Business Tradition Captivity Narratives

Question: Describe about the Business Tradition for Captivity Narratives. Answer: Refer to article: Shannon, Captivity and Redemption 88-89. In what ways did captivity narratives provide Americans with a literacy tradition? What was the purpose of these narratives? Captivity narratives provided Americans with a literacy tradition, and this truth is undeniable. It must be noted that there were many captives who did return to colonial society. These captives eventually told their stories of captivity to the populace. They did so through newspapers, short pamphlets, or through books (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.89). This triggered the inception of captivity narrative which provided Americans with a new literary genre. It is noteworthy that among the Puritans of New England the popularity of captivity narrative began initially (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.89). That particular genre of literature had a religious undertone attributed by the Puritans. The Puritans considered those narratives as a story of captives worthiness for salvation (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.89). The primary purpose of the captivity narratives was to provide the intended readers with the information of how Indians used to achieve the cultural conversion of t heir captives (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.89). Refer to article: Shannon, Captivity and Redemption 88-104. Give a specific example and elaborate regarding the trauma experienced by Indian captives? In what ways were their experiences both traumatic and uncertain regarding their fate? Many of the captives had traumatic experiences. It must be noted that their suffering were both physical and psychological. For an instance, one of the captives, who narrated his story after securing freedom from captivity, narrated how he was physically traumatized by the Indians. His physical distress began when one Indian pulled his hair, as if he was plucking a turkey, until all of the hairs were cleaned off his head (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.100). At their will the Indians did bore the captives nose and ears. He was forced to strip off his clothes and to put on a breech-clout (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.100). To obscure the captives racial identity, the Indians painted his head, face, and body in various colors (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.100). This was a sign that the captive was going to face more uncertainties about his fate amidst those captivators who were racially and culturally alien to him. Moreover, seeing how many other captives were put to death by the Indians, the concerned captives uncertainty about his fate did become graver (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.100). Refer to article: Shannon, Captivity and Redemption 88-104. Give a specific example and elaborate how Indians welcomed captives into their culture? Indians welcomed captives into their culture in a unique way. They admitted some captives into their own society and culture through performing some specific rituals. Such rituals included shaving hairs off the head of the captive along with piercing the captives nose and ears (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.100). Moreover, to blur the racial identity of the captive (i.e. the white identity) by painting the face and some other portions of the captives body (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.100). As known from one of the captives narratives, the Indians used to force the selected captives to get plunge into river water. Young squaws, as narrated, used to force the captive to plunge into the river water, and they used to plunge the captive under water, and to rub the captive severely as a sign of cleaning his white identity forever (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.100). The selected captive was then, ritually, made seated on a bearskin and provided with a pope, tomahawk, and with a polecat skin pouch, and with some other things that were meant for assisting the seated captive in the course of smoking (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.100). In the course of adoption, the captive was usually painted twice and adored with native Indian costumes and accessories. Finally, the Indians used to welcome the captive after the same was announced by the concerned bands chief (Captivity and Redemption, n.d., p.100). Refer to document: Rights in Resistance. What does the author mean by the impasse over these competing claims? Think about phraseits dimensionsits implications. What is the main point of the author regarding resistance? By the phrase impasse over these competing claims, the author tried to point towards those opposing viewpoints that were triggered by the implementation of certain taxes by the British Crown on the American colonies. Such taxation policies eventually triggered resistance among the American colonies. On one hand the American colonists argued that they had the power to oppose such taxation process. They claimed so by pointing towards the fact that they were supposed to have the right to participate in the process of formulation and enactment of legislations. But the opposition claimed that the American colonists despite having the right to get represented in the British Parliament could only have the right in its virtual form. Moreover, refuting the claims of the colonists the Crown and its supporters forwarded another claim. They argued that Parliament was the supreme legislature of the larger polity of which the colonies were undeniably a part, and that sovereignty the ultimate powe r to give law was by its nature complete and indivisible (Rights in Resistance, n.d.). This indicated that the colonies had to abide by the newly imposed taxation laws. And this indication contributed to the strengthening of the resistance of the colonists against the British Parliaments conduct. Refer to document: Benjamin Franklin, Americas Future in the Empire. According to Franklin what was Americas future in the British Empire? What major points did Franklin present in his belief of a firm union between colonies and empire? Benjamin Franklin had high hopes about the future of America in the British Empire. As a part of his concern, Franklin highlighted some specific points related. Benjamin Franklin was not horrified by the taxation policy adopted by the British crown. He though that to some extent, the taxation policies were valid financial means for strengthening the Empire and the colonies. Benjamin Franklin hoped that in the future the America would emerge as an equal part of the British Empire. Franklin considered himself as a loyal Englishman. But simultaneously he did consider himself as a loyal and dedicated citizen of Philadelphia. And this mindset triggered in him future hopes for America in the British Empire. But with the passage of time his loyalty to the Empire declined and it was substituted by his loyalty to America. He tried to explain to the Parliament the reason behind the colonies resistance to taxation, but he was termed traitor by the Crown. This made him feel that Americas future in the Empire was obscured. References Captivity and Redemption (n.d.). p.88-104 Rights in Resistance (n.d.). p.6