Wicked Girls: Poetry Review (LS 5663 Module #4)

Wicked Girls: Poetry Review

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hemphill, Stephanie. Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trails. New York, NY: Balzer & Bray. ISBN-13: 978-0-06-185328-9

SUMMARY/ANALYSIS

This wonderfully done piece of work necessitates that I begin this book summarization by stating that I could not put this book down! Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trails by Stephanie Hemphill is a historic-based poetic verse novel that is written in such a way that it flows effortlessly like a young adult fiction novel (one of my favorite categories of books). Poet Stephanie Hemphill takes historic information about the Salem witch trials, including information about the real-life girls used to inspire this book, and uses her creativity and skills of interpretation to bring to life this intense and daunting story of the Salem Witch Trials and how these young girls, in large part, initiated the persecution of several “witches” (male and female), using their growing fame to enhance their status in their community during a time when women had little to no power in society. This book follows several historic female figures, including Mercy Lewis, Margaret Walcott, Ann Putnam Jr., Betty Parris, Abigail Williams, Elizabeth Hubbard, and Susannah Sheldon, ranging from ages 12-18.

Each poem provides character insight, background information, secret happenings, and instances surrounding these girls, and provides which girl each poem is about (located under the poem title). These poems to not implement a rhyme scheme, but instead follow the natural language of the historic period, serving to immerse the reader within Salem during this time. The words used within these poems, and overall language, serves to bring a sense of true authenticity to this historic piece as well, allowing the reader to put themselves not only within the time, but also within the mindsets of these young girls. For example, in the poem “Caught” (from Margaret Walcott’s perspective, age 17) insight is provided into her developing feelings for the character Isaac during a moment where she is caught “retrieving” water. Being caught in this lie, Isaac states “thou art far from any stream I know of”, to which Margaret follows with internal dialogue “his eyes catch on me like he be holding lightly my face with his hand” (Hemphill, 27). With this language we understand, and almost feel, her growing infatuation, as well as feel present during the time through the usage of authentic language.

I truly fell in love with this historic, poetic verse novel and the tension that was created around the growing lie between this group of girls, and I found myself waiting in anticipation to see what would happen as things escalated. I was a fan of a show called Salem (available on Netflix) that covered similar happenings but had no idea the characters of the show were actual historic characters until I read this novel, teaching me that characters such as Mercy Lewis and Tituba were real-life people. I would highly recommend this to all, but especially to teachers who could implement this text within their middle/high school social studies courses. I believe this is a valuable, social studies poetry book that would bring historic lessons surrounding the Salem Witch Trials to life!

POEM PLUS “TAKE 5” ACTIVITIES

This poem is a good example of the historical verse poems providing in this novel, demonstrating poet Stephanie Hemphill’s ability to embody the language and mindset of the young characters within this time period in Salem. The use of pausing punctuation such as commas and periods serve to guide the reader in following Ann Putnam’s train of thought. Almost everything is presented as a run on thought process until the very end when she declares that when it comes to leadership it must be here, punctuated to show that this is the definite solution.

Leadership

Ann Putnam Jr., 12

Mercy and I agree—

in order for us to be stable

someone must take up the head,

must direct the troop through battle,

one of us hold the torch

and shout out command,

else we shall see things unlike

and our voice be scattered,

the body that makes us strong

cut into many pieces.

Betty is too young, Abigail too eager,

Elizabeth wavers like a loose tooth,

and Margaret without rank and stature

and breeding and brain—

It must be me.

I am the rightful leader.

Take 5 Activities

1.    Read the poem “Leadership” aloud to the students.

2.    Reread the poem together with the students, having them read the last two lines of the poem aloud for emphasis.

3.    Discuss the poem with the students. What were Ann’s reasons as to why she should be the leader? What are her reasons as to why the other girls shouldn’t be? Have any of you ever had to be a group leader? Have the students share their leadership experiences.

4.    Pair this poem with picture book about leadership such as the book “Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!” by Dr. Seuss (Random House Books for Young Readers, newer edition, 2014). What does this book teach about leadership?

5.    Link this poem to another poem about leadership and working as a team such as the poem “I Am Both” by Rudolph Rinadli (https://www.poetrysoup.com /poem/i_am_both_633678, 2015). What does it mean in the poem that they “are both”?