The "Shrew" is Katherina Minola, the eldest daughter of Baptista Minola, a merchant in Padua. Her temper is extremely volatile and no man can control her. She ties her sister to a chair in one scene, and in another attacks a music tutor with his own instrument. Her younger sister, Bianca Minola, is docile, beautiful, and much sought after by the noble men of the town. Baptista has sworn not to allow his younger daughter to marry before Katherina is wed.
The plot becomes considerably more complex when two strangers, Petruchio and Lucentio, arrive in town. Lucentio, the son of the wealthy merchant Vincentio of Pisa, falls in love with Bianca, while Petruchio seems interested only in money.
.
Meanwhile, Petruchio is told by the suitors about the large dowry that would come with marrying Katherina. He attempts to woo the violent Katherina, calling her "Kate", quickly settles on the dowry, marries her and takes her home against her will. Once there, he begins his "taming" of his new wife - he keeps her from sleeping, invents reasons why she cannot eat, and buys her beautiful clothes only to rip them up. When Kate, profoundly shaken by her experiences, is told that they are to return to Padua for Bianca's wedding, she is only too happy to comply. By the time they arrive, Kate's taming is complete and she no longer resists Petruchio. She demonstrates her complete subordination to his will by agreeing that she will regard the moon as the sun, or the sun as the moon, if he demands her to do so.
Bianca is to be married to Lucentio (following a complex subplot involving Lucentio's servant masquerading as his master during his stint as a tutor). Hortensio has married a rich widow. During the banquet, Petruchio brags that his wife, formerly untameable, is now completely obedient. Baptista, Hortensio, and Lucentio are incredulous and the latter two believe that their wives are more obedient. Petruchio proposes a wager in which each will send a servant to call for their wives, and whichever wife comes most obediently will have won the wager for her husband. Baptista, not believing that his shrewish Katharina has been tamed, offers an enormous second dowry in addition to the wager.
Kate is the only one who responds, winning for Petruchio a second dowry. At the end of the play, after the other two wives have been summoned also, Kate gives them a speech to the point that wives should always obey their husbands.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Summary of '65 by Vic Reid
Summary of Sixty- Five
Sixty-Five is a book based on the true story of the Morant Bay Rebellion; a rebellion made by the freed slaves of Jamaica, (particularly in the county of Surrey) fighting against injustices such as poor wages and not being able to purchase land. It is written in such a way to give the reader a sense of him being in the book because, it is narrated by a twelve-year-old boy named Japheth Murray who is almost always right there in the action.
The Murray Family is a key element in the story. First of all, Japheth is the narrator of the story, he is right there by Grandpa and in the midst of the action and the wars. His father, Charlie Murray is in the war, fighting with Paul Bogle and his men. Charlie Murray’s “handsome” wife Amelia stays home with Japeth’s 13-year-old sister, Queenie. Grandpa is a old soldier described as a man full of many colourful stories. He has a very strong character probably the result of many years of military training. All of them play their role in the story which makes it much better.
The story begins with Japeth telling about the drought that has been “clutching the land for 3 years” and how it has affected their lives. It then shifts to him eavesdropping on Charlie, Amelia and Grandpa Joe talking about Paul Bogle’s plans to march to the courthouse and demanding justice for the ex-slaves. This is the first display of Grandpa’s strong character. While Charlie and Amelia support Deacon Bogle’s plan, Grandpa strongly opposes saying that if Paul Bogle makes an army he must be prepared to fight a war. Grandpa believes that the best thing to do, is keep on sending his petitions to Governor Eyre.
A few days after, Bogle starts putting his plan into action. With his congregation of hundreds of followers ready to “fight against injustice” he marches to the Courthouse in Morant Bay. In the Courthouse, there a trial is going on with a Stony Gut man so Bogle was going to try and talk to Governor Eyre about this injustice but it doesn’t turn out as he had hoped. Paul Bogle then goes and sends to recruit “Mountain Men” (Maroons) to help him with his next plan of a rebellion. When Paul Bogle and his congregation some time after Grandpa stops him nad the people and confronts the Deacon saying that he should not prepare an army unless he has a war for them to fight and that if he tried to fight then the English soldiers will come and defeat them. Paul Bogle ignores his advice and proceeds.
