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Writing the Virginia Hamilton Response to Literature

There are a few things you need to include in your body paragraphs:
1.Discuss (briefly) the plot of the book
2.Discuss the theme
3.Add 1 quote to prove that theme.
4.Discuss how that quote proves the theme


Dear 7th grader,

Since you are reading this letter, you probably have many questions about Gary Soto. I am here to help answer as many of those questions as I can. Gary Soto is an award winning novelist and poet who writes mostly about Mexican-American adolescents. He was born in Fresno, California in 1952. Coincidentally, Soto often sets his stories in or around Fresno. As I began to read more stories by Gary Soto, I noticed a particular theme start to immerge. That theme, the search for love, can be seen throughout three stories in particular.

In a play called Novio Boy, by Gary Soto, we learn about a boy named Rudy and a girl named Patricia. Both of the main characters are new to dating and neither of them have a lot of money. But as the story progresses, we learn that each of them really likes one another. We also learn early on that Rudy is very concerned about his date with Patricia. As he is talking with his friend Alex, we see that Rudy really wants to make a good impression:
“Rudy: Sorry? You mean I should be sorry I look like Tom Cruise? (pause) You’re cold, homes. You’re no help at all.
Alex: (giggling) Just joking, Rudy. Listen, man, you got to start simple. Break the ice. Ask her…what her favorite color is or something,” (Pg. 1).
While each character is joking around, we see how serious they are taking this date. While friends will be friends, the search for love will always be taken seriously.

In a short story very similar to Novio Boy is “The 7th Grade,” also by Gary Soto. In this story the main character, Victor, is desperately trying to get a girl named Teresa to notice him on the first day of school. He is constantly trying different ways to get noticed and even pretends to know French! Just like in Novio Boy, the search for love in “The 7th Grade” is a very important theme. During the opening pages of “The 7th Grade” Victor says that “Teresa is going to be my girl this year,” (pg. 52). This quote proves how big of a crush Victor has on Teresa and how willing he is to impress her…in any way possible.

Along with plays and short stories, Gary Soto also writes a lot of poetry. In the poem “Between Words,” Soto discusses the search for love through the use of metaphor and figurative language. Soto describes love as being “between clouds/And we’re between words/That could deepen/But never arrive,” (lines 16-18). In this way, we learn that love is more than something to be named. It is a thing that exists between two people that do not need to say anything to one another to feel the love that exists between them. Just like in Novio Boy and “The 7th Grade” we see a character trying to make sense of his/her feelings over someone that they feel strongly towards.






Writing the Conclusion

1.Recap the name of the stories you discussed
2.Restate the purpose for writing the letter
3.Discuss why the theme/lesson you chose is important


As you can see, Gary Soto writes in a lot of different genres. I hope I was able to answer most of your questions about him and are now looking forward to reading more of his stories. Whether it is in Novio Boy, “The 7th Grade,” or “Between Words,” the search for love plays a tremendous role in Soto’s writing. Without this theme, much of the tenderness would be missing. We learn a lot about each character through their search for love and it is here that we begin to understand just how important love can be in anyone’s life.

"Eliza"

There is a runaway slave character called Eliza who escapes from Kentucky over ice floes in the Ohio River in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Mrs. Stowe said her book was a “collection and arrangement of real incidents” and that the chase across the ice floes was drawn from an actual rescue involving her husband, Calvin Ellis Stowe, a clergyman, and her brother, Henry Ward Beecher.

The real-life Eliza escaped from Kentucky with her baby in her arms. When she came to the Ohio River, she saw large chunks of ice floating on it. But that didn’t stop her, for the slave hunters were in hot pursuit. She leaped from one ice floe to the next in an agonizing act of courage until she reached the freedom shore.

Eliza was rescued by the family of the Reverend John Rankin and stayed in their house above the river. Levi Coffin then aided her on the difficult journey to Canada.

As Eliza left the Rankin Underground station, she told John Rankin that she would come back for her other children, still slaves in Kentucky, in June of the following year. Reverend Rankin doubted that he would ever see her again. But a year later, in June, a man came climbing up to the garden of the Rankin house. It was Eliza, wearing men’s clothing, ready to get her children and bring them out.

