Black Duck, By Janet Taylor Lisle

In the 1920’s, many towns suffered from the organized crime of bootlegging due to Prohibition. Newport, the town in which Ruben Hart lives in, was one of them. Everyone around him — his father, Jeddy McKenzie, Marina McKenzie, even the police chief is involved deeply with the illegal aspects of rum-running. In Black Duck, Janet Taylor Lisle uses multiple craft moves, such as experimental element of newspaper articles, symbolism, and imagery to demonstrate how the smuggling of liquor affected the Rhode Island town. To begin, Janet Taylor Lisle uses newspaper articles as an experimental element in Black Duck to show how rum-running affected Ruben’s town. For example, on page 1, the newspaper article states, “‘The shooting is unfortunate but