Gabrielle E.

Zaa'Kirah's Project

I chose to do a letter written by Harriet Hemings to her mother speaking on how her life has changed. What inspired me to do this is Harriet. Throughout the book, she has been struggling to figure out if she wanted to be free, or remain a slave. This letter is kind of showing that she is still a little confused as to who she is. I think it’s going to take a while for Harriet Hemings to know that she is Elizabeth Lacklands, but she's happy to be free.

November 1822

Dear Mama,
It’s been three months since I have left Monticello. Well, I am writing this letter to tell you that I have made it to Washington City safely. I go by the name Elizabeth Lacklands, Mama. I’m working at Washington Orphan Asylum. There are female orphans that live there that are fed, clothe, and need to be educated and I am teaching them. Jane, Thad’s sister, is allowing me to live with herself and her husband until I am able to make out on my own. It is wonderful here so far. I’m getting use to the white world…a little. People work to serve me. I guess I already knew that…but it’s me…or is it really me? Well, the weather up here is a little frigid. Reminds of the times when I saw Bev before he left. He told me information that I’m not quite ready to speak or write about, but I guess I will mention it some other time. I miss you, Mama…Mammy Ursula, Mad, Bev, and Eston, too. I still miss the vegetable garden, the house, the lawns, the trees, Thurston, my good friend, Burwell, telling Mister Jefferson things to put in his Farm Book. Yes, I said Mister Jefferson. Thad told me that I should do my best to upset my natural balance and call him mister. Mister Jefferson. When I left, Mama, he cried. Did you know that? He cried for me. Never will I have ever thought that day will come. He cares about me, Harriet Hemings! At that moment, I felt pain, but I also felt happiness because I am now free. I am now able to do things without anyone holding me back. Thanks Mama. Thanks for everything. I thank Mister Jefferson and Mammy Ursula, too. I couldn’t forget this basket. She told me that it has special stitching that will keep the witches away. Good ol’ Mammy. Speaking of thanks, I have to get ready to write my letter to Mister Randolph. I guess this is a talk to you later. Tell everyone I said hello. I love you, Mama.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Lacklands

Issata's Collage

I decided to design a collage because i wanted my creative response to not only be different from my other classmates,but to also show a visual response of the novel I read. My inspiration for this project was the vivid descriptions that Anna Rinaldi used in the novel. I wanted them to come to life. The scene from the book that i decided to illustrate was the departure of Harriet. To me, this was the most important scene in the book. It shown that Harriet matured from her naive thoughts of life as a slave. She finally became wise to know that it was her own good to leave Monticello and be freed from slavery, whether she was being treated well or not.

Penny's Project

Durrah H. Project on Wolf by the Ears

I choose this project on Wolf by th Ears because I was curious about Jefferson's black family. What inspired me about this project was how Harriet at the end rode away as a free woman. I have learned more creativity from creating this project.

By: Durrah H.

Tiffany's Project

I picked this scene to draw because I think it's one of the most important scene in the book. She's off to the new world and she's not a slave anymore. It's a joyous and a sad moment too. It's joyous because she's off to the new world and not a slave any more but then again she's leaving her family members and the people she loves behind. The book inspired me to draw this scene because it seems like an important event in the book. I learned that it's hard to leave your family members behind but then again you'll know they're happy for you because you're off to a better world where people treats you nicely.


Tho Nguyen 10E

Shanade's Project- Forgetting The Past

The reason why I chose to do an illustration of Wolf by The Ears is because I feel that I could explain the book to others better by using pictures. I also think that using a picture is more interesting because it catches a persons attention more . Color tends to appeal to a persons emotions as well as their attention.ShanadeC.
ShanadeC.

poem-Is He or Is He Not

I chose to write a poem because it shows creativity. It also shows that I have a clear understanding of the story. I was inspired to write a poem because everyone else was doing a collage and I wanted to do something different. It was something to challenge my brain.

