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Homework Help: English: Books, Novels & Plays: The Starving Time
report by Noreen Duenas
author: Patricia Hermes
The Starving Time: Elizabeth's Diary, Book Two by Patricia Hermes
1. The Starving Time: Elizabeth's Diary Book Two by Patricia Hughes, ISBN:
0-439-19998-0 pb. Scholastic Inc, New York, 2001, $8.95, 109 pgs.
2. Historical Fiction (historical journal)
Grade 6-8, and high school supplementary material when studying American
literature or the early colonies of America; high interest - low reading level
3. The main character, Elizabeth Barker, relates life at the James Fort, and
early American colony, in the form of a 9 year-olds diary. Mary Dobson, age
13, and Francis Collier are her closest friends. Elizabeth also includes her
mama, papa, and baby sister in this diary.
4. Plot
In her first diary, Elizabeth writes about what happened on the voyage to
America and their new life in America. On October 9,1609, when the Blessing
sets sail to return to England with Captain John Smith, Elizabeth sends her
diary with him so her twin brother, Caleb, can read it. Seeing that she is
sad, Captain Smith gives her a book with blank pages as a new journal; thus,
Elizabeth begins recording the events of her first year at Jamestown.
Elizabeth is sad that her good friend Jessie returned to England with Captain
Smith. She resolves to find a new friend. Ironically, Mary Dobson, who
Elizabeth and Jessie think is conceited, becomes her close friend, as well as
Francis Collier. Jamestown Colony is a different place to live. With
Captain Smith gone, the colony lacks real leadership. By November, food is
growing scarce and the people of Jamestown feel the effects of hunger.
Indian attacks make it difficult, if not impossible, to go outside the fort
walls to hunt for food. A small group ventures out in early November;
however, only two of the four men return. Toward mid-November, Elizabeth's
Papa decides to go outside the fort to fish and forage for food, and
Elizabeth gives sound reasons why she should be allowed to go with her
father. When they return, they bring fish, mussels, clams, acorns, and corn.
The community, however, is falling apart because of hunger. Someone steals
the food they brought back. By the end of November, the colonists are hungry
enough to eat the worms brought out by a rainstorm. Another colonist, Master
Collier, ventures outside the gates, finds and kills a bear, and brings back
a huge leg of a bear; thus, the colonists feast. By the end of the month,
only about 100 families remain. With the coming of December, Elizabeth and
Mary decide that they need to create Christmas presents and to celebrate, in
some fashion, Christmas. By mid-December, since the storehouse lies empty,
some of the men decide to leave the fort and begin a new settlement farther
upriver. Sickness strikes Elizabeth and her family as well as many other
colonists. The ill are placed in the sick shed. By mid-February some of the
colonists are wandering outside the fort and never return. Elizabeth decides
she is going to leave and go to the Indians to ask for help. At one point,
two Indians find her and lead/carry her back to the settlement and leave
gifts of fish, bread, and venison. When Elizabeth returns, she is told her
mother is "helping out" in the sick shed. Mama is actually one of the ill
colonists and by the end of March she dies, as does Francis Collier,
Elizabeth's friend. In June, the ship returns bringing Elizabeth's twin
brother, food, medicine, new leaders, and other families.
5. Touchy areas
Although certain groups would label Elizabeth's defiance to her parents, I
feel it is more of a survival issue and parent/child closeness issue. Also,
some students might feel offended at the simplicity of the language since the
book is written from a 9 year-old's point of view.
6. Related Titles
Jamestown Narratives: Eyewitness Accounts of the Virginia
Colony: The First Decade: 1607-1617 (n.d.) by Edward Wright Haile (Editor),
The Virginia Adventure: Roanoke to James Towne, an Archaeological and Historical Odyssey (1997) Ivor Noel Hume
7. Movies: Mayflower: The Pilgrims' Adventure (1979), Pocahontas (1995)
Music: What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong (n.d.)
Related websites:
Virtual Jamestown
A Brief History of Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown Rediscovery
Art: artist unknown, Europeans Encountering Indians (painted around 1700), W. F. Halsale's The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor (1882)
Classic work: John Smith's Generall Historie of Virginia, New England and
the Summer Isles (1624), John Smith's A True Relation (1607)
8. Evaluation
Since many American literature anthologies include a selection from John
Smith and other early American utilitarian writers, this would be a good
supplement to give students a comparison of a adult perspective to a child's
perspective. It also includes a wide variety of discussion topics: hardships
of Jamestown Colony, death and grief due to wide-spread illness, struggle for
survival. It might be better to read this to your high school students than
to have them read it. Rating - 7
Homework Help: English: Books, Novels, and Plays
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