Violence
In modern American entertainment, violence is revered as an almost holy and unrivaled tool in making people spend their money. For example Eminem and his wildly popular songs filled with guns, drugs and masochistic sex. He is one of the most successful rap artists of our time. What makes his songs so captivating? Why are millions of people so drawn into his lyrics? And what about the unending wave of war movies Hollywood continues to produce? Why do we spend two hours watching men blow each other up? Perhaps, the reason could be because the human mind is intrigued by violence. This is nothing particular to 21st century Americans; it has been proven to be a characteristic that crosses time and nationality. James Fennimore Cooper and Mary Rowlandson were no strangers to this concept. As a matter of fact, both authors learned to use the human infatuation with violence to their advantage. In their own right, both Cooper and Rowlandson attempted to achieve their individual goals in a written work by creating a lasting impression on their audience through the depictions of violent behaviors.During the mid 1600s, the time period in which Mary Rowlandson lived, the Church was begi
Although it is depicted as though the Indians are raving and heathenness savages, Cooper's view of the Indians contrasted with that of Rowlandson. Because Cooper was writing in a time where Indians were no longer a threat, he was not compelled to condemn them. Contrary to Rowlandson, Cooper illustrated the potential development of civilization of the Indians through the characters, Uncas and Chingachgook. Throughout the novel, these two Indians assisted the Europeans and rescued them from death. Cooper, in a sense, used violence to illustrate the goodness of the Indians. Also, the Indians were portrayed as "noble" savages in the novel. They were labeled as savages due to their violent culture, but the incident in Chapter 23 of the book when Uncas defeats one of the Hurons reveals their noble traits. Because Uncas won the competition, he was released and the father of the Huron Indian, due to the disgrace, stabbed the Huron in the heart. Thus, the audience can see that the Indians were people of their word. The violent act of the Huron's father gives the readers the impression that the Indians were also people with dignity. nning to lose control in the government. Society began to get caught up in earthly goods, showing no respect of the Indians. Thus, Indian relations with the Americans began to turn sour. Several years later, Metacom's War broke out and the Native Americans captured Mary Rowlandson. After her release, she produced a narrative that described her personal account of her captivity among the Indians during Metacom's War. While in captivity, Rowlandson began to realize that she too, has been drifting from God. An example of her unchristian-like and disturbing behavior occurred on her Eighteenth Remove when she "took [the horses feet] of the child, and ate it" (p.96). Rowlandson, in this case, used violence as a characteristic to display her sinful nature. Her capacity to perform such a heartless deed clearly showed her carelessness with God. Rowlandson depicted this scene to not only reveal the conditions of her suffering and hunger, but also to expose the drift from faith. For this reason, Go
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Approximate Word count = 1443
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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