Is He or Is He Not?
I don’t know who my father is
And this is where it all begins.
There is a man who treats me well
Like a daughter perhaps but no one tells
Especially my mother, and my oldest brother
They don’t feel the pain deep down under
That lies on my heart
Because I’ve been keep apart
from the man who created me
About this man
His name is Thomas Jefferson
I know him as master
He befriended my mother
Before and after
She had five children
Four boys and one girl
Could this be our father?
Is his love for us real?
He gratifies us more
Then any other slave
Instead of hammy downs and rags
We get nice clothes and books that
No slave ever had
All these things to me is a shock
Could he be my father
Is He or Is He Not?

kiona d.

Mary's project

Khalil's project

Charlotta's project

The reason I decided to do a drawing is because I wanted to show my own ideas of what I thought of the book and use my own imagination. I decided to draw a wolf being held by the ear is because in the story Harriet Hemmings said, “America has a wolf by the ear”. I really like this metaphor and I thought is was very creative.

The reason why i did this project is because a collage would be intresting to do. I thought that the scene i did was intresting. The thing that inspired me to do this project is that i never did a collage before. From doing this scene in my collage i learned slave was being treated fairly.

Response Question: Advice from the Master (182-end)

In the last few pages of the novel, Jefferson gives Sally several distinct pieces of advice. Choose ONE of his statements and analyze what he was saying.
-What was the true message of his advice?
-Do you think he really believed this statement?
-Do you think Sally will follow this piece of advice, or choose to go against it?

Jefferson in Paris

When Jefferson traveled to Paris (before he became president), he took Sally Hemings and other slaves with him. While Hemings could have conceivably stayed in France as a free woman, she chose to return to Monticello with Jefferson and remain a slave.

These events were fictionalized and turned into a film called "Jefferson in Paris," made in 1995. (Pictured are Nick Nolte as Jefferson and Thandie Newton as Sally Hemings.)

Read more about the film here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113463/

Response Question: "not one scrap of paper" (183-end)

Before he leaves, Beverly shares with Harriet that Jefferson keeps no written record of his supposed children -- only in the lists with his other slaves. Why is this relevant to the siblings?

What is the effect of keeping a written record of things? What are some of the ways that you and/or your family write things down?

Response Question: Hemings' "dream world" (182-end)

On page 193, Harriet describes that, for her mother Sally, there is a line "drawn between her dream world and the real one... I don't understand how she can keep them separate. But I think she knows she must or she will go mad."

What does Sally Hemings' "dream world" look like? Give a specific details about what her dream looks like. Do you think her maintaining this dream is a good or bad thing?

Response Question: White Women, Nigra Women (125-182)

When she first meets her potential suitor, Thad, Harriet gets into an argument about who has more freedom, white women or slave women. Who does Harriet think is better off? Explain why YOU think she has this viewpoint. When Thad says that "they [Harriet's mother and grandmother] made the best of the world they were given," what does he mean?

Response Question: Three Brothers (125-182)

In this section of the book, Harriet has discussions with each of her three brothers -- Beverly, Eston, and Madison -- about her decision to pass for white and leave Monticello. Each brother has a different opinion about the matter. Which brother do you agree with the most? What specifically did they say that you agree with?

Response Question: Facts about home (125-182)

On pages 179-181, Harriet lists several little facts and details about life at Monticello. Choose one of these facts she shares. What does this little memory show you about her life as a slave? What do you think will happen to these facts and figures if she goes to Washington City?

More about passing

While it is no longer legal to discriminate on the basis of race, people who can "pass" for white often face difficulties and prejudice when people automatically assume they are Caucasian. They often struggle with their family legacies, where their parents or grandparents had to hide their true identities in order to get good work (or suffer discrimination by choosing not to pass.)

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:



Although Barbara Douglass never told anyone she was white, people see her porcelain skin and her silky hair and assume she is.

But Douglass, who lives in Wilkinsburg, is a 53-year-old black woman. She could pass for white but she has never tried, she said.

