he had thoroughly researched the story. He went to such places as the Kahwanake's reserve; Deerfield, Massachusetts; Longmeadow, Massachusetts; and many institutions containing original documents. All of these sources of information gave variance to his story, which is apparent in the many viewpoints given. Demos used several alternate beginnings for his novel, contributing many different perspectives. This shows the vast number of influences to this
Some common words found in the essay are:
Canada Williams, England Indian, Kahwanake Indians, Unredeemed Captive, Indian Demos, Englanders Indians, Eunice Indians, English Kahwanake's, Longmeadow Massachusetts, John Williams, unredeemed captive, john williams, deerfield massachusetts, difficult follow, fills own, indian culture, john demos, canada williams, demos evidence, true history,
Approximate Word count = 908
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
