To be a SlaveJulius Lester

Jazmine Bridges5th

Context CluesWord- Sentence- Correct

Dictionary Definition-

Surname He was given the surname of his owner, no matter how many owners he may have during his life.

The name that identifies somebody as belonging to a particular family and that he or she has in common with other members of that family.

Virtues The institution of slavery had no redeeming virtues for the enslaved.

The quality of being morally good or righteous.

Trodden When the sack is filled, it is emptied into the basket and trodden down.

A past participle of tread.

Deliberately ….I had to seize the bowl with one hand and deliberately draw out the white…

Carefully weighed or considered; studied; intentional.

seize ….I had to seize the bowl with one hand and deliberately draw out the white…

To vest ownership of a freehold estate.

To be a Slave is meant to inform us about what happened when slavery existed. The author wanted us to understand how horrible they treated and to get a mental picture of their everyday, routine lifestyle.

Text Purpose

The author of To be a Slave, Julius Lester, used first and third person in the book so we could interpret the story from more than one perspective. Its better this way because you get more than one persons thoughts on the situation.

Text Structure

Text Representation

SlavesUnable to be free.

Ruled by those who “owned” them.

Couldn’t have families.

Men and women had to work in the planation.

Couldn’t choose religion.

Free AmericansCan act freely.

We are not owned.

We may have families as we please.

We can chose to work wherever we want to.

We cant be beaten by anyone. It’s a law.

We can worship whoever we want.

BothJudged by race and religion.Have to work for what we need.

Author’s Perspective/Point of View

Subject Author’s Feelings

Text Evidence

People being forced into slavery

He feels it was wrong.

When he wrote about it in detail the tone of the story changes to sad and inapproving.

Main Idea

Paragraphs Main Idea

Beginning-Page #30 What the slaves were forced to do during slavery. This section of the book explains the daily routine of a slave in details.

Middle-Page #78 During Sunday school the slave children were taught many things, including being obedient and wise to their masters.

End-Page #147 When the slaves became free they had to do many things so that they stayed free. They even had to change their names.

Supporting Details

Details Page #

Comments

Getting beaten

35 Knowing that the slaves were beaten for minor incidents tells us how harsh their disciplinary consequences were.

Describing the plantation.

59 With the description given, we can see how the slaves were sheltered. Throughout the year the slaves were forced to live in small places on the plantations.

“treated like animals”

19-20 this simile helps us comprehend that the slaves were treated so badly, you could compare it to the way wild animals are treated.

Draw Inferences

What the Book Says Conclusions DrawnSituation: the slaves had to place their children in ditch while they worked. One day it rained, the ditch flooded, and all of the children drowned.

Character Actions: the author says, “they never got nary like of labor & nary a red penny for any of them babies.”

The parents of the children we happy and relived that their children didn’t have to live the horrible life they were living. They were also sad because they lost the lives of their children.

Situation: when the slaves were getting onto the ship, the guards threw the children into the ocean and they drowned.

Character Actions: they felt they were being treated unfairly and they wanted their children to be okay.

The parents and the guards knew most of the children wouldn't have survived the expedition either way, but its sill sad.

Compare-Contrast

To be a Slave:

1. Different stories from slaves.

2. Tells about their whole journey/ life.

3. Talks to many slaves

4. Told in 1st and 3rd person

5. Talks about how they were treated.

“How Slavery Really Ended in America”:

1.What caused the end of slavery.

2. Talks about 3 main slaves.

3. Abraham Lincoln was envolved.

4. Talks about the ending of slavery.

5. Focused on one time.

Both:

1 .About slaves

2. Mentions emancipatio

n proclamatio

n

3. Can teach history

4. In virgina

5. Both have escape stories

(runaway slaves)

FactsFacts Page # CommentsNo barn on the plantation.

Page 61 Throughout the descriptive details, no barn is mentioned. How did they get their meats?

Henson eventually raised himself to be superintendent of the farm work and then overseer.

Page 94 This is a statement about a character.

Through the songs, they made fun on the slave owners.

Page 114 This is a fact about the slaves because it is positive that they did this.

Many thousands of slaves escaped.

Page 126 If slaves wouldn’t have escaped they might have still been in slavery.

Many slaves made plans incase slavery returned.

Page 147 Slaves had a backup plan incase their nightmare became their reality again.

OpinionsOpinions Page # CommentsThe plantation was a world itself.

Page 60 The whole world wasn’t really in the plantation. It was an exaggeration meaning everything the slaves needed was on the plantation.

Slaves lived just for Christmas to come around.

Page 110 Not all slaves only lived for Christmas. The slave speaking at the time may have, but not all.

“I'm alright, Jake.” Page 127 The slaves opinion is that he is okay. Opinions cant be proven and they words- I'm okay- cant be proven either.

In my opinion,-and I have had opportunity to know something of which I speak- there is not fifty slaves on the shores of Buffalo Boeuf, but would hail w/ unmeasured delight the approach of an invading army.

Page 129 In the book it says “in my opinion”

The names didn’t matter though.

Page 147 The names may have mattered to some slaves.

In the book the slaves looked forward to Christmas. I look forward to Christmas every year also because it’s one of the few days I get to spend time with my entire family.

The slaves in the book sang when they were going though something and it would cheer them up. Although I cant sing, I still sing to cheer myself up when I'm not having the best day.

The slaves were given the surname of their owners just like us. We are given the same last name as our parents instead of our owners.

Reading Response