Captivity narrations were normally popular in the 1700’s by both European and American populations. Captivity narratives in America portrayed either Whites enslaved by barbarians or the African enslaved by the white slave proprietor. Captivity narrations were written to demo the reader of one’s experiences while being in imprisonment. Two writers who wrote a twosome of these narrations are Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano. Mary Rowlandson’s narration is entitled. “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson.

The rubric of Olaudah Equiano’s narration is “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. or Gustavas Vassa. the African. Written by Himself. ” Captivity narratives prove a person’s religion and his or her ability to last in a specific given state of affairs. Both writers must larn to last in a different civilization. Both desire their freedom. but fear the dangers of flight. Rowlandson relies on her spiritual strength to assist her through her agony. while Equiano relies on his moral and finally spiritual strength to assist him through his agony.

Analyzing these two narrations will demo similarities and differences in their intent but will finally demo the ground for the narrative which was to rock a person’s manner of thought. Both Equiano and Rowlandson were populating an ordinary life until they were torn off. Equiano was populating a unworried life. basking his clip turning up in his small town along with his household. That twenty-four hours came to an terminal when he and his sister were captured and sold into bondage.

Equiano provinces. “One twenty-four hours. when all our people were gone out to their plants as usual. and merely I and my beloved sister were left to mind the house. two work forces and a adult females got over our walls. and in a minute seized us both. and without giving us clip to shout out. or do opposition. they stopped our oral cavities. and ran off with us in the nearest wood” ( 690 ) . Rowlandson’s narrative Begins with Native Americans assailing her small town as they come upon her house and put fire to it. As Rowlandson attempts to go forth her place. she is captured.

Rowlandson provinces. “The Indians laid clasp of us. drawing me one manner. and the kids another. and said. ‘Come go along with us’ : I told them they would kill me: they answered. if I were willing to travel along with them. they would non ache me” ( 258 ) . The similarity of both narrations is that both were basking their lives until they suddenly changed. The difference is that Equiano was a kid. non cognizing much about the universe while Rowlandson was an grownup and knew the dangers of being a settler. Both writers one time confined had to accommodate to their milieus.

Equiano experienced many different civilizations before being bought in Virginia as a slave. Equiano taught himself how to spread out his cognition after being taught by Miss Guerin and under the tuition of a headmaster the rudimentss of reading and authorship. Equiano provinces. “Nor did I leave my sort patronnes. the Miss Guerins. without uneasiness and regret. They frequently used to learn me to read. and took great strivings to teach me in the rules of faith and the cognition of God” ( 703 ) . Equiano’s thirst for cognition turning up would assist take him to his freedom.

Similarly. Rowlandson learned the civilization of the indigens to assist her survive hungriness and famishment. “There came an Indian to them at that clip with a basket of Equus caballus liver. I asked him to give me a piece. ‘What. ’ says he. ‘can you eat horse liver? ’ I told him. I would try…so that I was fain to take the remainder and eat it as it was. with the blood about my oral cavity. and yet a savoury spot it was to me” ( 266 ) . While both learned their new civilizations. Equiano’s intent was to derive cognition to finally free him. and Rowlandson’s intent was for endurance.

Both Equiano and Rowlandson desired their freedom. but besides feared the dangers of flight. Equiano was in a civilised country. but the realisation of being entirely in an effort to acquire back place was decreasing. Equiano expresses. “I had before amused hopes of acquiring place. and had determined when it should be dark to do the effort ; but I was now positive it was bootless. and began to see that. if possible I could get away all other animate beings. I could non those of human kind” ( 692 ) .

Rowlandson was in the wilderness and she had no thought how close she was to the nearest settlement. As Rowlandson is talking with another English prisoner about get awaying. she states. “I wished her non to run off by any agencies. for we were close 30 stat mis from any English town” ( 263 ) . Rowlandson non merely feared being caught after flight. but she besides feared of being lost in the wilderness with the wild animate beings. Rowlandson wrote. “Heart-aching ideas here I had about my hapless kids. who were scattered up and down among the wild animals of the forest” ( 264 ) .

Both writers adapted to milieus to assist them last their imprisonment. Both writers have to trust on spiritual and moral strength to assist them digest their imprisonment. Rowlandson believes in Christianity. and that helped her to last her imprisonment. She believes everything happens for a ground and that God was proving her religion. Rowlandson in her contemplation of Psalms quotation marks. “Oh that my people had hearkened to me. and Israel had walked in my ways. I should shortly hold subdued their enemies. and turned my manus against their adversaries” ( 265 ) .

On the other manus. Equiano has no cognition of Christianity in his early childhood and yet it wasn’t till his maturity that he understood white Christianity. Equiano knew being portion of the white Christianity would assist him gain his freedom. Equiano had to trust on his moral strength. in the beginning. to be free and his spiritual strength to defy his imprisonment. Equiano wrote. “I respect myself as a peculiar favourite of Heaven. and acknowledge the clemencies of Providence in every happening of my life” ( 688 ) . Both writers justify their imprisonment with the grace of God and that it was a testament of their religion.

Captivity narrations were popular during the 1700s with many readers. Although Equiano and Rowlandson write their narrative with imprisonment as the chief topic. both endured wholly different state of affairss. Rowlandson thought she was captured by the barbarians. but she realizes she was ne’er treated unjustly. Equiano. on the other manus. was purportedly captured and sold into bondage by the civilised population. but he was treated inhumanely. Both writers hoped to open the eyes of others to see the unfairnesss of being a prisoner.