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READ: Amonute (Graphic Biography)

Though the facts of her life are disputed, Amonute was an important figure in the relationship between the Powhatan people and English settlers in Virginia.
The Graphic Biography below uses “Three Close Reads”. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.

First read: skimming for gist

This will be your quickest read. It should help you get the general idea of what the graphic biography will be about. Pay attention to the title, headings, images, and layout. Ask yourself: what is this graphic biography going to be about?

Second read: understanding content

For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. You should also spend some time looking at the images and the way in which the page is designed.
By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:
  1. Who was Amonute?
  2. How did Amonute become important to the English settlers in Virginia? What are the key elements of the story John Smith told about her?
  3. How does Karen Ordahl Kupperman evaluate John Smith’s story of Amonute?
  4. What are the key arguments made by the oral historians of the Mattaponi people, as presented in this biography?
  5. What are some doubts raised about the oral tradition version of events, by anthropologists like Helen Roundtree?
  6. How does the artist use art and design to show that there are different stories about Amonute?

Third read: evaluating and corroborating

In this read, you should use the graphic biography as evidence to support, extend, or challenge claims made in the course.
At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:
  1. Which version of Amonute’s relationship with English settlers do you think is more likely to be accurate? Why?
  2. How does this biography of Amonute support, extend, or challenge what you have learned about European relations with people of the Americas in this period?
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to read! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished reading.

Amonute (Graphic Biography)

Writer: Trevor Getz
Artist: Liz Clarke
Though the facts of her life are disputed, Amonute was an important figure in the relationship between the Powhatan people and English settlers in Virginia.
Download the Graphic Biography PDF here or click on the image above.

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