Tara+Powers-Tasha+Sparks

= = Tasha Sparks Tara Powers //A Break with Charity// 198-to end Evaluation: This section of the book //A Break with Charity// starts at Gallows Hill after the first hanging. In this part of the book, Susanna English speaks out to Joseph Putnam about what she knows. Susanna’s speaking out actually helps end the witch madness in the colony. Her problem is that she believes that an old matriarch of another colony in Massachusetts is a witch that has been hurting William. When Susanna falters in her disbelief in the witches, Johnathan has Susanna meet the elderly woman. At this meeting, Susanna realizes that there have never been any witches hurting her brother, William. Her brother William English comes home on the //Amiable Tiger//, before the witch madness is completely finished. Finally, the story is resolved with life slowly coming back to normal as her family comes home. Her mother dies shortly after because of her time in prison. As we flash back to the present day for Susanna, we discover that she is able to forgive the younger Ann Putnam for all her wrong doings in the witch madness of 1692. I really enjoyed this book because it made American history interesting. It was able to recreate a very important event in a way that drew the interest of the reader. The writer made the character, Susanna English, very relatable to today’s modern girl while still keeping the story with the accuracy of the events in that time period. I think that anyone who is interested in history would enjoy this book. It is real life facts that are used to recreate this story. Although the main character is fictional, the actual events surrounding her life really happened. It helps bring a time period that many girls cannot relate to, and show a different side of life that is very interesting. Susanna English changes a great deal in this story. In the beginning of the story, she wants to be a follower in a group of girls that have nothing good in their futures. At the end of the book, Susanna realizes that she never wanted to be part of a group girl that is causing all kinds of trouble for her family. She also goes from being a scared young girl frightened for her family, to becoming a strong leader of a resistance group able to stop the witch madness. Ann Rinaldi is trying to show how hysteria can spread. Hysteria in this book travels like wildfire once the girls in the circle start claiming there are witches. This hysteria spreads so quickly throughout the entire colony. Hysteria still happens in our world today. When the H1N1 virus hit the United States, everyone was claiming it was going to be the next pandemic that would kill tens of thousands of people. This really did not happen at all. The writer is cautioning us on how to behave when difficult or unbelievable but scary news is passed onto us. This book is pretty well summed up in the ending. The only question that I have is whatever happened to Ann Putnam after Susanna and the Congregation of the community gave her their forgiveness for her part in the witch madness? I hope that it would have given her enough strength that she might have been able to recover slightly from whatever was ailing her. I also would not have changed the ending of the book either. The ending made Susanna the bigger person by letting her heart soften and forgive the accuser that helped kill her mother basically. This really gave the full transformation of Susanna in the book. I really liked this book overall. It was a really great book with an amazing story line. To be honest Tara, I read this book my eight grade year in Mrs. Shull Class too. What about the book caught your attention? I liked the book because at the time I was very big into historical fiction, and I was interested in Colonial times. I think Ann Rinaldi is an amazing author. She writes with a passion and brings all her characters to life. It was really nice reading this book and getting to know you Tara. I hope you have an amazing week, and I plan on seeing you on the eleventh. = Week 4 Adult: Tasha Sparks = Student: Tara Powers Book Title: //A Break With Charity// Pages Read: 197-295

-Express your opinions about the book To be included in your response…

v Summarize this week’s reading. Include your response/reaction to the book. v Did you enjoy the book? Why or why not? v Who else should read this book? Why? v How does the main character change in the story? v What lesson about life (theme) do you think the author was trying to express? v What questions would you like answered after reading this book? v How would you change the ending of the book?

