Questions: The Witch of Blackbird Pond By Elizabeth George Speare.

Questions: The Witch of Blackbird Pond By Elizabeth George Speare.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 58-11063
ISBN: 0-395-07114-3

http://childlitbookclub.blogspot.com/2008/10/witch-of-blackbird-pond-discussion.html

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 58-11063
ISBN: 0-395-07114-3


1. What do you think the main themes of this book are?

1. The main theme of the book that women are capable of reading, and other task.
2. Also the growing Sense of Independence in the Colonies to Break away from England.
3. Religion: Puritan VS Quaker

2. What if people suddenly expected you to behave differently from what you are used to? What are some ways you, or others, might respond if the rules of acceptable behavior suddenly changed?

Kit knew her way she was not going to really change. That is why she told William Ashby she could not marry him. However: he would expect her to be the wife of a Wealthy prominent man. And trust would have been issue
Chapter 20 Pages: 228-230

3. It is obvious that men and women play different roles in The Witch of Blackbird Pond and, by implication, in colonial society. This is a basic historical fact. But what is striking about the novel is how Elizabeth George Speare reveals two truths: how men as well as women are trapped by their roles, and the emotional implications of these strict gender roles for all characters. Can you come up with some examples from the book?

When it came to the meeting house the men and women did not sit together during worship.
Chapter 5 Page 52 Inside the small building, on rows of benches, sat the good folk of

Wethersfield, men on one side and women on the other side.

4. Who do you feel the most sorry for in this novel and why?

Mercy, Prudence and Hannah

Mercy is a very beautiful person inside and she really loves Judith however, affair to stand up to her, that she wouldn’t take John Holbrook away from her.

Prudence Cruff—her mother is a bully and neglects her by not feeding her calling her dumb.

Hannah Tupper-Accused of being a witch, because she refuses to worship with the puritans. She is a Quaker. Being a Quaker doesn’t make her less of a Christian. She has a beat up bible in her home. Chapter 10 Page 105 Of Course, Hannah said matter- of factly and the fines for not going to meetings

5. In her attempt to help both Prudence and Hannah, Kit sometimes disobeys community and family rules. Was that the right thing to do and does that make her a good friend?

Yes it does, make her a good friend; she helped a child Prudence to read and gave a lonely old woman with wisdom friendship. In the end Adam Cruff Prudence father saw what became of that friendship his daughter can read. He is so proud and it helped him stand up against his wife Goodwife Cruff.

Chapter Nineteen Page 221—222 “All my life I’ve wished I could read. If I’d had a son. I’d of seen to it he learned his letters. Well, this is a new country over here, and who says it may not be just as needful for a woman to read as man? Might give her sum mat to think about besides witches and foolishness. Any rate I got someone now to read the Good Book to me of an evening, and if that’s the work of the devil, then I say tis a mighty queer thing for the devil to go working against himself.

6. When did you first suspect there might be something between Nat and Kit? How did Speare craft things so this relationship made sense?

When Nat is chopping wood for Hannah and he told Kit that he has to thatch
Chapter 12 Page 125 “Can I help?” Kit was astonished to hear her own voice. To help Nat with Thatching Hannah’s roof.

7. In the end, do you think Speare is saying keeping secrets is a good thing or a bad thing?

When she hid the fact that she was seeing and disobeyed her Uncle Matthew by seeing Hannah. Because he was a selectman and he had to turn her over to the constable for being a witch Chapter 18 Page 197

8. As Kit adjust to life in her new community, she must often ask herself whom must I be loyal to? How does that parallel our lives in this country today?

Kit realized her Uncle Matthew was not loyal to the King. Kit lived a life of privilege before coming to the New World. Now in order to survive she must obey her Uncle and she is learning the ways of the Puritans. She has not adjusted. She deems them to be prejudice people.

So she remained true to herself by hiding the fact that she became friends with Hannah Tupper, around Hannah she could be herself. As the year passed she realized with Nat that she didn’t have to change.

Her loyalties were clearly with Hannah Tupper, when she saved her from being killed by the towns people, Nat who came back to help her despite if he got caught he was would receive 30 lashes and Prudence to help her get an education behind her parents back.

9. In New England, witchcraft was a crime punishable by death. The first such trial and execution took place in Connecticut in 1647. Ten other similar trials and executions took place in Connecticut in the twenty years following. Three of those "witches" were from the real town of Wethersfield. Speare said, "I do not believe a historical novel should gloss over the pain and ugliness." Do you think the novel's conclusion was realistic for that time period?

Yes during Kit’s Trial the Town realized that their prejudice may have harmed an innocent person such as Hannah Tupper and Kit.

Chapter Nineteen Page 222 Especially when Prudence Father Adam Cruff said Any rate I got someone now to read the Good Book to me of an evening, and if that’s the work of the devil, then I say tis a mighty queer thing for the devil to go working against himself.

10. In the end, Matthew shows himself to be law-abiding, even though he is prejudiced against those with different ideas. Do you think it is possible for a good and decent person to have prejudices?

Yes it’s possible for a good decent person to have prejudices? However, in the end Matthew knew he was wrong about his niece and her friendship with Hannah. The prejudices with him was against the Quaker Religion

11. This book was written a long time ago, do you think it would still interest kids today? What books of our time might interest kids just as much on 50 years?

Yes I believe this is a great book. I do believe kids would be interested in this book if the adults of this world would leave out the politically correct ideology of what is write and wrong. Especially dealing with the Christian Religion.