The Rankins helped her back across the Ohio River into Kentucky. Because it was Sunday, the plantation owner and his wife were away visiting. Eliza hastened to carry off her five children – and two hundred pounds of household goods!

The heavy load slowed them down. By the time they reached the river again, the sun was up and fog on the water was lifting. The Rankins waited for Eliza on the Ohio side, their guns at the ready. They saw dogs and men on horseback spread out on the Kentucky shore. One Rankin son, dressed as a slave woman, slipped across the river. He quickly attracted the slave hunters’ attention and left them on a wild-goose chase away from where Eliza and her brood were hidden.

For hours, the slave posse chased the disguised Rankin son. Finally darkness fell and the hunters lost him. A Rankin helper had by then guided Eliza, her family, and all their belongings back across the river to the safe house on the Ohio bluff.

Two weeks later, Eliza and her children were conducted along the Underground Railroad line to Canada.

"Carrying the Running-Aways"

Never had any idea of carryin the runnin-away slaves over the river. Even though I was right there on the plantation, right by that big river, it never got in my mind to do something like that. But one night the woman whose house I had gone courting to said she knew a pretty girl wanted to cross the river and I would take her. Well, I met the girl and she was awful pretty. And soon the woman was telling me how to get across, how to go, and when to leave.

Well, I had to think about it. But each day, that girl or the woman would come around, ask me would I row the girl across the river to a place called Ripley. Well, I finally said I would. And one night I went over to the woman’s house. My owner trusted me and let me come and go as I please, long as I didn’t try to read or write anything. For writin and reading was forbidden to slaves.

Now, I had heard about the other side of the river from the other slaves. But I thought it was just like the side where we lived on the plantation. I thought there were slaves and masters over there, too, and overseers and rawhide whips they used on us. That’s why I was so scared. I thought I’d land the girl over there and some overseer didn’t know us would bear us for bein out at night. They could do that, you know.

Well, I did it. Oh, It was a long rowin time in the cold, with me worryin. But pretty soon I see alight way up high. Then I remembered the woman told me watch for a light. Told me to row to the light, which is what I did. And then I got to it, there were two men. They reached down and grabbed the girl. Then one of the men took me by the arm. Said “Your about hungry?” And if he hadn’t been holdin me, I would of fell out of that rowboat.

Well, that was my first trip. I was scared for a long time after that. But pretty soon I got over it, as other folks asked me to take them across the river. Two and three at a time, I’d take them. I got used to makin three or four trips every month.

Now it was funny. I never saw me passengers after that first girl. Because I took them on the nights when the moon was not showin, it was cloudy. And I always met them in the open or in a house with no light. So I never saw them, couldn’t recognize them, and couldn’t describe them. But I would say to them, “What you say?” And they would say the password. Sounds like “Menare.” Seemed the word came from the Bible somewhere, but I don’t know. And they would have to say that word before I took them across.

Well, there in Ripley was a man named Mr. Rankins, the rest was John, I think. He had a “station” there for escaping slaves. Ohio was a free state, I found out, so once the got across, Mr. Rankins would see to them. We went at night so we could continue back for more and to be sure no slave catchers would follow us there.

Mr. Rankins had a big light about thirty feet high up and it burned all night. It meant freedom for slaves if they could get to that bright flame.

I worked hard and almost got caught. I’d been rowin fugitives for almost four years. It was in 1863 and it was a ngiht I carried twelve runnin-aways across the river to Mr. Rankins’. I stepped out of the boat back in Kentucky and they were after me. Don’t know how they found out. But the slave catchers, didn’t know them, were on my trail. I ran away from the plantation and all who I knew there. I lived in the fields and in the woods. Even in caves. Sometimes I slept up in tree branches. Or in a hay pile. I couldn’t get across the river now, it was watched so closely.

