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English 10 Accelerated Clarke

From “Narrative of the Captivity” – Mary Rowlandson

During Reading

Survival Skills

During her captivity by the Wampanoag, Mary Rowlandson drew on many resources to overcome a number of challenging and life-threatening events. As you read the selection, list in the chart below the various hardships that Rowlandson faced. Then describe what actions she took to over come these difficulties. You may write bullet points in this section.

After Reading

Directions: answer the following questions in complete sentences.

First Thoughts

1. What do you think helped Mary Rowlandson survive and maintain her sanity? Provide examples from the text.

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Shaping Interpretations

2. What conflicting attitudes does Rowlandson reveal towards her captors? Does her attitude toward her captors change as the narrative progresses? Explain.

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3. The Puritans’ habit of seeing specific meaning in their experiences helped them find significance in even very minor events (ex- when the rude member of the crew died first in Of Plymouth Plantation). Describe at least two allusions to Biblical stories that Rowlandson makes during her captivity.

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4. Rowlandson’s narrative was enormously popular in England. What reasons can you suggest for its popularity? What aspects of Rowlandson’s journal might have promoted stereotyped and hostile views toward American Indians?

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5. In his classic work of psychology, Man’s Search for Meaning, Dr. Viktor Frankel, a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp of WWII, tells how the best chance for survival in the camp was not mental endurance or general health but an internal sense that the experience, not matter how horrifying, had some ultimate meaning for the prisoner. Those who had strong religious faith, committed political views, or even just a strong love of family were far more likely to survive, both physically and mentally. In your view, what was Mary Rowlandson’s ultimate source of meaning?

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Challenging the Text

6. Despite her efforts to be accurate, Rowlandson’s journal is full of subjective reporting. Instead of using neutral language (words with neither a positive or negative tone) subjective reporting relied on “emotionally loaded” words- words with strongly positive or negative tone. Select an extract from Rowlandson’s journal, and find the emotionally loaded words of phrases that reveal her attitude toward her captors. What words or phrases does Rowlandson use that an objective report would not use?

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Hardships Rowlandson Faced

Actions She Took to Overcome Them

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