Primary Source Review

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Primary Source Review
Q.5. Core Message in Prisoner of War
Mary Rowlandson’s ‘Prisoner of War’ is a firsthand historical account of her doleful ordeal during King Philip’s war (1675-1676). King Philip’s war was the violent conflict between Native Americans (Indians) and the English settlers. Massachusetts Indians were determined to reclaim their land from the land-hungry settlers, and this was probably the primary reason behind the war. The text covers key details of the event from the viewpoint of an eyewitness, Mary Rowlandson.
Therefore, the core message of the author is that King Philip’s war was one of the deadliest encounters that English settlers had with Massachusetts Indians. Many settlers were killed, their property destroyed, houses burnt, and a handful of their women and children were captured and sold as slaves in West Indies. Drawing from her personal experience, Mary Rowlandson aims to inform the reader that King Philip’s War made her lose everything, starting from her children, friends, relatives, houses to everything except her life. She was an English settler, and like a few of settlers who surrendered, Indians held her captive for a long time. She notes while quoting Job 1:15 that “I am the only one who survived to tell the news” (Rowlandson 49 par: 2). This statement alone decodes the purpose of the text; to inform the world about the King Philip’s War.
However, as one reads through the text, another primary message pops out.

That is the reason why Rowlandson survived. According to Rowlandson, she survived because of her trust that God would protect and deliver her from the hands of the enemy. She, therefore, aims to encourage readers of the text to embrace God and trust in Him in all situations. She states “thus, the Lord has answered my poor desire…” (Rowlandson 53 par: 3).
Q.6 Comparison
The Prisoner of War by Rowlandson was the primary document of the week. In this section, therefore, the paper will draw a comparison between Mary Rowlandson’s ‘Prisoner of War’ and Mary Jemison’s ‘Captivity in a Different Light.’ These two primary sources share a lot in common but are also different in some aspects.
Differences
The main document (Prisoner of War) is older than ‘Captivity in a Different Light.’ While the first one was published in 1682 at the heave of English colonization, the second one was published later in 1824, long after the end of colonization. This time difference also brings out their dissimilarity regarding language use. Rowlandson’s document uses traditional English language fraught with many grammatical errors compared to Jemison’s document, which uses exceedingly polished English language. The persona of each document is also different regardless of the fact that both of sources are narrated in the first person and are reliable.
Similarities
The first similarity is that both documents are firsthand (primary) sources of information. They both permeate the theme of war and aftermath of war. The ‘Prisoner of War’ centers on the aftermath of the King Philip’s War. The document by Jemison, on the other hand, centers on the War between French and Indians (Jemison 55). Jemison notes “…they made me understand that they would not have killed the family if Whites were not after them…” (Jemison 57 par: 3). Second, both documents look at the colonial captivity and experiences of particular individuals. As the main document covers the capture, torture, and subsequent release of Mary Rowlandson and her colleagues, the second document details captivity, agony, and the eventual release of Mary Jemison and her colleagues. Jemison states, “an Indian went behind us with a whip, with which he frequently lashed children to make them keep up” (Jemison 55). Another similarity is that both documents present the Indians as victors, with Whites suffering in their hands. Further, in both documents, there is the element of long distance walk coupled with deaths and anguish of non-Indians.

Works Cited
Jemison, Mary. “Captivity in a Different Light.” America Firsthand. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 54-63. Print.
Rowlandson, Mary. “Prison of War.” America Firsthand. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 47-53. Print.