General Content Knowledge
What is $700?
''It wasn't stealing, just a short-term loan...''
Who is Margaret?
Margaret went to talk to this grown up about what to do with the money she had found.
Who is Mrs. Billings?
Referring to Mrs. Billings as a 'modern day Harriet Tubman' is primarily this device.
What is (historical) allusion?
Explain why you think Mrs. Billings tells Margaret her story.
To show Margaret that she understands where she is coming from and how she overcame. She doesn't support Margaret's decision to steal, acknowledging it was wrong of her to do so from her aunt, but notes how it enabled her to have the life she does now, though frought with challenges. Perhaps it is her own flawed upbringing that makes her capable of agreeing that sometimes adults, especially parents do not make the best decisions. Her story makes her the perfect person to empathize with Margaret and Zulma as both have difficult home situations.
Mrs. Billings ran away at this age.
What is 14 years old?
''I wasn't that much older than you Margaret, when I ran away...''
Who is Mrs. Billings?
Had a very difficult childhood (overwork, flogging and starvation)
Who is Mrs. Billings?
Mrs. Billings' story embodies this theme.
What is freedom, escape, rebellion, survival, resilience?
Explain the significance of referring to Mrs. Billings as 'a modern Harriet Tubman'. Support your answer.
She is agreeing to help Margaret 'escape' from her difficult circumstances or 'free' her from her troubles. She is 'fighting' for her rights (eg. allowing her to talk without judgement, promising to help in any (legal) way she can, she stands with/is on Margaret's side admits that parents can be wrong sometimes.)
She also endured similar hardships but escaped and is now willing to help others do the same.
State the reasons Zulma's mother does not want to send her back home.
What are:
1. She thinks Gran will be angry and tell her she should never have sent for Zulma.
2. She will feel like she has failed.
3. She believes Canadian education is better than in Tobago
"I am West Indian, my daughter is West Indian, and she does as I say in my house."
Who is Cuthbert Cruickshank?
Mrs. Billings is speaking to this person when she says "Baloney! How can you learn if you're not happy?"
Who is Zulma?
The men in the novel want to take this away from the women.
What is independence/free will?
What does Zulma's experience in Canada reveal to us about immigration?
While immigration has its positives, such as more opportunities, it can cause profound loss and feelings of displacement. Zulma feels uprooted from her home and is not happy in Canada (homesickness).
It can also be argued that immigration for her is a new form of slavery as she is trapped in an abusive household, feeling her only option is to run away.
It can be a lonely place if one has no family or friends
State Zulma's justification for running away.
She believes it is the only way her mother will know she is not happy and that doesn't want to live with her if she is living with her stepfather and that she wants to go back to her Gran.
He said you thought you were a big woman, and wanted to come between him and his wife.
Who is Zulma's stepfather?
"If he could have spat at me, I'm sure he would have."
State who is being spoken about
Who is Zulma's stepfather?
In Chapter 19 Margaret gets her period. What do periods represent or symbolize for women?
Signals a 'rite of passage' into adulthood (transition from a child to a young woman)
A 'coming of age' where women can now define their own identity and who they will become.
Margaret's period serves as a bonding moment between her and her mother. We experience true maternal connection. Explain what it is about this experience that causes this dramatic shift in her mother.
Mrs. Billings was unable to purchase tickets for the girls. Explain why
She needed at least one parent's approval in order to purchase the tickets and didn't have either parents' consent.
"Back in Jamaica, that's what we used to say when it happened - that you're a young lady."
Who is Vashtina?
"She stopped ironing and looked at me, and this great, big humungous smile broke out over her face. She put her hands up to her face and laughed out loud ... I had forgotten how nice it sounded and now ... well, how nice and pretty she was."
Who is Vashtina?
"I won't get married, I won't have babies, and I won't iron any man's shirt - specially if I don't feel like it."
When Margaret says this, it reveals this theme.
What is feminism/women empowerment?