Hang A Thousand Trees With Ribbon--Part 1

Hang A Thousand Trees With Ribbons~~~Ann Rinaldi
I read from the beginning to page 82 or in the middle of chapter 10.

In my book this week, a lot of different things happened.  

Chapter 1:     The book started off with Phillis and Nathaniel talking about her poetry, and in a way arguing.  For she was to go that day to prove that this poetry was written by her.  Phillis a slave.  

Chapter 2:     Sulie, another slave has always been mean to Phillis.  In this chapter they show you the first incident of where she is mean to Phillis.  Phillis is talking to Prince (another slave) and she gets mad.  She thinks that Phillis will get Prince sold one of these days.

Chapter 3:     Phillis leaves to go to Province House where the people are who want to know about her poetry.  Nathaniel comes with her.  There is a fountain in the "main" yard.  That reminds Phillis of how her mother used to pour water out before the sun each and every morning.  She likes it how when she writes she is not a skinny black slave.  When she writes, her writing has no color at all.  

Chapter 4:     Then Ann Rinaldi goes on to tell you about her life before a slave and on the slave ship.  In her life before she was a slave her father was known as a great hunter.  One day a leopard came and stole an antelope that Phillis' father had killer for her family.  Her father decided to go and kill the leopard.  He took aim and missed.  On accident, he shot one of his brothers men.  He was put on trial and they decided that he should be sold as a slave.  Her father was taken to be brought to the ship, but he escaped.  Then all of the people had to stay inside of their houses for fear that slavers or even worse his brother Dahobar would be there to catch them.  They then would be put into slavery.  Phillis had always been in the fields chasing away birds from the crops with her friend Obour.  They would earn a few cowries for themselves.  Cowries are a type of shell.  One day, Phillis decides to go and find Obour.  She would be back before the sun had risen.  As she nears the field, she sees something grab Obour.  It was a kidnapper.  Before long, Phillis found herself throwing sticks at him, biting and scratching him.  Her mother had seen her leave the house and had followed her.  She now comes and starts to fight with the man.  The kidnapper ties all three of them up and then brings them to Dahobar.  They then were taken to the slave ship.

Chapter 5:     This chapter was the most emotional for me yet, and it might be the most emotional one in the whole book.  You never know.  
Obour and Phillis clutched to her mother.  They had marched for nearly a whole day tied next to each other.  There were twenty other men, women, and children with them.  The people who worked on the slave ship and the Captain came to shore in canoes.  The men were them separated from the women and the children.  They were told to take off their clothing.  The Captain checked them over to see if they were worth taking back to American with them.  He pushed some of the people aside that he didn't want, but not Phillis.  Dahobar made him take her.  Obour clung to Phillis, so she came to.  Phillis then fainted when she saw the men coming forth with the hot brand.  Her mother was holding her when she woke up and she was allowed to hold a cold cloth against the brand.  At that time, Phillis' mother took off her cowrie shell and put it around Phillis' neck.  She gave Phillis some advice, and then Phillis was taken in a canoe to the boat.  Her mother was still on shore.  She would come on the next canoe.  Phillis shouted to her mother, and then vomited.  Phillis then was put in the hold and was shackled down.  Obour and Phillis were the only children on the ship because they didn't want children, but Dahobar insisted that they come.  Phillis' mother only had 16 inches to sit in, and 2 and a half feet above her.  Phillis feels bad because the whole reason they are on this ship is because she disobeyed her father and mother.  She then is forced to eat what is given to her even though she is not hungry.  She makes a deal with the captain that if they both eat, the captain will leave them unshackled.  Also he was to leave them up on deck and not send them below.  Kunkle is a man who uses the "cat" also known as a whip to flog the slaves and other crew members if they disobeyed.  Phillis can tell that her mother is weak when she comes up to "dance."  One night, Phillis wakes up to her mother's voice screaming for her life.  Phillis wakes up Obour and she hears Kunkle saying, "Throw her overboard!"  Then they threw her overboard.  While all of this was going on, Phillis had run over to see what was happening.  She got there in time to see her mother clinging to the stern of the boat.  One of the crew members climbed down and started to chop at her hands.  Phillis' mother looses her grip and falls into the ocean.  That was the end of her mother.  Phillis would rather starve herself to death than live. :(  Finally she started to eat again.  She was treated much better.  Phillis got a new mat, and they got better food.  

Chapter 6:  They then were brought to a place where one of the people who worked for the person who owned the ship came and checked on the slaves.  All of them were cleaned up to look presentable for the auction.   Mr. Wheatley buys her and she is separated from Obour.  :(  She fell asleep in the carriage on the way back to the Wheatly's house.

Chapter 7:  She is brought to the Wheatley's household and is given as a personal slave to Mary.  This is where she gets her first impression of Nathaniel.  

Chapter 8:  Phillis refuses to dance for Mary in front of her friends like she had to do on the boat.  She gets slapped by Mary.  Phillis goes up to Nathaniel's room and falls asleep.  When Nathaniel gets back from school, she reads her first word.  He says that he will help her learn to read more.  

Chapter 9:  Mary gets in trouble for slapping Phillis.  Phillis is no longer her personal slave.

Chapter 10:  Nathaniel gets a tutor to help him with his work.  Phillis is allowed to sit in if she gets her work done.  Mary is also allowed to sit in with him.




Questions:  One of my questions was what is a chaise?  I found my answer on Wikipedia.  It is a type of carriage.  Another one of my questions was what does incredulity mean?  I found this answer on the dictionary from my desktop.  This word means unable to believe something.  One more question was why did John Hancock call the place a den of lions?  This is one that I have to take a guess on, but my guess is that it is a scary place.

Prediction:  My prediction was that Phillis would go into the house and say what she needed to say to prove that the poetry was hers.  I was wrong so far because she goes and tells about her life before she was a slave and while she was before she wrote the poetry.

Connection:  I have a connection to a part of the story where Nathaniel doesn't want to become a Minister or go to Harvard.  Some parents want their children to do this or go to this Collage, but the child wants to go somewhere else.