Knight Vs. Rowlandson

Sarah Knight was born to a merchant and married Captain Richard Knight who was quite older than her.  She had one daughter before her husband passed away.  After his passing, she took care of all the legal duties her husband would normally of done.  When Knight's cousin died, she rod across the harshest terrain to settle his estate.

Knight wrote in a journal of her travel from Boston to New York.  The way she wrote was very surprising for a woman.  She did not hold back on how she felt about things or whom she would meet.  Also, she had humor that many writers do not.  Such as when she stayed in an inn and there were two drunks making such a racket, that Knight could not go to sleep.

"I ask thy Aid, O Potent Rum!

To Charm these wrangling Topers Dum.

Thou hast their Giddy Brains possest---

The man confounded with the Beast---

And I, poor I, can get no rest.

Intoxicate them with thy fumes:

O still their Tongues till morning comes!"

Some of the journal showed how scared Knight really was.  She tried to put on a brave face, but this was a very dangerous journey, made by a woman none the least.  One example was when she had to cross the very first river.  She was greatly terrified, because she thought she was going to die.

"...she seem'd redy to take in water, which greatly terrified mee, and caused me to be very circumspect, sitting with my hands fast on each side, my eyes stedy, not daring so much as to lodg my tongue a hair's breadth more on one side of my mouth than tother, nor so much as think on Lott's wife..."

Sarah Knight, to me, was a very brave and independent woman, way beyond her time.  She took care of affairs that was a mans job in her time, and did them well.

Mary Rowlandson was the opposite of Knight I personally think.  Rowlandson played the victim in her journals while Knight seemed brave.

Rowlandson lived in Lancaster, married Reverend Joseph Rowlandson, and had four children, one of which died at an early age.  She was captive of the Indians for almost twelve weeks, before she was returned and settled in Wethersfield, Connecticut.

In the beginning of the book she starts in great detail of the attack her and her towns people endured from the Indians.  Especially when the killings occurred, like the following;

"...Another their was who running along was shot and wounded, and fell down; he begged of them his life, promising them Money (as they told me) but they would not hearken to him but knockt him in head, and stript him naked, and split open his Bowels."

Rowlandson really despised the Indians and made them out to be horrible beings.  Through out she would look to God to help her through that time, and when something good happened, she would praise him.  In Knights journal there wasn't much mention of God except for a few times.