As many of you know, I'm a graduate student in the study of History. (Editor's Note: I would share at which school I study, but for the sake of half-hearted internet anonymity, I'll be omitting the name of the school here.)
To the point, last week, my Narrative History class took a field trip to the site of George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on December 25, 1776. It's a picturesque area, and our tour encompassed several sites, including the crossing location itself:
We also visited the now-drained Delaware Canal, and, perhaps of greatest interest to me, the former impromptu military hospital located at what is now known as the Thompson-Neely House.
As part of our visit, we were to write a brief "historical narrative," and I (and my fellow classmates) used a great deal of creativity to fulfill the spirit of the project. As part of my paper, I described what would have been a standard ration for a Continental soldier -- a bowl of soup and a few shreds of salted, preserved pork. As I wrote, I wondered how best to get into the voice of my subject, how best to share his perspective. I had walked his paces, I had read of his (or at least his real-life counterparts') actions -- what if I could taste what he tasted, eat as he ate?
To the point, last week, my Narrative History class took a field trip to the site of George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on December 25, 1776. It's a picturesque area, and our tour encompassed several sites, including the crossing location itself:
We also visited the now-drained Delaware Canal, and, perhaps of greatest interest to me, the former impromptu military hospital located at what is now known as the Thompson-Neely House.
As part of our visit, we were to write a brief "historical narrative," and I (and my fellow classmates) used a great deal of creativity to fulfill the spirit of the project. As part of my paper, I described what would have been a standard ration for a Continental soldier -- a bowl of soup and a few shreds of salted, preserved pork. As I wrote, I wondered how best to get into the voice of my subject, how best to share his perspective. I had walked his paces, I had read of his (or at least his real-life counterparts') actions -- what if I could taste what he tasted, eat as he ate?