The story then picks up with the Deacon hosting “the best service yet”in the town church. He tells them about the many injustices that they are fighting agaisnt to give them confidence that they are doing the right thing and tells them that they are not fighting against the queen but the Custos and his wicked magistrates. We also learn George William Gordon’s role in the whole thing – that he is a rich land owner who is a great fighter for the poor. He arranged that many copies of “The Queen’s Letter” be posted everywhere. This letter said that the people of Jamaica could only better themselves if they worked to earn wages. However, they cannot, due to the injustice in their country. So, Paul Bogle and George William Gordon were fighting for the same thing except they had different approaches. George William wanted to “fight with memorials to the Queen while Bogle wanted to fight with muskets”.
When in the service Grandpa yet again confronts Bogle with another piece of useful advice. He asks who they will fight, if not the whole of England in the end. He also asked what they would fight with, the reply was muskets, pimento sticks and the Mountain Men (Maroons) whoo had agreed to help them. Grandpa then argues saying that te Maroons will not help them because they are swron to the Queen by treaty. After some more quarrelling, Bogle proves to have more support than Grandpa and turns almost everyone in the chapel against him.
A few days later, Paul Bogle and his entourage head back for the courthouse, this time, to seek out Custos von Ketelhodt. They wanted to free Charlie Murray and ask that a reply to the Queen’s letter be taken to Governor Eyre. When they get there, they are not allowed in without an appointment so Deacon Bogle decides to wait. On the way to his monthly luncheon , the Custos sees the vast crowd and orders the liutenant to clear the crowd. After Bogle tells him what he wants and that he won’t leave until they talk the Custos becomes irritated and reads the Riot Act. Bogle’s people advance and the milita fire away with their muskets. When Japeth and Grandpa go back to look in the square they saw numbers of men who had fallen. There were seven civilians and seven militamen.
Later that night Bogle’s men “put fire to the school house”. The schoolhouse burnt quickly and many sparks jumped from the schoolhouse to the courthouse causing the courthouse to start burning as well. When Custos and his party ran out of the courthouse, Bogle’s men finished them off.
Grandpa and Japeth returned to Stony Gut that night and told Amelia about the events that took place that day. He predicts that the Maroons will turn against Bogle’s army and join the stronger side. Grandpa decides to help them - only because his family is danger. So, Grandpa and Charlie decide to go talk to Bogle in private about their new plan.
Grandpa and Bogle’s next meeting did not go well. Even after all the previous events Bogle still stuck to his plan and only offered Grandpa a “Company” to help drill. Little does Bogle know that he made a sad mistake.
Grandpa played a major role in the story, as we can see. Numerous times, he had given Deacon Bogle good advice on how to go about his protest. He was the wise, voice of reason in the story. While everyone thought that he was a foolish, old man he could predict what was going to happen because in his old age he had learned and seen things like these happen.
A few days later, a runner came to the villiage, bearing bad news. As Grandpa had assumed, a gun boat arrived on the shores with hundreds of soldiers and they were marching up to Morant Bay and down from the west. Grandpa and Japeth immediately set out to Morant Bay to scout.
Grandpa and Japheth finally reach Morant Bay in the evening. They find out that the Martial Law had been declared, entitling the soldiers to shoot whoever they pleased and many rutheless hangings and gaolings. When Grandpa and Japeth reach the main streets, they disquise themselves as a hunchbacked old-man and his little grandson so that the soldires would not suspect that they were from Stony Gut.
Grandpa and Japeth return to Stony Gut only to find that it is deserted. Shortly after this they set off with pimento sticks and sacks of food to last them their journey. They were going west to help Bogle avoid major conflict anyway they could.
After some time of cutting through the woods, they finally got to the village of Coley. Grandpa and Japeth then stopped at the house of a Blacksmith who Grandpa knew very well – Mr.Norris. They got refreshments from him and information about the whereabouts of some of Bogle’s troops, then leave in pursuit of them.
They soon reached the Monklands, and rest in the chapel which Paul Bogle is expected to return to that evening. When he comes, yet again, Grandpa confronts him, this time telling him that this place where he has led his men is practically walking into a trap.
The Deacon impatiently waves him off, telling him that he has to go recruit more “Mountain Men”. Grandpa doesn’t give up that easily.
The next morning, they went and woke up Bogle from his sleep to go talk to him again. Grandpa told him to send a couple scouts up the banks of the river to see where they were. Sure enough, later that day, a couple worried scouts came back panic stricken that a troop of soldiers were coming up by the banks of the river less than a mile away. Bogle, finally seeing that Grandpa was right asked him for advice, which Grandpa gave him.
