The first and second chapter includes the introduction, initial incident and a small chunk of rising action for the protagonist, Peter Browning.
I found this chapter very interesting because it gave the reader, being me, a taste of how 16th century lifestyle was for regular farmers on the historic county of Cumberland. This chapter also explained to me a bit of a nobleman's powers, government and policies during that time.
Researching told me a lot more about the historical accuracy of the story...
I was curious about the farmlands of Cumberland. I conducted research and found that the Cumberland was actually a historical county that exist during the 12th century of England. Cumberland was at the very northeastern tip of the Kingdom and shared borders with Scotland, this made sense since there were many Peel Towers mentioned in the vicinity of Cumberland.
A shilling during the 16th century was actually worth $10.16 today, it shows that the author was historically accurate during that time.
In the beginning of the story, I found it absurd that Sir Philip stole land from the common farmers of Cumberland, I researched more about 16th century farming policies and found that Sir Philip was able to take land because of the "Enclosure Act" during that time. The Enclosure Act was a prominent part in the beginning of the story, where the greedy and selfish nobleman, Sir Philip Morton used the Enclosure Act process to acquire land without the common farmer's consent.
The beginning of the story, involving the toppling of the walls did gave me the point of view of the common people and Peter in this small rebellion against the Enclosure Act.
I do wonder, if Sir Philip Moron was certain that the farmers were responsible for the attacks on his wall, why doesn't he try to prosecute the farmers? Sir Philip had the wealth advantage in court.
Jonathan Zhan
Oct. 25th
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