1. Irony: The difference between what appears to be and what truly is
p. 87 — Dave Burdow - the town outcast whose son had killed Jethro’s sis Mary- saves Jethro on his way home from town from Wortman
2. Simile: A comparison of objects using ‘like’ or ‘as’
3. Metaphor: A comparison of one object with another and ascribing to the first object one or more attributes of the second
p. 104 Matt sat down heavily in the chari Jenny brought for him. “This war is a beast with long claws,” he said in a choked voice.
4. Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds
5. Foreshadowing: The presentation of material in a work in such a way that later events are prepared for
6. Conflict: The struggle that grows out of two opposing forces
External: Civil War – p.28 conflict introduced by Wilse Grahm of Kaintuck – gives Southern perspective
Internal: Bill Creighton – internal conflict – Bill leaves home to fight for the south – “The day is comin’ when I’ve got to fight, and I won’t fight fer arrogance and big money angst the southern farmer. I won’t do it.” p. 45
7. Plot: The story line
8. Point of View: The vantage point from which an author presents a story
9. Setting: The environment in which a story takes place
10. Theme: A central idea the author believes in and wants to get across to his readers
Coming of Age – effect of outside events upon a child growing up — Jethro
Futility of aggression - war
Fight against injustice
Mob mentality –
Loyalty to family or country — Jethro helping Eb
Evil wins when good man do nothing — p.144 - Jethro decides to write Lincoln on behalf of Eb
Just war - s of war - p. 176-77
11. Hyperbole: An exaggeration to make a point
12. Characterization: The development of a fictitious character through a character’s actions, words, thoughts and feelings, appearance, another character’s words or thoughts about the character, and the author’s opinion of the character.
* Flat: A character constructed around a single idea or quality; a stereotypical
character
* Round: A character sufficiently complex to be able to surprise the reader
without losing credibility; a realistic character.
* Static: A character that most likely does not change during the story.
* Dynamic: A character who develops or changes as a result of the action of
the plot.
Jethro Creighton is dynamic and round – Jethro starts off wanting the war and not understanding Lincoln’s hesitation to make up their minds about the war.
p. 18 “”Fer one thing I was wondern’ why Abe Lincoln can’t make up his mind about war. I wonder—is he like Pa? Is he so aginst hevin’ on people’s hands that he’s afeared to start a war?”
Ellen stopped her work and stood for a moment without speaking, her rough brown hands resting on the handle of the hoe.
“He’s like a man standin’ where two roads meet, Jeth,” she said finally, “and one road is as dark and fearsome as the other; there ain’t a choice between the two, and yet a choice had to be made.” She shook her head. “May the Lord help him,” she whispered. “May the Lord guide his hand.”
13. Allusion: A figure of speech that makes brief reference to a historical or literary event, or object.
p.7 “Once we git these planted and a soft rain comes, we’ll hev a crop to make people up north call us ‘Egypt’ fer sure.” – Genesis story of Joseph’s 7 years of plenty
p.55 “Of course Jenny is real young, Shad,” he said, with the gravity of a small parson.
Shadrack raised a black eyebrow. “Thou too, Brutus?” he asked, grinning a little sourly.
Jethro did not understand the allusion, and Shadrack seemed to be in no mood for explanations.
14. Personification: A figure that endows animals, ideas, abstractions, and inanimate objects with human form.
15. Negative Turn: When a turn for the worse happens to the protagonist in the plot’s story. (Used to bring suspense to the story)
Be prepared to give 2 negative turns:
1. Bill leaves to fight for the South
2. Eb deserts
16. Positive Turn: When turn for the better happens to the protagonist in the plot’s story line.
Be prepared to give 2 positive turns:
1. Bill and his brother John make peace
2. Eb is reinstated in the Union army
Plot Line: Back story - Civil War
Exposition: Introduced to the Creighton family and discover the story is set during the Civil War. We find that Jethro miraculously lived through a plague and we believe he is destined for great things, but first he has to grow up
Inciting Incident: Jethro’s family, and friends all leave for to fight and his father has a heart attack and Jethro becomes the man of the house
Rising Action:
Cousin from Kentucky comes & complexity of war is discussed
War begins at Fort Sumter
Various battles, North is not going to get predicted quick and easy victory
Bill and John fight
Bill leaves and fights for the South
Jethro goes to town and is attacked verbally by Wortman
Ross Milton intercedes and helps Jethro
Wortman tries to hurt Jetrho, but Dave Burdow (whose son killed Jethro’s sis Mary) saves him - irony
Jethro’s Dad has heart attack. (p. 92 If someone had asked Jethro to name a time when he left childhood behind him, he might have named that last week of March in 1862. He had learned a great deal about men and their unpredictable behavior the day he drove alone to Newton; now he was to learn what it meant to be the man of a family at ten.)
Barn burned and coal oil put in the water well — for being copperheads
Tom diess at the battle of Pittsburgh Landing
Wortman and his mob get it in the end — failed attack on Ross Milton’s paper
Ups and downs of the war — North wins, but then is crushed
Eb deserts
Jethro writes letter to Lincoln
Lincoln writes in the positive back to Jethro and reinstates deserters
Shad wounded badly at Gettysburg
Jenny goes to Washington with Ross Milton
Shad survives wounds and marries Jenny
Bill found alive in prison and he and John make peace
Climax: War ends - Lincoln assasinated
(Daily the color of April grew brighter. The apple and peach orchards were in bloom again, and the redbud was almost ready to burst. The little leaves on the silver poplars quivered in green and silver lights with every passing breeze, and Jenny’s favorite lilacs bloomed in great thick clusters, deep purple and as fragrant as any beautiful thing on earth.
Then suddenly, because there were no longer any eyes to perceive it, the color was gone, and the fith April had become, like her four older sisters, a time of grief and desolation.)
Falling action:Jethro wants to go see Lincoln on the train
Resolution: Shad and Jenny return and Jethro has opportunity to go to school and leave the farm and fulfill his destiny
Genres:
War or Soldier Letters
Letter to Lincoln
Speeches - Gettysburg Address, 2nd Inagural speech
songs - “Seven stars are in the Sky” p.62
Terms:
Copperheads - Northern families sympathetic to the rebel causes
Know the Three Eternal truths.
1. Things and People are not what they seem.
2. There is a battle going on.
3. In the battle, you have a crucial role to play.
Know Communication statements.
1. Communication always has consequences.
2. Communication always has eternal consequences.
Know the Bible in a nutshell sentence.
God working in history to restore relationships with people like us.
Essay Question: The complications (negative turns) that occur as a novel progresses toward its climax are known as the rising action. These complications are usually connected to the main conflict, causing speculation about the outcome of the conflict. What complications (negative turns) form the rising action of Across Five Aprils?
Be prepared to rate this novel on a scale of one to ten – one being I couldn’t stand this book and ten being I would recommend this book to everyone! Be prepared to back up your rating.