Finally, I did get across. Late one night me and my wife went. I had finally gone back to the plantation to get her. Mr. Rankins had him a bell this time, along with the light. We were rowin and rowin. We could see the light and hear that bell, but it seemed we weren’t getting any closer. It took forever, it seemed. That was because we were so scared and it was so dark and we knew we could get caught and never get gone.

Well, we did get there. We pulled up there and went on to freedom. It was only a few months before all the slaves was freed.

We didn’t stay on at Ripley. We went on to Detroit because I wasn’t takin any chances. I have children and grandchildren now. Well, you know, the bigger ones don’t care so much to hear about those times. But the little ones, well, they never get tired of hearin how their grandpa brought emancipation to loads of slaves he could touch and feel in the dark but never ever see.

"How Nehemiah Got Free"

In slavery time, there was smart slaves and they did most what they wanted to do by usin just their wits. Hangin around the big house, they kept the slaveowners laughin. They had to “bow and scrape” some, but they often was able to draw the least hard tasks.
Nehemiah was a one who believed that if he must be a slave, he’d best be a smart one. No one who callin himself Master of Nehemiah had ever been able to make him work hard for nothing. Nehemiah would always have a funny lie to tell or he made some laughin remark whenever the so-called Master had a question or a scoldin.
Nehemiah was always bein moved from one plantation to another. For as soon as the slaveowner realized Nehemiah was outwittin him, he sold Nehemiah as quick as he could to some other slaveholder.
One day, the man known as the most cruel slaveowner in that part of the state hear about Nehemiah.
“Oh, I bet I can make that slave do what I tell him to,” the slaveowner said. And he went to Nehemiah’s owner and bargained for him.
“Nehemiah’s new owner was Mister Warton, and he told Nehemiah, “I’ve bought you. Now tomorra, you are goin to work for me over there at my plantation, and you are goin to pick four hundred pounds of cotton a day.”
“Well, Mas, suh,” Nehemiah says, “that’s all right, far as it goes. But if I make you laugh, you won’t lemme off for tomorra?”
“Well,” said Warton, who had never been known to laugh, “if you make me laugh, I won’t only let you off for tomorra, but I’ll give you your freedom right then and there!”
“Well, I declare, Mas, suh, you sure a good-lookin man,” says Nehemiah.
“I’m sorry I can’t say the same about you, Nehemiah,” answered the slaveowner.
“Oh, yes, Mas, you could,” Nehemiah said, laughin. “You could if you told as big a lie as I just did.”
Warton threw back his head and laughed. It was a long, loud bellow. He had laughed before he thought. But true is true and facts are facts. And Nehemiah got his freedom.

"A Wolf and Little Daughter"

One day Little Daughter was pickin some flowers. There was a fence around the house she lived in with her papa. Papa didn’t want Little Daughter to run in the forest, where there were wolves. He told Little Daughter never to go out the gate alone.
“Oh, I won’t, Papa,” said Little Daughter.
One morning her papa had to go away for something. And Little Daughter thought she’d go huntin for flowers. She just thought it wouldn’t harm anything to peep through the gate. And that’s what she did. She saw a wild yellow flower so near the gate that she stepped outside and picked it.
Little Daughter was outside the fence now. She saw another pretty flower. She skipped over and got it, held it in her hand. It smelled sweet. She saw another and she got it, too. Put it with the others. She was makin a pretty bunch to put in her vase for the table. and so Little daughter got farther and farther away from the cabin. She picked flowers, and the whole time she sang a sweet song.
All at once Little Daughter heard a noise. She looked up and saw a great big wolf. The wolf said to her, in a low, gruff voice, said, “Sing that sweetest, goodest song again.”
So the little child sang it, sang

“Tray-bla, tray-bla, cum qua, kimo.”

And, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, Little Daughter tiptoed toward the gate. She’s goin back home. But she hears big and heavy, PIT-APAT, PIT-A-PAT, comin behind her. And there’s the wolf. He says, “Did you move?” in a gruff voice.
Little Daughter says, “Oh, no, dear wolf, what occasion have I to move?”
“Well, sing that sweetest, goodest song again,” says the wolf.

