FINAL GROUP Q&A's

      We thought that Sharon Draper's novel Copper Sun was very successful at blending the facts and the story. On a scale from 1-10 we thought the book should be rated an 8 out of 10. We think this because some of the events were a little confusing and hard to follow but it was overall a very good book. Some events that are strictly fictional are the characters: Amari, Tidbit, Clay, Polly, Teenie etc. Things were really accurate. The slaves went through all the pain portrayed in the story. One specific event that the slaves went through in the book was the slaves stacked on the ships and the women being raped by the soldiers. Another was that Fort Mose was a real place and fugitives would run south instead of north. As Frederick Douglas expressed in his short story the slaves would stand up to their masters as Amari and Polly did with Clay. Since the book is so realistic and on the spot it is very memorable and you can learn a lot while you are still being entertained by a story.Sharon Draper's method of blending the facts with the emotions made all the reader's feel for the characters and want to keep reading.

Breia Kirby Connector

    I am connecting my reading this week in Copper Sun to a part in Chains. The connection I made was when Isabelle met Curzon in the jail and they were reuntied for the first time in a while to when Amari came upon Besa while traveling South. This is very important because there are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.

   Amari had to stay strong and act like it wasn't hurting her to see Besa at the little cottage in the woods. She saw where he had been beaten, whipped, and scarred. I think personally it would be hard to meet up with someone you have seen in forever and have known them for a long time, it would also be very hard to see how they have been mistreated and hurt. Much like how Isabelle always saw what shape Curzon was in when she went and visited him in the jail cell. He was weak and hungry, just like Besa. Amari and Isabelle are both two strong girls who stay determined and have a very courgeous personalities.

 

Deanna Frey Pd.6 Discussion Director

1. What do you think of the community/family feeling that exists at Fort Mose?
2. How would you react if you were Amari and carried Clay's child? What name would you choose for the child?
3. What existed inside Polly and Amari that eventually led them to freedom? Do you think you could survive the journey that these girls went through? Explain.

Reflector- Sean Eberly

            When I first heard those foot steps outside the little shack, I thought it was Clay. Thankfully, it was a very nice lady named Fiona. After explaining to her what we were doing, I was so glad she wanted to help us. Later at her house, when I first recognized the voice of my love, I almost fainted. I was so excited to see him until I saw what happened to my beautiful Besa! I was so angry those white people would hurt him so bad. It hurt me the most when he told us we would get caught and he didn’t believe in anything anymore. I was very heartbroken when he told me he would not escape with us.

            After a long hard journey, we made it to the river Fiona told us about. All three of us were so excited to be on the edge of freedom. When we crossed the river and woke the next morning, we traveled as fast as we could until reaching the fort. At first sight I couldn’t believe we made it to the fort. I was so joyful and wanted to just cry, but I knew I had to stay strong. There at the fort we met another kind woman named Inez. Inez fed us well and then she and I took a walk. After she told me I was pregnant it all made since. I did not want the baby at all knowing it belonged to Clay! This baby will not be Clay’s though; it is mine and holds the spirits of Afi, my parents, Kwasi, and all others from my true home in Africa.

"Tidbit shrieked in alarm as the door flew open and a woman, dressed, amazingly, all in buckskin, stared openmouthed at the three children."

jordan nogle word nerd

wordle was not working

the words i choose were
1. freedom
2. baby
3. pregnant
4. house
5. life
6. hush puppy
7. soliders
8. children
9.payment
10. money

I choose these words because they were very important to the story, but the three main words where freedom, pregnant, and money. i choose freedom because they were finally free from clay and slavery. i choosse pregnant because amari found out at the end of the book that she was carrying a child. the last word i choose was money because amari and polly would finally be paid for the word that she did.

Corinne McGuire Reporter

To Polly:
1. How do you feel now that you finally made it to Fort Mose?
2. How excited are you to be the new school teacher at Fort Mose?
3. Do you still worry about Clay?
4. Are you jealous that Amari is Tidbit's new mother figure?
5. Do you think you'll miss Nathan since he was so kind to you and saved your lives?

Jordan Nogle connector

Chains and copper sun are alike because amari and Isabel both had little children that they had to take care of. They also both lost their little siblings. They both ran away from horrible house holds to go south to find freedom. Amari and Isabel escaped with close friends.
I would compare this section of copper sun to the vietnam war because the soldiers spent many days in the woods without food and resources. They both ran away from horrible mean people. They were both fighting for freedom but in different ways. The soldiers were fighting to get home and amari was fighting for a new home in the south. Runaway slaves and soldiers both faced many issuses that were alike in many ways

Breia Kirby Reflector

Its been a rough couple of weeks. Our journey gets more challenging each day with the little amount of food we have available and the limited resources. Not much can be done but when we do try our best we still end up giving in and taking a break to get ready to travel many more countless miles. Every night we try to find our dinner (if we are lucky) and we would cook it over the fire in the cave. The cave is a very scary place where we thought we were safe until we heard the noises of a creature and the next morning come to find out its clay. Clay was on a hunt to find us and bring us back to the plantation. I'm sure we would have been beaten to death and severely punished for what trouble we caused.

