Bibliography
Engle, Margarita. THE SURRENDER TREE: POEMS OF CUBA’S
STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2008. ISBN 0805086749.
Plot Summary
Cuba's three wars for independence raged on as Rosa la
Bayamesa, a nurse and former slave, tended to the sick and the injured. Using
medicines she makes from local plants, she helped the Cuban rebels, the
children, even the Spanish soldiers who fought for the other side.
THE SURRENDER
TREE speaks of the struggles Cubans faced for their freedom from slavery and
from Spain. The story unfolds in a series
of poems told mainly from the perspective of Rosa, though some are from the point
of view of slave hunter Lieutenant Death, Rosa’s husband and helper Jose, and orphan
Silvia.
Based on actual events and people, this verse novel follows Rosa's life
from 1850 to 1899. While being pursued by her nemesis, Lieutenant Death, Rosa
and Jose help those in need, until Spain is defeated, with the assistance of
the U.S. Rough Riders.
Critical
Analysis
With beautiful imagery, Margarita Engle’s words paint rich pictures
of the jungles of Cuba and the daily struggles faced by those fighting for
freedom and hoping for peace. The language of THE SURRENDER TREE is authentic
and meaningful.
In one of the poems in Jose’s voice, he describes how, “Sometimes
war feels/like a lonely child’s game/one that explodes/out of control.” This
verse spoke to me and grabbed my heart. The poems make the reader feel the
sorrow and despair caused by the death and destruction of war.
While reading
the perspective of Rosa, I almost could feel the physical weight of the burden
she faced trying to care for those who were injured. The slight changes in
rhythm help develop the different voices of each character that is important in
the telling of the story.
The poems together tell a hauntingly beautiful story,
though each poem can still be appreciated individually. After reading THE
SURRENDER TREE, I felt the desire to read more poetry by Margarita Engle and
learn more about the history of Cuba.
Review
Excerpt(s)
2009 Newbery Honor Book
2009 Pura Belpre Medal for Narrative
2009 Bank Street - Claudia Lewis Award
2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year
From School Library
Journal
“The Surrender Tree is hauntingly beautiful,
revealing pieces of Cuba's troubled past through the poetry of hidden moments
such as the glimpse of a woman shuttling children through a cave roof for
Rosa's care or the snapshot of runaway Chinese slaves catching a crocodile to
eat.” Jill Heritage Maza, Greenwich
High School, CT
From Booklist
“Many readers will be caught by the compelling narrative
voices and want to pursue the historical accounts in Engle’s bibliography.” Hazel
Rochman
Book Connections
Other books by
Margarita Engle:
THE POET SLAVE OF CUBA: A BIOGRAPHY OF JUAN FRANCISCO MANZANO, ISBN 0312659288.
THE LIGHTNING DREAMER: CUBA’S
GREATEST ABOLITIONIST, ISBN 0547807430.
THE FIREFLY LETTERS: A
SUFFRAGETTE’S JOURNEY TO CUBA, ISBN 0805090827.
Other poetry verse novels:
Havill, Juanita. GROW: A NOVEL
IN VERSE, ISBN 1561455751.
Alexander, Kwame. THE
CROSSOVER, ISBN 0544107713.
Creech, Sharon. HATE THE CAT,
ISBN 0606147713.
Activities for THE
SURRENDER TREE:
·
As part of a poetry study, compare and contrast the
types of poetry, specifically verse novels, use graphic organizers to map your
thinking.
·
Working in groups, have students brainstorm and
write a verse novel. Using Web 2.0 tools, have student publish and present
their poetry.
·
Use graphic organizers to map out the different
elements of poetry like rhythm and emotion, plus the story elements like plot
and setting, included in THE SURRENDER TREE.
No comments:
Post a Comment