Reflection Blog

Both "A Narrative of Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson" by Mary Rowlandson and "Upon the Burning of our House" by Anne Bradstreet reflect the qualities of Puritan writing very well. One of the first reasons why they reflect the qualities of Puritan writing so well is because they are two different types of writings. "A Narrative of Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson" takes the form of a book, while "Upon the Burning of our House" takes the form as a poem. Both styles of writing are effective and I think worked well for this subject. Another quality of Puritan writing that I noticed while reading these two pieces of literature was the Biblical scripture used through out the writings. This alone shows the Puritans' faith in God and their strong hold on their religion. One of the first Biblical references used talks about the story of Job and how when something terrible happens, there is only one surviving messenger to tell the news. This is how Mary Rowlandson feels about her story and experience. Another scenario where scripture is used is when Mary is struggling with loss, sickness, and unknown conditions of her children. Even in this uncertain time she knows God is always there. "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. Psal. lv.22" (Rowlandson, 85). "A Narrative of Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson" also closes with a Bible verse and "Upon the Burning of our House" makes a reference to the book of Job as well. (Bradstreet, 91) I enjoyed the fact that these writings involved Bible scriptures and found them easy to relate to since I am personally familiar with the verses. An overall positive tone is a quality of both writings as well. This was actually very surprising to me. When I first read that this was going to be about kidnappings, invasion, and destruction of property, I figured the general mood would be quite melancholy. This was not the case however. Both authors were able to explain their tragic experiences while still maintaining a feeling of hope and strength. I think this was accomplished by the attitudes of each writer. Even though they were in horrible situations, they never gave up hope. An example of this was when Mary was almost at the point of starving,  yet she thanked God for the little food that she did have. Mary also talked about not focusing on the many little problems she is dealing with at the time, and focusing on the future and the salvation of the Lord. Anne Bradstreet also demonstrated this. An example would be when her house was burning and she could no longer bare to look, so she prayed by herself about how the Lord gives and takes away and blessed His name. They put their trust in God. They know that life on earth is only temporary and that no matter what hardships they face, they can look forward to life in heaven. "The world no longer let me love, My hope and treasure lies above" (Bradstreet, 91). This was one of my favorite quotes of "Upon the Burning of our House". Overall I really enjoyed both pieces of writings and I think they definitely represented the qualities of Puritan writing well.


Wilhelm, Jeffrey D., Douglas Fisher, Kathleen A. Hinchman, David G. O'Brien, Taffy Raphael, and Cynthia Hynd. Shanahan. Glencoe Literature. New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.