Through the centuries, nature was used in literature to symbolize the way our ancestors used to live. Times might change, but human’s connection to the world of nature would always stay the same and show their concerns with life and death, the beginning and the ending. The theme of nature especially deeply relates to the life of native Americans. This Term paper will address the aspect of symbolism in relationship with nature in as suggested in Red Jacket’s Indian Speech with Benjamin Franklin’s Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America.
Both works of Franklin and Red Jacket have a common outstanding explanation of ancient hunting as well as a short depiction of spirits that provided the people with crops to seed and animals to hunt. Both authors tend to use those segments to stand their motives while explaining that this is the order; this is how things should go in their understanding. Although both authors used the same theme in the same character in their works, the emotional tone of the two fragments is very different. Franklin decided to choose a more informative and engaging tone of telling to emphasize the righteousness of the deeds of his people and the mercifulness of the spirit.
Moreover, Franklin portrays the story of the spirit of nature almost in the form of a legend. Red Jacket’s speech, on the other hand, resembles religious texts, is heavily emotional and filled with the love and warmth of The Great Spirit. To further analyze the symbolism of people’s relationship with nature, the paper will compare Benjamin Franklin’s work to Red Jacket’s speech in terms of various rhetorical devices like metaphors and emotive use of language.