Day of Tears
A.
Day of Tears is a frank illustration of slavery in
the American South and the how difficult it was to lack the command of one’s
own destiny. The book tells the story of
Emma, a slave who is trying to stay at the same home at her parents. Her allies include Sarah and Fanny, the wife
of Emma’s owner. Despite this, Pierce
goes back on his promise not to sell Emma which means she is separated not only
from her parents but it set to go onto an auction block where she will be sold
to the highest bidder. Despite this, she
eventually escapes to the north where she is able to start a new life.
B.
Lester,
J. (2005). Day of tears. New York,
New York: Hyperion.
C.
The
most notable feature of this book is the way in which it is written. The decision to present the book in dialogue
format keeps the plot moving along and does a good job demonstrating the
emotion of the characters without spelling out each thought that goes through a
character’s head. Overall, the
presentation of the opposing viewpoints on slavery is carefully done and Emma
as a protagonist charges the entire plot with emotion and gravitas. She comes off as sympathetic and does a good
job of presenting herself as a child amongst a cruel and unforgiving world who
finds hope where she can and has the daydreams one might imagine having in a
similar situation.
D.
“…The
speeches are theatrically effective, and Lester provides a frequently
surprising variety of responses to the events of the day and their larger
import, giving even the most heinous actors some understanding if not sympathy.”
–R. Sutton
Sutton, R. (2005). Day of Tears. Horn
Book Magazine, 81(4), 472.
E.
For
this activity, I would think that acting out aspects of the book would be an
interesting way to make the story more “real” for the kids. The book is already presented in a format
conducive to performance and it would be relatively easy to have the kids make
simple sets and costumes and then act out some of the key scenes. This would help illustrate even more what
happened in those dark days and help bring to reality what is in the kids’
imagination when they read this story. Care
would have to be taken to ensure the subject matter is treated with the respect
it deserves but this could be a very well received project.
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