Background Information from A Narrative of the Captivity By: Mary Rowlandson King Philip’s War:  June 1675 to August 1675  Wampanoag chief, Metacomet called King Phillip  Bloody raids on Colonial settlements  Land: “selling” – right to share land with buyers  Metacomet’s assistant – informant to colonists, killed by own people, killers hanged by Puritans  Mary Rowlandson– wife of Congregational minister; she and her three children were carried away by a raiding party; after eleven weeks and five days of captivity, Rowlandson’s ransom was paid.

Background Information from A Narrative of the Captivity By: Mary Rowlandson Circumstances of the captivity :  Both the Wampanoag and their captives were without food  Ate horses’ guts, frogs, dogs, skunks, and tree bark  Rowlandson – “…I can but stand in admiration to see the wonderful power of God in providing for such a vast number of our enemies in the wilderness…” Her observation reflects the story of God providing for the Israelites in the wilderness.  Double vision of Puritanism – like other Puritans, Rowlandson views events as both physical and spiritual. The Soveraignty and Goodness of God, Together with the Faithfulness of His promises Displayed: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson

Allusion: reference to someone or something well known, from some branch of culture – religious, literary, historical, mythological, etc. from A Narrative of the Captivity By: Mary Rowlandson Puritan use of religious allusions :  Bible stories of captivity serve as allegories for Puritans  Allegory: a story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for other people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities.  Allegories can be read as a literal story or on another symbolic, or allegorical, level.  Captivity (even to sin) is a reflection of the captivity of God’s people, the Israelites, as recorded in scripture.

Chronological Order: sequential order Time Signals: indicate “when” events happened from A Narrative of the Captivity By: Mary Rowlandson Events in chronological order References to BibleComments about captors 1. Wounded and kidnapped by tribe 2. Cares for wounded, crying, six-year old daughter, Sarah 3. Cold weather, little food, contributes to Sarah’s death 4. Visits daughter, Mary, and son 5. Accepts gift of Bible from NA warrior 2. Miserable comforters are ye all – Job 16:2 2. Indians come and say, “your master will knock your child in the head.” 3. …left that child in the wilderness… “Me have ye bereaved of my Children…” – Genesis 42:36 3.They tell Mary to leave her dead child and go to her master’s wigwam. They bury the body on a hill. 4. “Me have ye bereaved of my Children…” – Genesis 42:36 5. Deuteronomy 28 – “God will bless those who obey Him and curse those who do not.” 5. Glad that the Indian brought her a Bible from the plunder and would allow her to read it. Continue to chart the rest yourself…

Understanding the story further from A Narrative of the Captivity By: Mary Rowlandson  Describe instances that show how Rowlandson’s treatment by her captors and her view of them changes throughout the story.  Relate the Biblical and spiritual connections Rowlandson makes to her experiences.  Discuss some the strong connotations of this narrative; instead of using neutral language, Rowlandson relies on emotionally charged words.