Question

What does Freneau mean when he states that the deceased's soul "wants no rest?" It is in eternal torment. It is heathen and non-Christian. It is actively living with its ancestors. It is bothered by children and the living.

Answer 1

Answer: It is actively living with its ancestors.

Philip Freneau was an American poet, sea captain and newspaper editor who is sometimes called the "Poet of the American Revolution."

In his poem "The Indian Burying Ground," Freneau compares the burying practice of the Native Americans with that of the Europeans. He says that the Native American people bury their ancestors sitting down, not laying down, because they do not consider death a time for rest but a continuation of activity.

Freneau's poem reinforces the "noble savage" myth that was popular during the eighteenth century.