and the husband and wife were parted.

“Well, now, good-by,”

I’ll buy you and the boy

when I’m there, I’ll buy you

“To Canada,”

“Don’t you know a slave can’t be married? There is no law in this country for that; I can’t hold you for my wife, if he chooses to part us.

as much as if you’d been a white man!

“I an’t a Christian like you, Eliza; my heart’s full of bitterness; I can’t trust in God. Why does he let things be so?”

Mas’r and Tom pelted the poor drowning creature with stones.

“Well, it is dreadful,” said Eliza; “but, after all, he is your master, you know.”

It’s a free country, sir; the man’s mine

They are all labor-saving machines themselves

isn’t the man mine?”

without a second thought

foreseen necessity of breaking to his wife the arrangement contemplated

Mrs. Shelby was a woman of high class, both intellectually and morally.

I would as soon have one of my own children sold.

So long as the law considers all these human beings, with beating hearts and living affections, only as so many things belonging to a master

‘Tan’t, you know, as if it was white folks, that’s brought up in the way of ‘spectin’ to keep their children and wives, and all that. Niggers, you know, that’s fetched up properly, ha’n’t no kind of ‘spectations of no kind; so all these things comes easier.”

he was a good-hearted fellow

it’s the devil

humanity comes out in a variety of strange forms now-a-days, and there is no end to the odd things that humane people will say and do.

Clear waste, sir, of a thousand dollars

These critters ain’t like white folks

Your wife might get her some ear-rings, or a new gown, or some such truck, to make up with her.”

“the fact is, sir, I’m a humane man, and I hate to take the boy from his mother, sir.”

handsome

“Mr. Haley, she is not to be sold,”

spoils

its mother

a quarter of an orange

master patted the curly head, and chucked him under the chin.

prize

I am sorry to part with Tom, I must say. You ought to let him cover the whole balance of the debt; and you would, Haley, if you had any conscience.”

‘Ah, master trusted me, and I couldn’t,’

‘I trust you, because I think you’re a Christian—I know you wouldn’t cheat.’

pious niggers

“You mean honest, as niggers go,”

opulent

women take a passive

If you asked me, I’d say it’s nonsense.

not one but TWO rich and gorgeous princesses

male colonialist’s wet dream

It doesn’t even pass the bechdel test!

an entertaining read back in the 17th century

This over-romanticized tale of star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of the world could not reek more of predictability and cliche.

dagger she was stabbed with

those in positions of power see bursts of violence from minorities as unjust or unnecessary while those carrying the weight of oppression see them as battle cries for equality and freedom

Nor did it matter that her captors did what many U.S. citizens proudly claim they would do should an invasion happen today.

Rowlandson’s recount successfully aids an American narrative that has been subtly (and not-so-subtly) propagandized for hundreds of years.

The Indians often said that I should never have her under twenty pounds. But now the Lord hath brought her in upon free-cost, and given her to me the second time.

The twenty pounds, the price of my redemption

I was not before so much hemmed in with the merciless and cruel heathen, but now as much with pitiful, tender-hearted and compassionate Christians.

my dear husband

brother, and my brother-in-law

I told him no

d answered my poor desire, and the many earnest requests of others put up unto God for me. In my travels an Indian came to me and told me, if I were willing, he and his squaw would run away, and go home along with me.

(with their black faces)

I went along with them

Lord’s doing

I told them, they had as good knock me in head as starve me to death.

Then I took it of the child, and eat it myself, and savory it was to my taste.

and one of them my own sister’s

laid upon me less than I deserved

Then also I took my Bible to read, but I found no comfort here neither

my master himself was gone, and I left behind

I thought of the English army, and hoped for their coming, and being taken by them, but that failed.

“Have pity upon me, O ye my Friends, for the Hand of the Lord has touched me.”

she threw a handful of ashes in mine eyes

I considered their horrible addictedness to lying

discouragement

I had not seen my son a pretty while, and here was an Indian of whom I made inquiry after him, and asked him when he saw him. He answered me that such a time his master roasted him, and that himself did eat a piece of him, as big as his two fingers, and that he was very good meat.

which was that I desired

I told them the skin was off my back, but I had no other comforting answer from them than this: that it would be no matter if my head were off too.

the good providence of God

my master being gone, who seemed to me the best friend that I had of an Indian

going homeward

she found me sitting and reading in my Bible; she snatched it hastily out of my hand, and threw it out of doors

He answered me “Nux,” which did much rejoice my spirit.

I complained it was too heavy, whereupon she gave me a slap in the face, and bade me go

said I must go back again with her

such a bewitching thing it is

men lose their precious time

none will hurt you

pagans

my son Joseph unexpectedly came to me

my son Joseph

not ready

bag and baggage

squaws

papooses

yet they were sweet and savory to my taste

mistress

as their manner is

his dame

master

children

sold for a gun

I went to see my daughter Mary

There I left that child in the wilderness

(by my master in this writing, must be understood Quinnapin, who was a Sagamore, and married King Philip’s wife’s sister; not that he first took me, but I was sold to him by another Narragansett Indian, who took me when first I came out of the garrison)

wicked and violent means to end my own miserable life

I must and could lie down by my dead babe, side by side all the night after.

Feb. 18

your master

with the blessing of God it cured me also

they carried him

Captain Beer

He wounded me with one hand, so he healed me with the other.

I then remembered how careless I had been of God’s holy time; how many Sabbaths I had lost and misspent, and how evilly I had walked in God’s sight

not the least crumb of refreshing that came within either of our mouths from Wednesday night to Saturday night, except only a little cold water

and having no Christian friend near me

But the Lord renewed my strength still, and carried me along, that I might see more of His power; yea, so much that I could never have thought of, had I not experienced it.

Lord

God

inhumane creatures

avageness and brutishness of this barbarous enemy

lively resemblance of hell

black creatures