This is the first time I have read a book told through poems. I would say it was a little hard but written well. Poems are such a beautiful form to explain situations such as slavery. You can’t help but get caught up in words and feel what each character is going through in this book. The treatment and emotions of Juan, his mom, etc. are explained perfectly in each poem. I found it interesting that each poem is titled with the character’s name who is “talking.” I did get lost in some of the language of the poems, though.
At the bottom of page 13 and top of page 14, Dona Beatriz describes Juan’s duckling behavior and people’s reactions to him thinking and acting like Dona is his mother since he rarely knows his own. Can any student relate to not knowing their own parents? Do they find others to take their mother’s or father’s place? Concerns about their family occur back and forth between Juan, his dad, and his mom. Juan’s mother sees how her son is being treated and witnesses him getting whipped (pages 72-73). I could not imagine having to watch as a family member is being abused and injured.
What I found interesting is how the author tells you what is going on without directly saying it. The author uses many descriptive words and phrases to represent thoughts and emotions. For example, on page 42-43, the author does a great job at describing Juan being whipped without exactly telling us what is happening. And such great words with strong meaning behind them are used to help the reader feel the evil nature of La Marquesa de Prado Ameno on page 40 and 41. The words are strong and full of anger. This happens throughout the book in order to give the read a good image of how her character is.
Juan is written as such a strong character, proving to his owner that nothing can make him fall. This is great for young adults, showing them that no matter what kind of situation you are in, you can be confident and stand up for yourself (La Marquesa de Prado Ameno’s poem pages 56-57).You can see how the poems get more and more emotional as the story progresses and also sense Juan’s dream of being set free. And in the end, he escapes!
At the bottom of page 13 and top of page 14, Dona Beatriz describes Juan’s duckling behavior and people’s reactions to him thinking and acting like Dona is his mother since he rarely knows his own. Can any student relate to not knowing their own parents? Do they find others to take their mother’s or father’s place? Concerns about their family occur back and forth between Juan, his dad, and his mom. Juan’s mother sees how her son is being treated and witnesses him getting whipped (pages 72-73). I could not imagine having to watch as a family member is being abused and injured.
What I found interesting is how the author tells you what is going on without directly saying it. The author uses many descriptive words and phrases to represent thoughts and emotions. For example, on page 42-43, the author does a great job at describing Juan being whipped without exactly telling us what is happening. And such great words with strong meaning behind them are used to help the reader feel the evil nature of La Marquesa de Prado Ameno on page 40 and 41. The words are strong and full of anger. This happens throughout the book in order to give the read a good image of how her character is.
Juan is written as such a strong character, proving to his owner that nothing can make him fall. This is great for young adults, showing them that no matter what kind of situation you are in, you can be confident and stand up for yourself (La Marquesa de Prado Ameno’s poem pages 56-57).You can see how the poems get more and more emotional as the story progresses and also sense Juan’s dream of being set free. And in the end, he escapes!
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