The plan was carried out. Grandpa and Japheth climbed to the top of a tall boulder where they could see everything that was happening. The plan was for Bogle’s men to hide behind a collection of large rocks and his scouts to take out any of the enemy’s scouts but it didn’t go that way. All of Bogle’s men were in place and the Redcoats were crossing on the opposite side of the river. They were safe, until one man fired. War broke out and Bogle’s army jumped out from behind their “very secure rocks” and charged the Redcoats. Soon, they found out that the Redcoats were better armed and they scatted for cover.
Grandpa and Japheth headed for the villiage of the Hayfield Maroons next. Since Grandpa knew many people there they rested in one of the houses there- that of the captian and his wife. They talked to her and gathered some very valuable information from her. They learned that the Hayfield Maroons had gone to go protect Bath instead of helping Bogle and the Moore Town Maroons were given new guns to hunt Stony Gut people. However, the piece of information that got to Grandpa most was that George William Gordon was arrested and was to be hanged.
Grandpa and Japheth then head for Torrington. When they reach, they find the village burnt to the ground. They rest there in a cave for the night and the next day, find the band of Moses Bogle. It had dwindled down to only about 30 men. Nevertheless, they find Charlie and are reunited with him and Theresa.
The next day, Bogle and the rmainder of his men go in for the final battle. Grandpa and Japeth mount another boulder overlooking the warfield. Bogle’s men were on one side and the Redcoats on the other side of the river. Soon, the Redcoats broke the tension with the “first volley”. Then the crossfire began. Grandpa was making statements with Beelzebub but soon fled for he knew that it was not safe there.
Bogle ran for the East while being chased by a dozen Maroons. He did not reach very far before they reached him.
Even though at the moment, Bogle and his men seemed defeated a couple years later, their efforts were rewarded. In 1962, we became an independent country and hae our own government with justice for all.
Sixty-Five is a book based on the true story of the Morant Bay Rebellion; a rebellion made by the freed slaves of Jamaica, (particularly in the county of Surrey) fighting against injustices such as poor wages and not being able to purchase land. It is written in such a way to give the reader a sense of him being in the book because, it is narrated by a twelve-year-old boy named Japheth Murray who is almost always right there in the action.
The Murray Family is a key element in the story. First of all, Japheth is the narrator of the story, he is right there by Grandpa and in the midst of the action and the wars. His father, Charlie Murray is in the war, fighting with Paul Bogle and his men. Charlie Murray’s “handsome” wife Amelia stays home with Japeth’s 13-year-old sister, Queenie. Grandpa is a old soldier described as a man full of many colourful stories. He has a very strong character probably the result of many years of military training. All of them play their role in the story which makes it much better.
The story begins with Japeth telling about the drought that has been “clutching the land for 3 years” and how it has affected their lives. It then shifts to him eavesdropping on Charlie, Amelia and Grandpa Joe talking about Paul Bogle’s plans to march to the courthouse and demanding justice for the ex-slaves. This is the first display of Grandpa’s strong character. While Charlie and Amelia support Deacon Bogle’s plan, Grandpa strongly opposes saying that if Paul Bogle makes an army he must be prepared to fight a war. Grandpa believes that the best thing to do, is keep on sending his petitions to Governor Eyre.
A few days after, Bogle starts putting his plan into action. With his congregation of hundreds of followers ready to “fight against injustice” he marches to the Courthouse in Morant Bay. In the Courthouse, there a trial is going on with a Stony Gut man so Bogle was going to try and talk to Governor Eyre about this injustice but it doesn’t turn out as he had hoped. Paul Bogle then goes and sends to recruit “Mountain Men” (Maroons) to help him with his next plan of a rebellion. When Paul Bogle and his congregation some time after Grandpa stops him nad the people and confronts the Deacon saying that he should not prepare an army unless he has a war for them to fight and that if he tried to fight then the English soldiers will come and defeat them. Paul Bogle ignores his advice and proceeds.