Over time we keep traveling in hope to find Fort Mose for freedom but the trip seems endless. One night in the woods we came upon a boy named Nathan. He found just Polly and ask her who she was traveling with and she had told him she was by herself. He obviously didn't believe her and he asked where the salve girl was (me) and the little boy (tidbit). He offered us to stay in the barn where he keeps the hay for the animals and he told us we had to stay quiet because his dad would turn them all in for the reward money. Just then the next morning Nathan's dad opened the barn door holding a pitch fork and he scoped us out in the hay. I will write back and tell you what happens and hopefully we stay safe and we can continue our worthy journey to Fort Mose.
Yours Truly,
 Amari.

Corinne McGuire Word Nerd

I tried 3 times tonight, but I couldn't get Wordle to work!


The 10 words I chose are: 
1.Doctor
2.Freedom
3.South 
4.Escape
5.Clay
6.Followed
7.Snake
8.Trust
9.Hush-Puppy
10.Swamp


I chose the word "Freedom" because that is what our characters are searching for and desperately trying to achieve. Amari, Polly, Tidbit, and Hush-puppy are all running south to a Spanish territory so they can have their "Freedom" from the lives they've lived as slaves. I also chose the word Clay because he was very important in this section. He caught up to the runaways and told them about Mr.Derby being poisoned and was set on ruining their lives by bringing them back. They shot him, tied him up, and left him with a poisonous snake to get their revenge. The last main word I chose was Hush-puppy, and I chose him because he saved their lives and gave Tidbit the hope and happiness to keep going. He caught the girls and Tidbit a rabbit and other small animals to eat when they started running out of food. Hush-puppy was a HUGE help to the runaways! 

Dicussion Leader- Sean Eberly

1.       Do you think anything bad will happen to Dr. Hoskins for letting Amari, Polly, and Tidbit escape?

2.       Do you think Clay was killed by the snake or he got loose and is chasing Amari, Polly, and Tidbit?

3.       Now that Mr. Derby is dead, do you think Mrs. Derby will have more freedom to do what she wants, with Clay in charge?

Deanna Frey Pd.6 Reporter

to Nathan
1. What caused you to follow the group of Polly and her friends when you first spotted them?
2. How is life alone with just your mean and druken father?
3. Why would you let yourself go through pain just to let some strangers have a chance at being free?
4. What was your first reaction when your father found your hidden group?
5. Would you help slaves gain freedom again if you were given the chance? Explain why.

Deanna Frey Pd.6 Word Nerd

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5078938/Lit._Circle_3

     Mrs. Derby gives birth to a baby, but it is not Master Derby's child. The baby is black and it belongs to Noah, her true love. The secret can not be kept from Mrs.Derby's husband, and Mr.Derby is furious when he finds the truth. The master shoots Noah and the baby right before Isabelle's eyes; he brings death  to the people that she loved most. Mr.Derby punishes Amari, Polly, and Tennie for trying to hide the baby by selling away Amari, Polly, and Tidbit. The group hopes that the Dr.Hoskins, that is delivering them to the sale, won't sell them because he is against slavery. They have a plan of escape to travel South to Spanish Florida were freedom is promised.

Jordan Nogle reflector

How can massa derby be so mean to me. All I did was drop a pie. Why should I have been beaten for it he is a horrible, horrible man. And poor ms derby. She is such a sweet lady. Her poor baby. Such a beautiful little girl and the life was just taken out or her. How can he be mad at ms. Derby she didn't have a choice to marry him. He is just a awful man.

Now I am on the run. I am unsure where exactly we are support to go. Poor tidbit I no he is gonna miss his mama. I just don't know what to do. I am so confused. I desperately miss my mother. She would have known what to do. She always did. I miss her so much.

Corinne McGuire Connector

Copper Sun and Chains have a lot of connections in this section. One is that Teenie and Isabel faced extreme desperation when they are separated by their evil masters from their loved ones. Teenie was separated from Tidbit and Isabel was separated from her baby sister Ruth. One difference they have is where the main characters are located. Isabel and Ruth were located in a house on New York City and were house servants. Amari and Polly are on a rice plantation in the south and they work on getting all the food ready and caring for the slaves. They both have extremely  evil Master/Mistresses that LOVE to make their lives horrible. Isabel and Amari had to deal with men controlling them, but in different ways. Clay is always taking advantage of Amari. While the soldiers and the officers are always using Isabel as a messenger and taking advantage of her that way instead. They both have to work in the kitchen area under caring cooks who teach them what they needed to know about this way of life. 


