I had to read this sentence a few times to figure out what he was saying. Once I did, though, it kind of put this introduction to the trails His goal here is to remind us that the Devil is here at work in the world and that his evil plans are leading toward his end game goals. This means that now is the time to persecute witches and devil worshippers. Anything that these children of God can do to stop or hinder the devil in his plans to defy the Lord are good actions. That way when you get into the bizarre accounts that follow the introduction you are primed to think that devil is working through these people, as opposed to thinking that these people were making their stories up on the spot.

I think this is a good example of a jeremiad. I'm still a little confused about what it is exactly, but when I looked up the definition, it said it was a list of complaints. In the lesson it was written that "At the heart of the jeremiad was a cosmic conflict between good and evil, God and the Devil." And this sentence is a little different because not only is the wrath of the devil plaguing their home, but the wrath of the great God himself. I think it's interesting because he's still lamenting, but he's lamenting wrath from both sides of the binary targeting New England at the same time.

I'm finding myself responding in a similar manner to Austin. Reading stuff like people being haunted by puppies or the idea that: I know she's a witch because she was at the witch meeting I was at, is ridiculous evidence to use to kill somebody. I had to stop and remind myself that many women died as a result of trials like this while reading through several of the "witness statements." In my abstract ideas about what the salem witch trials might have been like previous to this text, I never would have been able to fathom that this is what would be said at a trial determining the life and death of a real human being.

In terms of finding the different elements of the captivity narrative this would be the first point of separation. Not only are many of her family members, friends, and neighbors now dead, but Mary Rowlandson is being taken away and her children are being taken a different way, but both paths lead away from the familiar.

Whether she had to cut out some of her experiences or not, what we are left with is almost a pilgrimage story, a test of faith from God that has been created to either cull, or lead her into a more rewarding relationship with the God she never had any occasion to doubt. Considering how widely read her story was, and how it is actually impossible to find a well preserved first edition of this book because it was literally read to pieces, any omissions on her part were probably considered well done. It's fascinating to see her attitude in this book as comparing herself to King David in the Bible. He is often described as a man after God's own heart despite his numerous bad decisions and sins. She is kind of saying that despite everything she remains a woman of God.

One of the interesting things about her is her belief in predestination. I believe Mary Rowlandson must have been very conscious of her audience while writing this book (as the first woman to publish a book in America especially) here she shows the reader that in any circumstance she believed in God’s timing. Her religion is what's keeping her safe not only during her captivity, but from the people who might decry a woman in publishing as well. It's also interesting to note how she immediately then speaks of the natives as roaring lions and savage bears. Not just as characterization of wild animals, but also with the added context of the end of her sentence where she states that "Not one of them ever offered me the least abuse of unchastity to me, in word or action." They may be wild and ungodly, but they treat her well.

This is an interesting paragraph to examine the binaries that Bradstreet believed in. In the previous paragraphs she talks about how as a small child she was repelled by sin, and if she did sin she would be troubled by it until she confessed. Here in this paragraph she finds her heart in a carnal state, more likely to commit sins she knows are wrong, and as is the natural order of the universe God intervened in her life and demanded her respect by laying small pox on her. If she is not with him, she is against him. If she is against him, then she will be afflicted with pain and suffering moreso than she would otherwise endure.

It's interesting for me to read a poem like this. When I'm outside intent on being alone, my thoughts tend to run along the same lines of appreciation of the beauty of the earth clad in green. This is definitely a meditative poem full of introspection and emblems. What catches my attention is the emphasis on visualizing nature through her words. I know from a previous class that Bradstreet wasn't well enough to work like the other Puritans in her community and would often sit outside and ..contemplate. It's delightful for me to read it as a nature poem with all of the imagery and wonder at the world she uses in her poem. I think that I would want to read it as a nature poem simply because that's where my delight and attention focuses.

I like the idea of Bradstreet as an unconventional Puritan. She complicates the stereotype of her religion by making an argument that even though she should be doing needlework, and even though "men can do best, and women know it well" the "unrefined ore" of her pen still has value. She breaks convention by telling us she shouldn't be holding a pen, any fame or wealth she gains through her work will be greeted with scorn as a woman writer, but she still desires to write, and will continue to do so. Not only does she find value in her own words, but assumes readers will find value in her as well.