The story then picks up with the Deacon hosting “the best service yet”in the town church. He tells them about the many injustices that they are fighting agaisnt to give them confidence that they are doing the right thing and tells them that they are not fighting against the queen but the Custos and his wicked magistrates. We also learn George William Gordon’s role in the whole thing – that he is a rich land owner who is a great fighter for the poor. He arranged that many copies of “The Queen’s Letter” be posted everywhere. This letter said that the people of Jamaica could only better themselves if they worked to earn wages. However, they cannot, due to the injustice in their country. So, Paul Bogle and George William Gordon were fighting for the same thing except they had different approaches. George William wanted to “fight with memorials to the Queen while Bogle wanted to fight with muskets”.
When in the service Grandpa yet again confronts Bogle with another piece of useful advice. He asks who they will fight, if not the whole of England in the end. He also asked what they would fight with, the reply was muskets, pimento sticks and the Mountain Men (Maroons) whoo had agreed to help them. Grandpa then argues saying that te Maroons will not help them because they are swron to the Queen by treaty. After some more quarrelling, Bogle proves to have more support than Grandpa and turns almost everyone in the chapel against him.
A few days later, Paul Bogle and his entourage head back for the courthouse, this time, to seek out Custos von Ketelhodt. They wanted to free Charlie Murray and ask that a reply to the Queen’s letter be taken to Governor Eyre. When they get there, they are not allowed in without an appointment so Deacon Bogle decides to wait. On the way to his monthly luncheon , the Custos sees the vast crowd and orders the liutenant to clear the crowd. After Bogle tells him what he wants and that he won’t leave until they talk the Custos becomes irritated and reads the Riot Act. Bogle’s people advance and the milita fire away with their muskets. When Japeth and Grandpa go back to look in the square they saw numbers of men who had fallen. There were seven civilians and seven militamen.
Later that night Bogle’s men “put fire to the school house”. The schoolhouse burnt quickly and many sparks jumped from the schoolhouse to the courthouse causing the courthouse to start burning as well. When Custos and his party ran out of the courthouse, Bogle’s men finished them off.
Grandpa and Japeth returned to Stony Gut that night and told Amelia about the events that took place that day. He predicts that the Maroons will turn against Bogle’s army and join the stronger side. Grandpa decides to help them - only because his family is danger. So, Grandpa and Charlie decide to go talk to Bogle in private about their new plan.
Grandpa and Bogle’s next meeting did not go well. Even after all the previous events Bogle still stuck to his plan and only offered Grandpa a “Company” to help drill. Little does Bogle know that he made a sad mistake.
Grandpa played a major role in the story, as we can see. Numerous times, he had given Deacon Bogle good advice on how to go about his protest. He was the wise, voice of reason in the story. While everyone thought that he was a foolish, old man he could predict what was going to happen because in his old age he had learned and seen things like these happen.
A few days later, a runner came to the villiage, bearing bad news. As Grandpa had assumed, a gun boat arrived on the shores with hundreds of soldiers and they were marching up to Morant Bay and down from the west. Grandpa and Japeth immediately set out to Morant Bay to scout.
Grandpa and Japheth finally reach Morant Bay in the evening. They find out that the Martial Law had been declared, entitling the soldiers to shoot whoever they pleased and many rutheless hangings and gaolings. When Grandpa and Japeth reach the main streets, they disquise themselves as a hunchbacked old-man and his little grandson so that the soldires would not suspect that they were from Stony Gut.
Grandpa and Japeth return to Stony Gut only to find that it is deserted. Shortly after this they set off with pimento sticks and sacks of food to last them their journey. They were going west to help Bogle avoid major conflict anyway they could.
After some time of cutting through the woods, they finally got to the village of Coley. Grandpa and Japeth then stopped at the house of a Blacksmith who Grandpa knew very well – Mr.Norris. They got refreshments from him and information about the whereabouts of some of Bogle’s troops, then leave in pursuit of them.
They soon reached the Monklands, and rest in the chapel which Paul Bogle is expected to return to that evening. When he comes, yet again, Grandpa confronts him, this time telling him that this place where he has led his men is practically walking into a trap.
The Deacon impatiently waves him off, telling him that he has to go recruit more “Mountain Men”. Grandpa doesn’t give up that easily.
The next morning, they went and woke up Bogle from his sleep to go talk to him again. Grandpa told him to send a couple scouts up the banks of the river to see where they were. Sure enough, later that day, a couple worried scouts came back panic stricken that a troop of soldiers were coming up by the banks of the river less than a mile away. Bogle, finally seeing that Grandpa was right asked him for advice, which Grandpa gave him.
