The book sounder theme

Armstrong followed this title with numerous other selfhelp books, and in 1963 he was rewarded the. Sounder by william armstrong lesson plans and teaching resources i have to change. Armstrongs novel, sounder, depicts the life of a poor black family and their dog around the turn of the twentieth century. A book s theme is not the same as its plot or its moral lesson, but these elements are related and necessary in building the larger story. Early in the book and for the whole rest of the book his father was arrested. The family of five consists of the mother, father, two sons, one daughter, and last but not least their dog sounder. Set in the nineteenthcentury south, sounder is the story of a poor african american boys struggle to carry on when his father is jailed. Sounder is the only name that ever appears throughout the entire text, and it is ironic that the only being with a name is not human, but a dog. Sounder s exemplifies his loyalty to the father and the rest of the family many times throughout the novel. Because of this ability, he is able to turn to words from the book he found to help him deal with the deaths of his father and sounder.

One thing i liked about the story was that it had an almost circular theme. The role of the adolescent in the family scroll down to find 5 questions for discussing the novel. Not only did he lose him, his mother had lost her husband. Sounder just couldnt poke slow enough for your father the mother said to the boy as they stood in the doorway, straining and sifting the dark for some movement. Later in the book sounder has an internal conflict that changes his life. The boys father steals a ham to feed his hungry family, and a few days later an angry sheriff and his deputies come to arrest the father. The oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the depressionera south after his father is imprisoned for stealing food. That is, by the end of the story the book had come full circle sounder the dog as well as the boys father left, came back and died. Sounder tries to protect his family against the white sheriff and his deputies, but it is a losing battle. Sounder is about a young africanamerican boy who lives in the south with his family and dog, which is named sounder. Sounder eventually returns emaciated, battered, but. The larger unit involves 4 novels with a common theme.

It tells the story of an africanamerican family and their coondog, sounder, living in the harsh life of the south. Sounder isnt so much a story about a dog as it is the coming of age story of an african american boy in the depression era south. Although it takes many years to happen, the boy learns to read. Sounder is a quick read that probably could be done in a days time or less.

In the book sounder there are alot of conflicts some. Learn how to find the theme of a book or short story. Night after night, he and his great coon dog, sounder, return to the cabin emptyhanded. Reading, writing, and sounder students will read sounder and record reactions to each chapter of the novel in a journal. The plot of a novel is the action that takes place within the course of the narrative.

The boy had lost his father because hes in jail for stealing food to feed the family. Sounder, who is very attached to the father, barks and runs after the wagon as the father is taken away. The guards smash a gift the boy delivers to his dad in jail, men are beaten on the chain gang, one guard smashes the boys hand with a piece of thrown iron, a dynamite explosion kills some of the. He first shows his loyalty when he tries to attack the sheriff. Struggling to maintain dignity in the face of prejudice is a major theme in this book. The first instance where sounder exemplifies great loyalty is when the father was taken away by the sheriffs. Asked in childrens books how did sounder get his name in the book sounder. Metaphor the road which passed the cabin lay like a thread dropped on a patchwork quilt. The central theme of the novel is the value of having dignity, courage, and love in the face of adversity. A work of fiction may have one theme or many, and they arent always easy to pinpoint right away.

The author refers to the various characters by their relationship or their role in the story. One of the deputies shoots at the dog and sounder falls. I believe that the theme of sounder would definitely be loyalty. Almost as important as the main theme of the novel is the secondary theme of alienation and loneliness endured by black people as a result of discrimination against them. Finally mother speaks, telling her son to come inside. With cicely tyson, paul winfield, kevin hooks, carmen mathews. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. The lesson can be used to start off a class reading of the text, or to encourage them to read it independently. This theme comes across through the characters of the boy, mother, and sounder. The author notes prisoners were hauled in muledrawn wagons, and the mention of chain gangs places an upper limit to the story of 1955 when the. He learns to read, and with that skill comes the beginning of greater understanding. Lesson plans and resources for sounder inclass introduction this lesson is designed to provide students with a oneclass introduction to the book. Generally, dogs are considered to be loyal to their owners. Sounder, a film adaptation of armstrongs book starring cicely tyson and.

