Directions: Paraphrase the following important lines from “John Rolfe to Sir Thomas Dale”, a letter meant to persuade a royal official of the necessity of marrying into an Indigenous Peoples.

Question

Directions: Paraphrase the following important lines from “John Rolfe to Sir Thomas Dale”, a letter meant to persuade a royal official of the necessity of marrying into an Indigenous Peoples.

(8) “If I should set down at large, the perturbations and godly motions, which have striven within mee, I should but make a tedious and unnecessary volume.”

Answer 1

"If I were to fully explain the intense emotions and strong convictions that have been raging within me, it would only result in a lengthy and unnecessary account."

Answer 2

In this line, John Rolfe, the author of the letter, is saying that if he were to elaborate on all the conflicting emotions and religious convictions he has experienced, it would be lengthy and unnecessary. He is hinting that he has gone through a significant thought process regarding the topic of marrying into the Indigenous Peoples and feels strongly about it.

Answer 3

(8) "If I were to fully describe the inner turmoil and deep religious conviction that I have experienced, it would only result in an excessively long and unnecessary document."