The plan was carried out. Grandpa and Japheth climbed to the top of a tall boulder where they could see everything that was happening. The plan was for Bogle’s men to hide behind a collection of large rocks and his scouts to take out any of the enemy’s scouts but it didn’t go that way. All of Bogle’s men were in place and the Redcoats were crossing on the opposite side of the river. They were safe, until one man fired. War broke out and Bogle’s army jumped out from behind their “very secure rocks” and charged the Redcoats. Soon, they found out that the Redcoats were better armed and they scatted for cover.
Grandpa and Japheth headed for the villiage of the Hayfield Maroons next. Since Grandpa knew many people there they rested in one of the houses there- that of the captian and his wife. They talked to her and gathered some very valuable information from her. They learned that the Hayfield Maroons had gone to go protect Bath instead of helping Bogle and the Moore Town Maroons were given new guns to hunt Stony Gut people. However, the piece of information that got to Grandpa most was that George William Gordon was arrested and was to be hanged.
Grandpa and Japheth then head for Torrington. When they reach, they find the village burnt to the ground. They rest there in a cave for the night and the next day, find the band of Moses Bogle. It had dwindled down to only about 30 men. Nevertheless, they find Charlie and are reunited with him and Theresa.
The next day, Bogle and the rmainder of his men go in for the final battle. Grandpa and Japeth mount another boulder overlooking the warfield. Bogle’s men were on one side and the Redcoats on the other side of the river. Soon, the Redcoats broke the tension with the “first volley”. Then the crossfire began. Grandpa was making statements with Beelzebub but soon fled for he knew that it was not safe there.
Bogle ran for the East while being chased by a dozen Maroons. He did not reach very far before they reached him.
Even though at the moment, Bogle and his men seemed defeated a couple years later, their efforts were rewarded. In 1962, we became an independent country and hae our own government with justice for all.
Shane
Shane
Research Flethcher’s act’s of intimidation on the homesteaders
A) Reason
B) Incidents
C) Results
Luke Fletcher was the antagonist of the book. He is a pure villian and problem to the homesteaders from the start. Fletcher starts out as a man to wrapped up in himself to care about anyone else (homesteaders) but they soon realize that this leads to their downfall as becomes more and more threatining as the book progresses.
A) The reason that Fletcher was so intimidating to the homesteaders was because he wanted them to move off of his land. Fletcher wanted all of his land for himself and so that he could expand his cattle ranch on it because he had received an Indian contract. Fletcher realized that he could not simply ask the homesteaders to leave because they had already situated their homes and families there. Another reason that Fletcher realized that he would have to use crafty means of intimidation was because the homesteaders did not like him already and therefore woud not want to do anything to please him and his rude cowboys. Fletcher did not use force but means of intimidation because he knew that he could easily get into the minds of the already outnumbered homesteaders and it would be easier than getting into violent acts. Fletcher knew that he could not use bare criminal acts because he had an image and reputation to uphold and if he was found out to be responsible for murders he would no doubt get into more trouble than anyone else. We can tell that he does not want to get in trouble because he takes care to stay on the right side of the law (eg. When he made sure to make Stark Wilson lure Ernie into the shoot out and set him up so that Stark was in “self-defense”.)
B) The incidents that are characterized as Fletcher’s acts of intimidation are :
· When Fletcher and his men trampled Joe Starrett’s land.
· When Fletcher sent Chris to insult the homesteaders
· When Fletcher sent Chris / Morgan and his men to try and hurt Shane (this would have worried the homesteaders as he was their hope for winning the battle).
· When Fletcher brought in Stark Wilson.
· When Fletcher had Stark Wilson kill Ernie Wright.
C) The results of Fletcher’s acts of intimidation were a mixed reaction. IN some parts of the book Fletcher had his desired outcome such as when one of the homesteaders moved out. In other parts of the book Luke Fletcher just made things worse for himself. Contrary to the final outcome of the book, for the most part, Fletcher’s acts of intimidation worked. Fletcher had acoomplished everything that he had wanted. The rancher made some homesteaders move off of his land, and he scared all the other homesteaders. In fact, if is wasn’t for Shane, if Fletcher had gone on with his plan all of the residents of his land would have eventually left. The overall outcome of Fletcher’s actions led to his failure and the death of many others. This just goes to show that you cannot triumph evil over good.