Copper Sun is a lot like the Holocaust in my opinion. One race takes dominance over the other and uses them to their own advantages. The blacks and the Jews are worked practically to death and punished all the way. They both are separated from their families all the time and have to hope and pray that they will meet again someday. The Jews were tortured in ways more advanced and cruel than the slaves were, but the slaves were also punished in the cruelest of ways. The slaves remind me a lot of Cinderella. They are harassed and put to work by their cruel, evil "stepmother" and their children. And maybe the slaves, if they're the lucky ones, can have the happy ending of Cinderella too. 

Sean Eberly- Reporter

To: Mr. Derby

1.       When Myna tripped with the blackberry pie, was it you that tripped her?

2.       Do you get angry when you see Clay treat his stepmother so rudely?

3.       What were your first thoughts when you saw Clay come around the corner of the house, with a newborn black baby?

4.       Do you think you will ever regret killing Noah and the baby in front of Mrs. Derby?

5.       Do you now question if Mrs. Derby ever loved you, or if she still does love you?

Breia Kirby Director

1.) What do you think Mrs. Derby saw in Noah? Why was he so special to her?
2.) If you put yourself in Tennie's shoes as her only son was being taken from her would you handle the situation any different from her? If so what would you do?
3.) Why do you think the doctor gave Amari, Polly, and Tidbit the chance to free themselves? What do you think Mr. Derby's reaction will be when he finds out?

Corinne McGuire Reflector

I arrived in the white man's land and it has been horrible! I was seperated from Afi and dragged to a rice plantation to be my master's son's birthday present! The things we do are degrading and humiliating! When I first arrived I was sent along with a white slave girl about my age to work in the kitchen with Teenie and her little son, Tidbit. Polly, the white slave girl, and I are learning how to run the plantation smoothly and get the master's food on the table on time. We shuck corn and peel potatoes and even fetch eggs all day and it I'm lucky I can sleep all night. But sometimes Tidbit fetches me in the middle of the night for Clay... 

I'm thinking about home a lot and I miss my family and my village. I am so devastatingly heartbroken all the time. The only things that bring me joy are Teenie and sweet little Tidbit! I met Mrs. Derby too. She's such a lovely and kind woman stuck up in this awful place. The master tells her what to wear, what to eat, and who to talk to. She's trapped in her own home! She is pregnant and Teenie and I hope she gets a pretty little girl so she can have some company in that prison of a house.

Quote: Teenie: "Long as you remember, chile, it ain't ever gone." pg 109

Sean Eberly-Word Nerd

Wordle would not work.

1. Carolina
2. Afraid
3. Brave
4. Indentured
5. Sold
6. Myna
7. Obedience
8. Kitchen
9. Miserable
10. Peaches

I thought the words brave, sold, and kitchen were very significant to the book. Before Amari left to go to Sullivan's Island, Bill told her to be brave. I think Amari will remember this, and it will help her get through hard times on the island. This will also motivate Amari not to be afraid of the future to come. Sold was very significant in the sections we read. The auctioneer announced this to the crowd when Amari was bought for Clay's birthday present. Amari being sold to the Derby's will change her life forever in many ways. Lastly, kitchen is also very important to the book. Amari will be working in the kitchen with Teenie, helping cook. She will also learn new meals to make, and she will also be able to teach Teenie meals her mother used to make.

Deanna Frey Pd.6 Connector

        There are many similarities and differences between Chains and this section of Copper Sun. The act of Bill pitying Amari is similar to Lady Seymour's kindness to Isabel in Chains. Both Isabel and Amari's names are changed by their masters and neither of them like it. Isabel and Amari are also similar in that they are both more intelligent than they let on to their masters. Each girl's owner talks about their "property" as though they are not there or cannot understand. Polly is introduced in this selection and also holds a resemblance to Isabel from Chains because of her strength and determination not to cry and her ability to read. Differences between Copper Sun and Chains  include Isabel remembering her father through her brand and is encouraged, while Amari thinks of Besa when she sees the sun and the stars and feels sadness. When Isabel arrived at her destination of New Jersey on her boat, she was elated and hopeful. However, when Amari's ship lands in America, she feels discouraged and fearful. Copper Sun and Chains have similarities and differences shown throughout their plots.
     
           Connections can be made between Copper Sun and the outside world. Master Derby's new wife, Mrs. Derby, reminds me of Miss Celia from the movie The Help. Both women are pregnant and married to wealthy men who do not treat the colored with much respect. However, both of these women don't seem to understand "their place" above their maids or slaves, but are kind and care for the people that are below them. Polly is an indentured servant who basically has the same status as the slaves, but she views herself as above them. This reminds me of the story told in the play The Diary of Anne Frank. Mrs.Van Dan considers herself a higher class than the Franks during their stay in the annex, while the truth is that they are in the same situation of living in hiding. The example of thinking yourself better than others from Copper Sun can also be seen throughout everyday life in our society.