“Tray-bla, tray-bla, cum qua, kimo.”

A the wolf is gone again.
The child goes back some more, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, softly on tippy-toes toward the gate.
But she soon hears very loud, PIT-A-PAT, PIT-A-PAT, comin behind her. And there is the great big wolf, and he says to her, says, “I think you moved.”
“Oh, no, dear wolf,” Little Daughter tells him, “what occasion have I to move?”
So he says, “Sing that sweetest, goodest song again.”
Little Daughter begins:

“Tray-bla, tray-bla, tray-bla, cum qua, kimo.”

The wolf is gone.
But, PIT-A-PAT, PIT-A-PAT, PIT-A-PAT, comin on behind her. There’s the wolf. He says to her, says, “You moved.”
She says, “Oh, no, dear wolf, what occasion do I have to move?”
“Sing that sweetest, goodest song again,” says the big, bad wolf.
She sang:

“Tray-bla, tray-bla,tray-bla, cum qua, kimo.”

The wolf is gone again.
And she, Little Daughter, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-patin away home. She is so close to the gate now. And this time she hears PIT-A-PAT, PIT-A-PAT, PIT-A-PAT comin on quick behind her.
Little Daughter slips inside the gate. She shuts it – CRACK! PLICK! – right in that big, bad wolf’s face.
She sweetest, goodest, safe!

"He Lion, Bruh Bear and Bruh Rabbit"