Research Flethcher’s act’s of intimidation on the homesteaders
A) Reason
B) Incidents
C) Results
Luke Fletcher was the antagonist of the book. He is a pure villian and problem to the homesteaders from the start. Fletcher starts out as a man to wrapped up in himself to care about anyone else (homesteaders) but they soon realize that this leads to their downfall as becomes more and more threatining as the book progresses.
A) The reason that Fletcher was so intimidating to the homesteaders was because he wanted them to move off of his land. Fletcher wanted all of his land for himself and so that he could expand his cattle ranch on it because he had received an Indian contract. Fletcher realized that he could not simply ask the homesteaders to leave because they had already situated their homes and families there. Another reason that Fletcher realized that he would have to use crafty means of intimidation was because the homesteaders did not like him already and therefore woud not want to do anything to please him and his rude cowboys. Fletcher did not use force but means of intimidation because he knew that he could easily get into the minds of the already outnumbered homesteaders and it would be easier than getting into violent acts. Fletcher knew that he could not use bare criminal acts because he had an image and reputation to uphold and if he was found out to be responsible for murders he would no doubt get into more trouble than anyone else. We can tell that he does not want to get in trouble because he takes care to stay on the right side of the law (eg. When he made sure to make Stark Wilson lure Ernie into the shoot out and set him up so that Stark was in “self-defense”.)
B) The incidents that are characterized as Fletcher’s acts of intimidation are :
· When Fletcher and his men trampled Joe Starrett’s land.
· When Fletcher sent Chris to insult the homesteaders
· When Fletcher sent Chris / Morgan and his men to try and hurt Shane (this would have worried the homesteaders as he was their hope for winning the battle).
· When Fletcher brought in Stark Wilson.
· When Fletcher had Stark Wilson kill Ernie Wright.
C) The results of Fletcher’s acts of intimidation were a mixed reaction. IN some parts of the book Fletcher had his desired outcome such as when one of the homesteaders moved out. In other parts of the book Luke Fletcher just made things worse for himself. Contrary to the final outcome of the book, for the most part, Fletcher’s acts of intimidation worked. Fletcher had acoomplished everything that he had wanted. The rancher made some homesteaders move off of his land, and he scared all the other homesteaders. In fact, if is wasn’t for Shane, if Fletcher had gone on with his plan all of the residents of his land would have eventually left. The overall outcome of Fletcher’s actions led to his failure and the death of many others. This just goes to show that you cannot triumph evil over good.
Marassa and Midnight - Review2 - Pt.1
Information Page
Title :
Marassa and Midnight
Author :
Morna Stuart – The date of her birth is not known. Marassa and Midnight seems to be the only book she has written.
Illustrator :
Janina Ede
Date Published :
1966
Publisher :
Heinemann New Windmills
Settings :
San Domingo, Haiti, 1791 and Paris, France 1791
Major Characters :
Marassa – Midnight’s eleven-year old twin brother who is the shyer, quieter and more behaved of the two. Marassa was constantly sick in the book with a nasty cough, a fever and he got hurt many times. Marassa was the twin who was sold to a French Marquis as a Paige boy. He was never as athletic as Midnight.
Midnight – Marassa’s twin brother who is the braver, stronger and more clever of the two. Midnight is a leader. His personality however, does not reflect his age. He is the younger of the twins. Midnight was the twin who was left on the plantation to do hard labour.
Tir Nan Og – A kind Scottish gentleman, who helps Marassa. His name comes from his estate. He is a middle-aged man with fiery red hair and a teacher of fencing. Tir Nan Og, is Marassa’s friend and guide on his quest to find Midnight.
Papa Doctor – A relative of the twins who helps to bring them together constantly giving locations of each twin. Papa Doctor is also a man who is very good at healing and treating wounds. He is also the leader of a band of Negroes known as the Feraille. Papa Doctor, like Tir Nan Og is Midnight’s friend and guide.
Other Characters :
Christophe
Milord
The Great One
Mama
Title :
Marassa and Midnight
Author :
Morna Stuart – The date of her birth is not known. Marassa and Midnight seems to be the only book she has written.
Illustrator :
Janina Ede
Date Published :
1966
Publisher :
Heinemann New Windmills
Settings :
San Domingo, Haiti, 1791 and Paris, France 1791
Major Characters :
Marassa – Midnight’s eleven-year old twin brother who is the shyer, quieter and more behaved of the two. Marassa was constantly sick in the book with a nasty cough, a fever and he got hurt many times. Marassa was the twin who was sold to a French Marquis as a Paige boy. He was never as athletic as Midnight.