Breia Kirby. Reporter

These questions are to Polly:
1.) Do you think you will eventually become closer to Amari even though she is a slave and you werent very fond of her when you first met?
2.) What is your thoughts on being an identured servant?
3.) If you had one wish what would it be?
4.) Do you think its fair you have to be treated this way, to pick up after your fathers debts?
5.) What are your thoughts on the plantation you first arrived at with Amari? a.k.a Myna

Discussion director Jordan Nogle p6

#1. What do you think goes through the slaves minds when they are being bought. Do you think they know what will happen to them once they are sold? #2 When Polly first is introduced in the book what was your first impression of her. Do you think that she and amari will ever get along? #3 Do you think clay will ever leave amari alone or will clay eventually start enjoying her and become her friend?

Breia Kirby word nerd

http://www.wordle.net/delete?index=5050776&d=WOSE

The three words I chose from my list of ten were slave, journey, and cargo. I chose these words because they had significance in this section of Copper Sun. Each word has a meaning and all of them relate to the word "slave". Slaves were put on a ship as thought they were cargo being taken to a port in a harbor. It was a journey that took anywhere from 5 weeks to 3 months and was a time of confusion for the slaves. This relates to the book because Amari was taken on a journey where she would be examined and sold as a slave to a wealthy master. Those are the three words out of the ten that I chose to explain their significance.

***Up top is a URL link to my wordle I created, feel free to take a look!

Sean Eberly-Connector

Similarities/ Differences:             

There are many similarities and differences between Copper Sun and Chains. In both books the main character loses a loved one. Amari lost her mother and father, and Isabel lost her mother in these two books. Copper Sun and Chains are also similar because both main characters are slaves. The two main characters of the books also find a friend. When Amari is taken to the city after being captured she becomes friends with Afi. Isabel became friends with Curzon after arriving in New York City.

                The main characters are also very different in ways. In Chains Isabel knew how to speak English, whereas Amari is slowly starting to learn some words and phrases. They are also different because Isabel was born a slave and Amari has been captured and is going to become a slave. Another difference is how Amari was born in Africa and Isabel was born in America.  These books are also different in their settings.  In Copper Sun the setting is in Africa and on the ocean, and Chains occurs in New York City.

Connection:

                In history class we have been learning about slavery in the United States. We learned the ways slaves were stacked on shelves of the ships, just like how the slaves in Copper Sun were stacked. Our teacher also told us how the slaves were made to exercise on deck like Amari and other women were made to. The class also discussed how they would wash the slaves with salt water and how it would burn. In Copper Sun it explained how the salt water stung the wounds on Amari.

Corinne McGuire Director

1. How do you feel about the slave traders being able to cause the Ashanti to betray her tribe so easily?  Explain.
2. What do you think you would do if you were forced to live on a crammed shelf like the captured African men? Explain. 
3. If you were a sailor on the ship would you be like the red headed sailor or the others taking advantage of the women and being cruel to the men? Justify your answer. 

Deanna Frey Pd.6 Reflector

        I was so excited for the life that was planned out ahead of me before those pale strangers came into my life and turned it upside down. My father, mother, brother, and my whole village were taken away from me in one night before my very eyes. My own brother died in my arms! I no longer can have the hope of a happy lifetime with Besa.This brings me such unimaginable grief that no one, especially a girl my age should ever have to deal with in a lifetime. How could our own neighboring tribe help the men who do this to us? The healthy and young chosen ones are taken on a journey to a place where many others are captured just like me. I am so devastated, frightened, angry, and confused! What is happening to us?

         I have made a friend, Afi, that teaches me of the horrors around me and that I will encounter, but she is a comfort. We are taken aboard a ship to be sailed like cargo. It is so hard to carry the knowledge that all that happens may only get worse. Living like an animal is so degrading, especially with how we are treated each night by the soldiers. I am learning some of the language from the kind, red-headed man which gives me hope, but then I see the more and more bodies that are thrown overboard and it brings the huge load of grief again. All of this anguish is too much, and I begin to feel numb to life to block out these terrible feelings. I feel so depressed and helpless that sometimes I believe that death would be the better option, but Afi says that I must be strong and survive this journey for my family and for myself. It seems impossible.

"At first Amari prayed for the storm to stop. Soon she simply wished that the ship would be take by the storm and sink to the bottom of the ocean."  (pg.60 paragraph 2)

Jordan Nogle reporter march 22

To Amari:
 #1 Where did you meet Besa?
#2 Why do you believe the red headed man was so nice to you?
#3 Was it hard to learn English?
#4 Why do you think Clay is so bitter?
#5 Have you ever thought of trying to escape?