Say that he Lion would get up each and every mornin. Stretch and walk around. He’d roar, “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF,” like that. Scare all the little animals so they were afraid to come outside in the sunshine. Afraid to go huntin or fishin or whatever the little animals wanted to do.
“What we gone do about it” they asked one another. Squirrel leapin from branch to branch, just scared. Possum playin dead, couldn’t hardly move him.
“He Lion just went on, stickin out his chest and roarin, “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF.”
The little animals held a sit-down talk, and one by one and two by two and all by all, they decide to go see Bruh Bear and Bruh Rabbit. For they know that Bruh Bear been around. And Bruh Rabbit say he has, too.
So they went to Bruh Bear and Bruh Rabbit. Said, “We have some trouble. Old he Lion, him scarin everybody, roarin every morning and all day. ‘ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF,’ like that.”
“Why he Lion want to do that?” Bruh Bear said.
“Is that all he Lion have to say?” Bruh Rabbit asked.
“We don’t know why, but that’s all he Lion can tell us and we didn’t ask him to tell us that,” said the little animals. “And him scarin the children with it. And we wish him to stop it.”
“Well, I’ll go see him, talk to him. I’ve known he Lion a long kind of time,” Bruh Bear said.
“I’ll go with you,” said Bruh Rabbit. “I’ve known he Lion most long as you.”
That bear and that rabbit went off through the forest. They kept hearin something. Mumble, mumble. Couldn’t make it out. They got farther in the forest. They heard it plain now. “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF.”
“Well, well, well” said Bruh Bear. He wasn’t scared. He’d been around the whole forest, seen a lot.
“My, my, my,” said Bruh Rabbit. He’d seen enough to know not to be afraid of the old he lion. Now old he lions could be dangerous, but you had to know how to handle them.
The bear and the rabbit climbed up and up the cliff where he Lion had his lair. They found him. Kept their distance. He watch them and they watchin him. Everybody actin cordial.
“Hear tell you are scarin everybody, all the little animals with your roarin all the time,” Bruh Rabbit said.
“I roars when I pleases,” he Lion said.
“Well, might could you leave off the noise first thing in the mornin, so the little animals can get what they want to eat and drink?” asked Bruh Bear.
“Listen,” said he Lion, and then he roared: “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF. Nobody tell me what not to do,” he said. “I’m the king of the forest, me and myself.”
“Better had let me tell you somethin,” Bruh Rabbit said, “for I’ve seen Man, and I know him the real king of the forest.”
He Lion was quiet awhile. He looked straight through that scrawny lil Rabbit like he was nothin atall. He looked and Bruh Bear and figured he’d talk to him.
“You, Bear, you been around,” he Lion said.
“That’s true,” said old Bruh Bear. “I been about everywhere. I’ve been around the whole forest.”
“Then you must know something,” he Lion said.
“I know lots,” said Bruh Bear, slow and quiet-like.
“Tell me what you know about Man,” he Lion said. “He think him the king of he forest?”
“Well, now, I’ll tell you,” said Bruh Bear, “I been around, but I haven’t ever come across Man that I know of. Couldn’t tell you nothing about him.”
So he Lion had to turn back to Bruh Rabbit. He didn’t want to but he had to. “So what?” he said to that lil scrawny hare.
“Well, you got to come down from there if you want to see Man,” Bruh Rabbit said. “Come down from there and I’ll show you him.”
He Lion thought a minute, an hour, and a whole day. Then, the next day, he came down.
He roared just once, “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF. Now,” he said, “come show me Man.”
So they set out. He Lion, Bruh Bear, and Bruh Rabbit. They go alond and they go along, rangin the forest. Pretty soon, they come to a clearin. And playin in it is a little fellow about nine years old.
“Is that there Man?” asked he Lion.
“Why no, that one is called Will Be, but it sure is not Man,” said Bruh Rabbit.
So they went along and they went along. Pretty soon, they come upon a shade tree. And sleepin under it is an old, olden fellow, about ninety years olden.
“There must like Man,” spoke he Lion. “I knew him wasn’t gone be much.”
“That’s not Man,” said Bruh Rabbit. “That fell is Was Once. You’ll know it when you see Man.”
So they went along. He Lion is gettin tired of strollin. So he roars, “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF.” Upsets Bear so that Bear doubles over and runs and climbs a tree.
“Come down from there,” Bruh Rabbit tellin him. So after a while Bear comes down. He keepin his distance from he Lion, anyhow. And they set out some more. Goin along quiet and slow.
In a little while they come to a road. And comin on way down the road, Bruh Rabbit sees Main comin. Man about twenty-one years old. Big and strong, with a big gun over his shoulder.
“There!” Bruh Rabbit says. “See there, he Lion? There’s Man. You better go meet him.”
“I will,” says he Lion. And he sticks out his chest and he roars, “ME AND MYSELF. ME AND MYSELF.” All the way to Man he’s roarin proud, “ME AND MYSELF, ME AND MYSELF!”
“Come on, Bruh Bear, let’s go!” Bruh Rabbit says.
“What for?” Bruh Bear wants to know.
“You better come one!” And Bruh Rabbit takes ahold of Bruh Bear and half drags him to a thicket. And there he makin the Bear hide with him.
For here comes Man. He sees old he Lion real good now. He drops to one knee and he takes aim with his big gun.
Old he Lion is roarin his head off: “ME AND MSYELF! ME AND MYSELF!”
The big gun goes off: PA-LOOOM!
He Lion falls back hard on his tail.
The gun goes off again. PA-LOOOM!
He Lion is flyin through the air. He lands in the thicket.
“Well, did you see man?” asked Bruh Bear.
“I seen him,” said he Lion. “Man spoken to me unkind, and got a great long stick him keeping on his shoulder. Then Man taken that stick down and him speakin real mean. Thunderin at me and lightning comin from that stick, awful bad. Made me sick. I had to turn around. And Man pointing that stick again and thunderin ant me some more. So I come in here, cause it seem like him throwed some stickers at me each time in thunder, too.”
“So you’ve met Man, and you know zactly what that kind of him is,” says Bruh Rabbit.
“I surely do know that,” he Lion said back.
Awhile after he Lion met Man, things were some better in the forest. Bruh Bear knew what Man looked like so he could keep out of his way. The rabbit always did know to keep out of Man’s way. The little animals could go out in the morning because he Lion was more peaceable. He didn’t walk around roarin at the top of his voice al the time. And when he Lion did life that voice of his, it was like “Me and Myself and Man. Me and Myself and Man.” Like that.
Wasn’t too loud atall.