Early Indigenous Literatures

"Sermon" Annotation

“SERMON” and “Murder” are the largest and most eye-catching words on the title page. The sermon is thus given a significantly higher status than Garret’s confession. The emphasis on and gothic font of the word “Murder” has a sensationalist appeal, but also serves to highlight Garret’s crime as of greater interest than her written confession. Even taken on their own, the words “Sermon” and “Murder” suggest a story that would appeal to many white readers of 18th-century New England, one of a sinful Native American finding discipline in the settler legal system and salvation in Christianity.

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