Susanna finally tells everyone her story. She saves many lives by doing this. After everything that went on, William returns home. Susanna feels that she actually did something that was useful because she stayed and waited for her brother. William returned on the //Amiable Tiger,// which feared Susanna. Susanna had to stay with the Putnams because of her brother’s wishes. Her and Johnathan did end up staying with each other and, could you say they lived happily ever after? Maybe, but nothing could be done about what happened to Susanna’s family. Everything turned out somewhat normal and the afflicted girls could not accuse any more people. Susanna English did change. At first, she wanted to be in the group of afflicted girls. She wanted to know about them, talk with them, and spend a lot of time with them. Once she found out the truth, she didn’t want anything to do with the girls but she also wanted to keep her family safe. Once her mother was accused of being a witch, Susanna knew she must speak out, so she did. The way Susanna changed saved many lives. I think this book was a great way to learn about the way the accused “witches” were treated. The afflicted girls were only doing it for the attention and even though most people wanted to deny it, they couldn’t compete with the girls. Many people lost their lives during this time period and I think it would be horrible to experience this tragic scenario. I enjoyed this book a lot. I think that mostly just girls would enjoy it. I thought that everything was so confusing at first, but then it all fell into place. I probably wouldn’t change the ending of the book because there isn’t a need. I think that everything in this book all tied together and it made it better. = =

= = = = = = = = = Week 2 Adult: Tasha Sparks = Student: Tara Powers Book Title: __A Break With__ __Charity__ Pages Read 1-100

In this book, Susanna wants to join a group of girls that meets at the parsonage every time the Reverend and his wife were gone. Susanna does not know that the girls are practicing witchcraft. Susanna’s mother sends her to town to give things to the poor. Instead, she goes to the parsonage and talks with the Reverend’s slave, Tituba. She gives Susanna the idea that her brother is coming home and the whole town will be happy. Susanna doesn’t want to join the group once she finds out about the witchcraft. She is more than happy to find out about the witchcraft, but when she finds out that if she spills even a tiny bit of their secret, her family will be accused as practicing witchcraft and they will have a horrible time.

I think this book is kind of confusing. I don’t understand why people would just accuse people that haven’t been the kindest to them of being witches. I think this practice is wrong but I still think it’s very interesting to learn about what happened to all the people who were accused or were the accusers. I think Susanna will eventually tell her parents about the witchcraft but her family will be safe. I think the fact that they are very strong in their religion; they won’t have to follow through with any of the punishments for being accused. I think William will come back and the “witches” won’t have anybody to blame. I think that everyone will end up happy and without accusations from the “witches.” This book should be interesting to finish. I’m trying to finish __Sent__ by Margaret Peterson Haddix while, also, reading this book. I really enjoy __Sent;__ I’m trying to finish it quickly so it won’t take time away from this book. I think this book is kind of confusing because I’m not quite sure what the big deal about witchcraft was back then, I know it’s against religion, but wasn’t America a free country? I think that if people really want to practice witchcraft, they can, if they really think they want to. I think this book will end up being, like almost all books, great once it’s over and I finally can understand it to the fullest. I really can’t wait to finish it!!!!

= = = = = = = Week 3 Adult: Tasha Sparks = Student: Tara Powers Book Title: A Break With Charity Pages Read 101-196

Susanna really wanted to tell about her experience of talking with Ann Putnam. The witch trials were so bad that everyone who even talked to the accused people would then be accused of being a witch. It became that everyone was admitting to being a witch so his or her lives could be saved. One woman told everyone she wasn’t a witch and she was hanged. Susanna’s mother was accused of being a witch and soon after that, so was her father. Susanna and Mary, her sister, went to the home of Joseph and Elizabeth Putnam to stay so that they didn’t have to run to Boston. After their father came back, however, Mary went with her parents while Susanna stayed behind to wait for William. Susanna reminds me of the person who gives anything to be with the ones she loves. I think Susanna had the faith in William coming back because she didn’t believe otherwise. Susanna could’ve just gone away with the rest of her family but she didn’t want William left behind. I think this was a very strong move on her part. I would like to be able to stay with another family and wait on someone that means so much to me, but I don’t think I would be able to. I would definitely want to be a friend of Susanna’s. I think Susanna gives her heart out to her friends and even when something is wrong she will always be there and know the right things to say.

