Book Review/ Essay
Amari, a fifteen year old African girl, taken from her village, and forced to work on a rice plantation, finds her strength by not giving up on life. Copper Sun by Sharon Draper talks about how Amari endures life on a rice plantation, and all the pain she goes undergoes.
At first, Amari needs strength to survive her horrible trip to America. For three months, Amari faced so many challenges on her trip to America, to become a slave. The ship was a disgusting place with no clean places to sleep, no clean food and no bathrooms for the slaves. Being forced on the ship with so many other slaves with broken spirits, Amari feels helpless. Diseases spread rapidly and kill many slaves who are thrown overboard. Sometimes they are allowed on deck, where she and all the other slaves, are forced to dance. Women slaves get raped, beaten, and tortured by the crew. One of the crew members Amari meets on the ship secretly helps her learn English. Afi, a slave on the same ship as Amari, helps her get through tough times by talking to her. Amari finds her strength to get her through rough experience.
After she arrives at the plantation she tries to save a baby from murder. She gets close to the other slaves, and makes a new friend, Polly, an indentured servant. Polly and Amari plan to make sure that Mr. Derby, the cruel and spiteful owner of the plantation does not know that his wife, Isabelle, the owner's wife, had an affair with one of his slaves, and that she is pregnant with a black child. Amari and Polly deliver the newborn and they figure out that they will hide her. They tell the master that the baby died. The master though finds out about the infant and he kills the baby in front of his wife. Amari is shocked. She thinks all has passed Mr. Derby kills the baby’s father, one of the black slaves, too. Amari learns that she must remain hopeful, even after what she saw that dreadful night.
Amari shows bravery when she escapes with Tidbit and Polly from the Derby’s
At first, Amari needs strength to survive her horrible trip to America. For three months, Amari faced so many challenges on her trip to America, to become a slave. The ship was a disgusting place with no clean places to sleep, no clean food and no bathrooms for the slaves. Being forced on the ship with so many other slaves with broken spirits, Amari feels helpless. Diseases spread rapidly and kill many slaves who are thrown overboard. Sometimes they are allowed on deck, where she and all the other slaves, are forced to dance. Women slaves get raped, beaten, and tortured by the crew. One of the crew members Amari meets on the ship secretly helps her learn English. Afi, a slave on the same ship as Amari, helps her get through tough times by talking to her. Amari finds her strength to get her through rough experience.
After she arrives at the plantation she tries to save a baby from murder. She gets close to the other slaves, and makes a new friend, Polly, an indentured servant. Polly and Amari plan to make sure that Mr. Derby, the cruel and spiteful owner of the plantation does not know that his wife, Isabelle, the owner's wife, had an affair with one of his slaves, and that she is pregnant with a black child. Amari and Polly deliver the newborn and they figure out that they will hide her. They tell the master that the baby died. The master though finds out about the infant and he kills the baby in front of his wife. Amari is shocked. She thinks all has passed Mr. Derby kills the baby’s father, one of the black slaves, too. Amari learns that she must remain hopeful, even after what she saw that dreadful night.
Amari shows bravery when she escapes with Tidbit and Polly from the Derby’s