"Growing up, I knew of people who did, and I was even instructed not to say, at that time, that they were colored. In order to get their jobs, they had to say they were white."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/lifestyle/20031026stain1026fnp2.asp

Have you ever been mistaken for belonging to a different race? Have you ever assumed somebody you met belonged to a particular racial or ethnic group, only to find out later that your assumption was wrong? What have you learned from these experiences?

Response Question: Forgetting home (62-125)

When Harriet presents her dilemma to her mother, we learn that Sally Hemings has heard from Harriet's brother Tom, but never told anyone. Why do you think Sally Hemings chose to keep her son's letters to herself? (Why might a slave choose to "forget" a family member who has passed for white?) Give specific reasons.

Harriet worries that she will also be "forgotten" like Tom if she leaves Monticello. Do you think this will happen if she does leave? Why or why not?

Response Question: Passing (62-125)

After the altercation with Bankhead, Mister Randolph suggests to Harriet that she should consider "passing" for white. Randolph explains the many reasons he thinks Harriet should do it, but Harriet has her concerns.

Name one specific advantage Harriet will have if she does this, and one disadvantage. Based on their conversation, what do you think Harriet will choose to do? What would you do in her place?

Response Question: Mister Charles Randolph (62-125)

In the second part of the novel, we learn more about Charles Bankhead, the husband of Jefferson's granddaughter Anne. Explain what happened between Bankhead and Harriet in the house, and how Mister Randolph (Jefferson's son, and Anne's father) reacts. Then answer the following questions:

Why doesn't Mister Randolph kill or banish Bankhead, even though he wants to?

And:

Do you think Mister Randolph's reaction to the situation is realistic? Meaning, do you think it is realistic for a slave owner to defend one of his slaves -- or does it just make for a good scene in the book? Why or why not?

Jefferson's "Cabinet"

The majority of the novel is set at Monticello, Jefferson's estate. Above, the main house from the west side.


The tearoom.



A picture of Jefferson's office, known as his "cabinet."

To see more, visit:

http://www.monticello.org/gallery/index.html

Jefferson and Hemmings: Truth or Fiction?

For centuries, there has been debate about whether Thomas Jefferson was the father of Sally Hemming's six children. Throughout our reading of Wolf by the Ears, we will be posting information about this debate on the blog for you to read and consider. Here are a few facts for you to start with:

- The debate began all the way back in 1802, when a journalist "accused" Jefferson of having children with Hemmings. Neither Jefferson nor Hemmings ever commented on this story.

- There are no known pictures of or writings by Sally Hemmings. It is possible that she was illiterate.

- In 1998, a DNA test on members of the Jefferson and Hemmings family found it "highly probable" -- but not definite -- that a member of the Jefferson Family was the father of Eston Hemmings, the last child born to Sally.

For more information, visit the information page at the Monticello website:

http://www.monticello.org/plantation/hemingscontro/hemings-jefferson_contro.html

Response Question :: Fatherhood (1-62)

There is a lot of speculation about whether Jefferson is the father of Harriet and her brother Beverley. Harriet is looking for a clear answer, but she hears and sees many different things. Find one scene or fact from the book that suggests he is her father, and one that suggests he isn't. As of right now, what do you believe, and why?

Response Question :: Choosing Slavehood (1-62)

At several points, Harriet gives reasons why she doesn't want her freedom and would prefer to stay a slave at Monticello. List at least one of her reasons and explain what this shows us about Harriet's character. Do you agree with Harriet's idea to remain a slave?

Response Question :: Reading Family Trees (1-62)

Look closely at the two family trees on the first pages of the book. Does anything strike you as unusual or strange about these families? What can we infer about the names, birth dates, or death dates of the family members?

Why do you think this information is being provided at the beginning of this book? What do you expect the story to be about?

Response Question: Keeping a Journal (1-62)

In December 1819, Thomas Jefferson gives Harriet a journal. Why do you think he did this for her? What does this tell us about his own interests? Are there any other details that Harriet describes about his study which show him as a man of many talents?