Mary Rowlandson's A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson

In this writing I found the introduction very helpful. Even though there is little information on Mary Rowlandson, the information on King Phillip's War did put the piece into a larger context for me. When I had previously read this narrative I was always uncertain of how all this bloodshed came about. Sure some of the natives were violent but certainly not all of them. and not to the point where it would be expected that at some point in time this would occur to Mrs. Rowlandson's town.

The part of the narrative that I enjoyed the most is the beginning. On one hand, Rowlandson is so matter of fact about all this horrific killing. (I think she provided one line to describe her nefew's death and sometimes less to other family members, ie. the baby in her arms.) On the other hand, I think her matter-of-factness makes that beginning attack occur very swiftly. This results in the reader being a little hurried, disorientated, and able to feel how Rowlandson did as all this occured to her and her family.