Bradstreet's "The Prologue" and Rowlandson's narrative comparison

From the late 17th century to the mid-18th century, wars broke out between colonists and

Indians on the American continent. At the same time, the local Puritan community became

increasingly less religious, and under the double crisis, a large number of Puritan accounts of the

Indian captivity began to emerge. Among them, Mrs. Mary Rowlandson's narrative "The

Sovereignty and Goodness of God" is the most representative. She vividly describes the process

of her own captivity, and I can feel her despair and pain, as well as her piety to God in

desperation. Bradstreet's "The Prologue" strikes me as more of a love for poetry and art and a

feeling of injustice for the fact that the world does not recognize the talents of women. For

example, the poem "If what I do prove well, it won't advance, They'll say it stolen, or else it was

by chance," reflects the fact that women's work was often not valued at that time, they may even

be criticized and not get their due.

It is ironic that Westerners consider all the nine MUSES to be women, and women are

considered as the source of inspiration, while in Christian (Puritan culture at the time) culture,

women are not considered as good as men to be poets and writers. The poet Anne's apologetic

tone gives an insight into the pressures faced by women at that time, as well as the considerable

courage and strength required for a woman to become a writer or poet. Therefore, it is not easy

for Mary Rowlandson, as a female writer, to write such deeply rooted works with her piety to

God. Besides, they are both Puritans with piety and trust in God. Only one of them uses his talent

to fight against the injustice of women, while the other describes God's salvation for her when

she struggles in suffering. It seems that God is more like a kind of spiritual support for Mary.