I think the book is getting better. I think that Susanna and Johnathan will end up staying with each other even if it does mean going away. I think William will come back soon and everything will turn out okay. Susanna is a very good friend to all and when her mother was accused, she was almost always positive about it. With everything going on, I think I would almost break down and just cry. Susanna is very strong throughout everything. I think everything that Salem Town and Salem Village will resolve in the end. Hey Tasha! I'm really enjoying this book! I think it's a very good description of what happened during the Salem Witch Trials. I hope the third section is as good as the middle! Have a good day! J

Week 3 Tasha Sparks Tara Powers // A Break with Charity // Pgs. 99-197 The protagonist in the book, //A Break with Charity//, is Susanna English. In this section of the book, Susanna faces many challenges. The first crying out at the parsonage occurs where several outsiders are named as witches. Her mother and father are cried out upon by the circle of girls even though Ann promised that it wouldn’t happen. While all of the many life changes are happening around Susanna, she discovers that only she can save Salem from the horrible doings going around her. Mary Warren, an afflicted girl, tries to tell the truth about the circle, but she cannot. Mary is too terrified of the consequences that she will receive for putting her master’s wife in jail that she recounts everything a second time to rejoin the circle. Susanna is at a growing point in all her relationships in the book because only she can stop the “witch madness”. Susanna reminds me of a friend. Both my friend and Susanna are trying to protect their loved families by keeping secrets. Unfortunately for both girls, keeping the secrets they hold have only made things worse because the girls are the only ones who can stop the madness that is spreading around them. Susanna finds this out when she goes to meet Ann Putnam a second time after the crying out on her mother. To Susanna’s horror, she discovers that the young girls actually believe that what they are doing is right! The magistrates will even believe the afflicted girls over a Mary Warren who admits to playing games with the magistrates. This is when Susanna finds out that only she can fix this horrible mess that is going on around her. Susanna and my friend are also very headstrong girls. They both set out to accomplish a goal, and do it. When Susanna wanted to go to the parsonage to watch the first crying out, she thought of a way to convince her father of letting her go. Also, when Susanna wanted to go to the first hangings, she convinced Johnathan and Joseph Putnam to allow her to go. Overall, there is a strong resemblance in Susanna English and my friend. Even though Susanna reminds me of one of my closest friends, I cannot tell you whether or not I would be friends with her. Her time period and lifestyle are so different from mine that I cannot even fathom that far into it. Susanna has many great personality traits that she displays during this horrific time for her family. I think her best trait would have to be her ability to stay positive. In this section, both Susanna’s parents are cried out upon by the afflicted girls. Her mother is cried out upon because she is a “Friend of Witches”, and her father is cried out upon about a week later. Susanna always stays positive about the situation because of her older sister. It also helps that Joseph Putman’s family-the family that took Susanna and Mary in- are really great people. Joseph actually starts a slow revolution against all the witch business that gives Susanna hope that things will get better. Even clear up to the point before they pushed Bridget Bishop off the Gallows Tree, Susanna never actually believed that there would be a hanging. To answer your question from the week two response: “I think this book is kind of confusing because I’m not quite sure what the big deal about witchcraft was back then, I know it’s against religion, but wasn’t America a free country?” This story takes place in 1692, before our freedoms were won in the American Revolution in 1776. The freedoms we enjoy today were not around in this time. Each settlement had its own church that gave the community rules to live by. If you were an outsider of this church, you were subjected to different kinds of discrimination. Plus, as you know //The Bible// is very strict about how to handle black magic, and the Puritans took this very seriously. They were also one of a very few settlements in a very dangerous new land, and needed something to blame when things went wrong. I think that you are correct on your assumptions about the next section of the book. How did you other book //Sent// end, was it good? I hope you have a great week and keep enjoying the book.
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