Chains (Seeds of America Trilogy Series #1) “Chains” by 2017 Zarrow Award Winner Laurie Halse Anderson
In class assignment : Recall Chapts 15-22
In Chapter 9 Madam Lockton dresses up Ruth as a doll making her into a "curiosity". What happens to change Madam Lockton's treatment of Ruth as her personal attendant?
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What events preceded the selling of Ruth? Chapt 15
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How does Isabel respond to Madam Lockton's treatment of Ruth? Chapt 16
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Isabel encounters a woman singing "Yankee Doodle" – What is the message?
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How is Madam Lockton able to sell Ruth without Isabel's knowledge?
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How does Isabel respond to the selling of Ruth and what are the consequences of her actions? Chapt 22
1.
Describe the life of
slaves in the American colonies in the 1700s. Discuss the difference between a
servant and a slave. How did Miss Mary Finch's view of slavery differ from that
of most slave owners? Why does Mr. Robert accuse Isabel of lying when she tells
him that she read Miss Mary's will? Explain why Pastor Weeks thinks that
teaching a slave to read only "leads to trouble."
In Chapter 9 Madam Lockton dresses up Ruth as a doll making her into a "curiosity". What happens to change Madam Lockton's treatment of Ruth as her personal attendant?
- What events preceded the selling of Ruth? Chapt 15
- How does Isabel respond to Madam Lockton's treatment of Ruth? Chapt 16
- Isabel encounters a woman singing "Yankee Doodle" – What is the message?
- How is Madam Lockton able to sell Ruth without Isabel's knowledge?
- How does Isabel respond to the selling of Ruth and what are the consequences of her actions? Chapt 22
2.
Mr. Robert collects
Isabel and Ruth on the day of Miss Mary's funeral. Why aren't the girls allowed
to take personal items with them? Explain the symbolism of the seeds that
Isabel hides in her pocket. She plants the seeds, and one day finds that the
plants have died. What do the dead plants represent? There is another plant
metaphor in the novel. Explain what the mayor of New York means when he
compares the rebels to vines.
3.
Role models may be
found in real life and in stories. How are Isabel's momma and Queen Esther,
from the Bible, her role models for bravery? Discuss the connection between
bravery, courage, and fear. What is Isabel's first act of bravery? Discuss her
most fearful moments. How is her bravery and courage fueled by her fears? How
does she become bolder and braver as the novel develops?
4.
The American
Revolution was about freedom and liberty. Mr. Lockton, a Loyalist, thinks that
freedom and liberty has many meanings. Define freedom from his point of view.
How might the Patriots define freedom and liberty? Isabel has lived her entire
life in bondage, but dreams of freedom. What does freedom look like in Isabel's
mind?
5.
Discuss why Curzon
thinks that Isabel will be a good spy. At what point does she accept his offer?
Isabel feels betrayed by Curzon. How is Curzon betrayed by Colonel Regan? At
what point does Isabel understand that Curzon's dream of freedom is the same as
hers? How does this realization help her forgive him? At the beginning of the
novel, Isabel needs Curzon. How does he need her at the end of the novel?
6.
Isabel encounters a
woman in the street singing "Yankee Doodle," and realizes that the
woman is a messenger. What is the message? Colonel Regan gives Isabel the code
word ad astra to use when entering the rebel camp. The word means "to the
stars" in Latin. Why is this an appropriate code word for the rebels? How
does this word foreshadow Isabel and Curzon's ultimate escape to freedom at the
end of the novel?
7.
The mayor of New York,
a Loyalist, says, "The beast has grown too large. If it breaks free of its
chains, we are all in danger. We need to cut off its head." Who is the
beast? Who is the head? Why is Lockton so adamantly opposed to the mayor's
proposal?
8.
Isabel says,
"Madam looked down without seeing me; she looked at me face, my kerchief,
my shirt neatly tucked into my skirt, looked at my shoes pinching my feet,
looked at my hands that were stronger than hers. She did not look into my eyes,
did not see the lion inside. She did not see the me of me, the Isabel."
What is the lion inside of Isabel? What does Lady Seymour see in Isabel that
Madam Lockton doesn't see? How does the "lamb" in Lady Seymour help
the "lion" inside of Isabel escape?9. Explain the following metaphor: "Melancholy held me hostage, and the bees built a hive of sadness in my soul." What precipitates such sadness in Isabel? How does the hive grow bigger before Isabel learns to destroy it?
10. The old man that Isabel calls Grandfather says, "Everything that stands between you and freedom is the river Jordan." He assures her that she will find it if she looks hard enough. What is the figurative river Jordan in the novel? Discuss all of the tributaries that feed into Isabel's river Jordan.
11. The bookseller gives Isabel a copy of Common Sense by Thomas Paine. He advises her that the words are dangerous, and that she should commit them to memory. At what point does she understand Paine's words? How does the book give her courage?
12. What does Isabel mean when she says, "I was chained between two nations"? There are several references to chains throughout the novel. How is the word "chain" used as an antonym to the word "freedom"?Chains (Seeds of America Trilogy Series #1) by Laurie Halse Anderson.