Chapter I 1. The narrator of this story is Sarny and she’s twelve years old. 2. This story is told in first person. 3. Clel Waller is Sarny’s owner. 4. Sarny doesn’t care or really respect Waller because when he isn’t around she calls him dog droppings and many other names. 5. Sarny is not dumb and how I know this is because she’s just quiet and listens to learn new things and if she were to be dumb she wouldn’t learn anything. 6. Sarny’s mother is not around because she was sold when Sarny was four years old and old Delie raised Sarny. 7. The work that Sarny does on the plantation is working around the quarters, cleaning the yard, gathering eggs, and helping old Delie with the young ones. 8. What Sarny does at night is she gets on a pallet in the back of the long log house and thinks.
Chapter II 1. Sarny’s job in the flower garden was to work on the roses and her job allows her to chew on tobacco leaves to kill bugs. 2. Clel Waller paid one thousand dollars when he bought Nightjohn and this tells me that Nightjohn is worth money. 3. a. Sarny’s mammy prayed in the kettle.
b. Sarny’s mammy prayed inside the kettle because they didn’t let pray so had to whisper in it.
c. Sarny’s mammy prayed to be free.
Chapter III 1. Nightjohn was brought in to the plantation with a rope to his neck. 2. The condition Nightjohn was in when brought to the plantation was bad. 3. The meals in the plantation were buttermilk down the trough, cornbread, and sometimes pieces of pork fat twice a day so the meals weren’t as good. 4. What Nightjohn did the first night on the plantation was teach Sarny the first letter of the alphabet and this tells me he is a genuine guy. 5. What Nightjohn tells Sarny about why reading is not allowed for slaves is that if white folks find out she is going to be in more trouble than she