Once again we return to the travel narrative as a form with the captivity story of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan woman taken prisoner during King Phillip's War.
King Phillip was the son of Massasoit, the Wampanoag chief who famously helped the pilgrims on the first Thanksgiving. King Phillip's real name was Metacom, and he and his sister-in-law, Weetamoo, engaged the English colonists in the bloodiest war of our history in an effort to take back their land.
Mrs. Mary Rowlandson and her children were captured during a raid on Lancaster. This site offers some background information on Rowlandson's capture, as well as some pictures of the locations Rowlandson details, and here is an etext version of the book.
As you begin reading, consider the ways that Rowlandson's text is in conflict with itself. While she clearly considers her captors to be "devils", she also reveals admiration for them.
The picture above is a sculpture of Metacom, or King Phillip.
No comments:
Post a Comment