Stories that Reframe History
Pip
I am gifted and not able to recognize any faces
I live on the island with Kinchen and Ren
I wonder what Raft King wants with me
I hear fish talking to me
I see the Raft King's purple cape
I want my voice to be heard
I know Ren loves me just as I am
I am gifted, not able to recognize any faces, learning to accept myself, and kind
​
I question if I should help Raft King and if he will keep his word
I feel excited, but nervous to be away from Kinchen
I taste spicy greens and root vegetables at the Raft King's fancy dinner
I worry people will think that I am slow-witted
I excel at communicating with sea creatures
I understand that Kinchen only wants to protect me
I am gifted, not able to recognize any faces, eleven years old, now on Raftworld
I say people need to make their own choices
I believe that Kinchen is a great older sister
I dream of traveling to meet new sea creatures
I try to remember people's faces
I hope Kinchen does not feel left out
I was once embarrassed of who I am
But now I am proud to be me
I am gifted and not able to recognize any faces
I am Pip
​
Persona Poetry
Persona poetry gives students the opportunity to step into a characters shoes and really become them as they write about them. Writing persona poetry requires deep comprehension and understanding of a character. It allows the writer to be empathetic to the way that character feels. According to Frye, Hardin, Bouwman and Stumb in their article, "The persona poem can serve as a wardrobe that presents the reader-turned-writer with the opportunity to try on and borrow the appropriate attire and tools in order to move through that sliding glass door..." (2018). When choosing a character from A Crack in the Sea to write a persona poem about, I was immediately drawn to Pip. I admired his growth throughout the story and the way he began to accept himself for who he was. He was kind and helpful to everyone, only using his gift for sensible, good reasons. I enjoyed stepping into Pip's shoes as I wrote this poem.
Freedom Over Me
Eleven Slaves, their lives and dreams brought to life by Ashley Bryan, three time Caldecott award winner
Ashley Bryan speaks about the power of story telling.
Freedom Over Me is a powerful story written by Ashley Bryan and tells the story of eleven slaves on the Fairchilds Estate. Bryan wrote this story based on the appraisement document for the Fairchilds Estate from July 5th, 1828. In this document, eleven slaves were listed with only their names and prices, no age is told. In his book, he brings the slaves and their lives to life by writing a poem about each slave and about their dreams. Bryan does an amazing job of combating the typical damage only narrative surrounding enslaved people. His work reminds the reader that there is more to these people than what they suffered, they had hopes, dreams, and talents. I found it hard to read the book, even though it highlighted these people as humans, they were not treated as such. It made my stomach hurt to consider the way these people were stripped of their rights, real names, families and so much more. This book is a take on persona poetry, as Bryan steppes into the wardrobe of these enslaved people and gives them their own narrative, aside from what is typically taught about them.
The illustrations in Freedom Over Me are especially powerful. The lines on each person's face remind me of a tree's rings which represent age and wisdom. Although many of the people represented in this book are young, they have been aged by life experience. There are also newspaper clippings surrounding each face that contain real advertisements and information about slaves. It is also difficult to consider a person with a price beside their name, being sold as if they were property. The price comes before the name, obviously their name does not matter since they were not considered human.
Teaching Opportunities
This book would provide students with a new perspective on slavery. If paired with Freedom in Congo Square, students could explore the idea that slaves were more than just slaves, they were humans. Both of these books go against the common narrative that focuses solely on how terrible their lives were, and addresses cultural aspects and how they kept their culture alive during this awful time. As Gardener discusses in her article, when teaching students about racial trauma it is important to give students agency (2017). They should be given the opportunity to lead the conversation, just as was done in the example with Freedom in Congo Square. The discussion that took place surrounding the illustrations was student centered and valued their voices. Children should be allowed to express their concerns and ask "why?".
​
Ashley Bryan has created a book comprised of several stories of eleven slaves, with two poems about each person. Students could discuss similarities and differences between the poems and examine the poem from Mrs. Fairchild in order to develop an opinion about her as well.
Guiding Questions for Visual Response (Gardener, 2017)
1. What is happening in this picture?
2. What do you see that makes you say that?
3. How does what you see make you feel?
4. What does seeing this image make you wonder?
5. What questions do you have about what is happening, and what would you change in this picture?