The next conflict sounder got shot by the deputies. Lesson plans and resources for sounder free library of. Emi music publishing, cmrra, and 1 music rights societies. Readers who enjoy timeless dog stories such as old yeller and where the red fern grows will find much to love in sounder, even as they read through tears at times. Writer and teacher william armstrong wrote celebrated childrens books including the newbery medalwinning sounder, about an african american sharecropper family with a loud and loyal hound. Although it isnt really marketed a such, sounder is the first in a trilogy of books followed by sour land and the macleod place. Open ended questions and graphic organizers are easily adaptable for eve. My sounder storyboard in the book, sounder is a coon dog who really loves and cherishes his master. How does the boy try to combat the loneliness and isolation of. Sounder was loyal to the father by trying to take care of him.

Certainly, sounder symbolizes many important qualities such as loyalty and patience. It is a wonderful tale that is truly powerful in its simplicity. The boys father is a sharecropper, struggling to feed his family in hard times. The newbery medalwinning classic novel about the courage and faithand the love of a dogthat give a family strength in the face of inhumanity. The family dog, sounder, is a beloved member of the family who helps them during troubled times by hunting and being a loyal companion. Smile three small children, none as high as the level of the latch. As a recipient of one book resources, the free library requires that you devote one class period to. Loneliness seems to be a running theme throughout a large part of the book, and i could. Sounder makes an awful, strangled noise and then drags the boy as he follows the wagon. By reading the book was how he got the name temporal loop. The story takes place in the cabin of a sharecroppers home and the outlying town. A young african american boy and his family are living in poverty in the south during the 19th century. The boy, now a man, knows that though his father and sounder may be buried under the cold, hard earth, they will live on in his memory forever.

The boy looks for sounder s body over the course of the next few days but cannot find the dog. Sounder s loyalty towards the dad and the family as a whole molds the story into what it is. There is a beauty in the simplicity of the authors writing which imparts a great deal of meaning in a minimum of words. This study guide consists of approximately 11 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of sounder. Sounder, the dogs name, is the only character name used in the book. Despite their deaths, there is a sense of peace and resolution over the familyespecially over the boy, who has achieved the single thing he most wanted in the world, which. Loneliness is a recurring theme throughout sounder. Suddenly the boy must grow up fast in a world that isnt fair, keeping hope alive through the love he has for his fathers faithful dog, sounder. Personification the sun was just beginning to drive its first splinters of light through the pines. Armstrong suggests that sounder has more of an identity than the rest of the people in the book, and it is precisely these unnamed characters that gave the dog his. Sounder won the newbery award for the best american childrens novel of the year, and was a monumental success right from its date of publication. Sounder eventually returns emaciated, battered, but still devoted and so does the boys hope. This theme comes across through the characters of the boy.

It is the story of an africanamerican boy living with his sharecropper family. Lesson plans and resources for sounder inclass introduction. The book was broken up into chapters, which made the story easier to follow. The protagonist of the novel is a young africanamerican boy who has to deal with his. Additionally, the book is held together by the parallel between the dog and his master and by the constant image of sounder as a symbol of human values, in contrast to the beastlike values of the white establishment. Armstrong suggests that sounder has more of an identity than the rest of the people in the book, and it is precisely these unnamed characters that gave the dog his name in the first placeto them. Book cover, comic book page, cluster web, concept map, personal interpretation, different perspectives, feelings, hunting through. Sounderthemestheme analysisplot structure analysisstyle. This 36 page activity pack for sounder, by william h. Sounder study guide contains vocabulary and questions arranged according to grouped chapter of the novel 1, 23, 45, 67, 8. After the mans arrest, the boy, his mother, and sounder must face the hardships without the father. Armstrong, contains 20 common corealigned reading response activities. Winner of the newbery medal and an acknowledged landmark in childrens literature, sounder traces the keen sorrow and abiding faith of a poor africanamerican boy in the 19thcentury south.

It was still night, but the first red glow of dawn was rising in a faint crescent over the pine woods. Sounder later comes back without his master, and, when the boy goes looking for his father, he finds him dead. Sounder is a beautiful story that has earned a spot on my keeper shelf. Sounder finds carcasses so that the family can sell them. It is a dirty, dusty mess, but sounder is nowhere under the cabin. Sounder quotes showing 16 of 6 one day might be different from another, but there aint much difference when theyre put together. Angry and humiliated, the boy has no choice but to begin a difficult transition to adulthood. Sounder andrew black 5th period february 28, 2014 works cited armstrong, william h. The mangled body is described graphically, as is the death of a bull. Focus standards include character analysis, theme, plot, figurative language, point of view, and more. It was translated into 28 languages, and was made into a movie, which in turn was nominated for an academy award. The new york times chose sounder as the best book of the year when it was published.