The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Bibliography
Speare, Elizabeth George. 1958. THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND. Bantam Doubleday. New York, NY. ISBN 0440995779

Plot
Kit Tyler, an orphan, sails from the Barbados Island to Wethersfield, Connecticut. Not raised in the church, she has escaped her Caribbean home because a man almost triple her age wants to marry her. However, she finds the Puritan lifestyle of her aunt and uncle to be rigid, stifling, and unbearable. She is comforted by an old Quaker woman, who the town accuses of being a witch, and secretly teaches a little girl how to read and write. Life with her family does get easier, however, as she learns to perform chores reserved for her former slaves. In fact, she makes quite an impression upon the most handsome bachelor in town, to the dismay of her cousin Judith. As time goes by, the rumor mill is quickly set into motion, and when Kit helps her Quaker friend escape town with the help of Nat, a sailor on the boat who brought her to America, she then is imprisoned and brought to trial as the witch’s replacement. Abandoned by everyone except her uncle, the little girl, and Nat, she escapes death. She also escapes an impulsive marriage to William Ashby. The ending of the story sets Kit on the beginning adventure of marriage to Nat, and their future excursions on his new boat, The Witch.

Critical Analysis
Though Kit and Wethersfield are fictional in nature, this story contains many references to real people who played an important role in shaping our country. Such people are Sir Edmond Dros(the new Governor that Uncle is worried about being in power), Captain Samuel Talcott (who leads the witch trial), and the setting of the story where the Quaker woman lives, the Great Meadows, is still around today. This is an excellent story showcasing the abuse of gossip and stereotyping that was generated out of fear in Puritan times. Not only is Kit a modern teenager having a hard time controlling her temper and viewing things in New England as not being fair, this also paints a very detailed picture of the rough life Puritans led. From the endless amount of chores such as all the sewing, the carding, the spinning, the cooking, the making of candles, soap, and food, to the relentless pursuit of serving a God who is painted as cold and unjust, the Wood family had no modern day conveniences. From the heat of summer, to the brutal winter, Puritans relied on their community for survival, and often were bullied into following the crowd so they were not ostracized as the new outcast. Most relevant in today’s time, this book is a stunning example of how words can forever injure.

Review
School Library Journal: The setting is the Colony of Connecticut in 1687 amid the political and religious conflicts of that day. Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler unexpectedly arrives at her aunt and uncle's doorstep and is unprepared for the new world which awaits her. Having been raised by her grandfather in Barbados, she doesn't understand the conflict between those loyal to the king and those who defend the Connecticut Charter. Unprepared for the religious intolerance and rigidity of the Puritan community, she is constantly astounding her aunt, uncle, and cousins with her dress, behavior, and ideas. She takes comfort in her secret friendship with the widow, Hannah Tupper, who has been expelled from Massachusetts because she is a Quaker and suspected of being a witch. When a deathly sickness strikes the village, first Hannah and then Kit are accused of being witches. Through these conflicts and experiences, Kit comes to know and accept herself. She learns not to make hasty judgments about people, and that there are always two sides to every conflict. There are several minor plots as well, including three romances, which help to bring this time and place to life.

Connections
Gossip Game—Explain that you will be sending a message around the room and people can only whisper it once to the person to their right. Once it’s gone around the room, hold up the paper containing the original message. Discuss how things get distorted as people retell it. Ask them if they have ever been the victim of a nasty rumor. Ask them how it felt knowing that people were saying untrue things about you. Brainstorm ways they can avoid adding to the ‘rumor mill’ that is common in every school and office in our country.
Chore Day--Set up a house that might be like the house Kit’s moved into with her aunt and uncle. A tent outside would be a great way to do this. Instruct the kids they will be doing all the chores the way Kit, Judith and Mercy did. If possible, use as many ideas as follows. Parent help will be necessary.
A. Set up a wash tub, washing board, a bar of soap and dirty shirts. You will also need a clothes line and pins to hang up the shirts to dry. Explain to the kids how they will have to wash the shirt and hang it up to dry.
B. Have students cook eggs on a griddle over a fire.
C. Have students make a fire. If you can get an old-fashioned stove, all better. You might need to supplement this with pictures or a small model stove that is common in antique shops.
D. Have students sweep a small area of a patch of dirt with an old-fashioned broom.
E. Have a sewing center set up where students would learn how to do a few stitches of sewing, crocheting, using a loom or even carding wool and/or spinning yarn.
F. If possible bring a cow or goat in and have students take turns milk it.
G. Have a butter churn set up and challenge the class to see if they can finish it by the end of the day.
H. Have students plant a garden to keep permanently at the school.