Midnight – Marassa’s twin brother who is the braver, stronger and more clever of the two. Midnight is a leader. His personality however, does not reflect his age. He is the younger of the twins. Midnight was the twin who was left on the plantation to do hard labour.
Tir Nan Og – A kind Scottish gentleman, who helps Marassa. His name comes from his estate. He is a middle-aged man with fiery red hair and a teacher of fencing. Tir Nan Og, is Marassa’s friend and guide on his quest to find Midnight.
Papa Doctor – A relative of the twins who helps to bring them together constantly giving locations of each twin. Papa Doctor is also a man who is very good at healing and treating wounds. He is also the leader of a band of Negroes known as the Feraille. Papa Doctor, like Tir Nan Og is Midnight’s friend and guide.
Other Characters :
Christophe
Milord
The Great One
Mama
Marassa and Midnight - Review2 - Pt.2
Major Themes :
Injustice – Injustice was shown towards Marassa when his Marquis completely ignored him and did not care for him. Also, when he left Marassa out in the street. The entire practice of using slaves was injustice towards the Negros and also, in Paris, the lower class French people. Injustice was shown when the Beke` treated the slaves badly but more so what the Negros did on the Night of the Flames.
Bravery – Bravery was shown by Midnight when he ran away twice, especially the second time, after he had been caught and branded the first time. Bravery was also shown by all the people who went into the mountains even though they were thought to be haunted. Another instance of bravery was when Marassa and Midnight both took of the Great One and his followers.
Determination – Determination was shown by both of the twins obviously. They were very determined to find their brother and even though it had been almost over a year that they had been separated, they still fought with a fire in their hearts to find the other. The bad Negroes were determined to get revenge on all the Beke` , planning the night of Flames for nearly a year in advance.
Resourcefulness – Resourcefulness was shown by Papa Doctor, because he knew much about treatments and cures for wounds. Resourcefulness was also shown by Midnight when he was in the mountains. Midnight, found food and tools that he used to survive.
Heritage – All of the Negroes paid much respect to the god of fire – Ogoun. Heritage was also shown by the way the Negro slaves religiously had bamboche. Another point that showed heritage was Papa Doctor and his constant reference to the past (Wydah Roads and the Feraille).
Hospitality – Hospitality was shown by Tir Nan Og towards Marassa, when he tended to his wounds after his fight with the gang of street boys and his fever. Hospitality was also shown to both twins by Papa Doctor. He treated both of their wounds and offered his home to Marassa and Tir Nan Og.
Love/Loyalty – Love and loyalty was shown by both twins, Marassa and Midnight. It was their love for each other that kept them strong and determined. Tir Nan Og and Papa Doctor especially showed this, guiding both twins on their quest to find each other. This was a very special case because both men hadn’t known either twin for long but went out of their way and showed extra-ordinary kindness to the boys.
Plot : The story is a tale of two Haitian twin boys, Marassa and Midnight who have worked as slaves on a plantation in San Domingo for as long as they can remember. Soon after the boys turn eleven years old they are separated. Marassa, always known for having the better manners is chosen to become a Paige boy to a man in Paris while Midnight is stuck at the plantation, doing harder labour. Months go by and the boys can’t stop thinking about if they will ever see their brother again. A tale of fate and determination, Marassa and Midnight both do what many thought was impossible and through a odd chain of events are finally reunited.
Special Point of Concern :
My special point of concern was the ending. Throughout the whole book, Midnight and Marassa struggled to be reunited, and kept just missing each other giving it the feeling of suspense. AT the end of the book, Marassa and Midnight slowly find the paths that lead to each other but when they are finally reunited the book abruptly ends. I feel that Morna Stuart could have given the book a more definite ending by telling what happened to all the other parts of the book. She could have answered questions such as “What happened to the warriors of the Feraille?” and “What happened after they got down off of the mountain?” in an epilogue. This would have made the story a lot better.
Injustice – Injustice was shown towards Marassa when his Marquis completely ignored him and did not care for him. Also, when he left Marassa out in the street. The entire practice of using slaves was injustice towards the Negros and also, in Paris, the lower class French people. Injustice was shown when the Beke` treated the slaves badly but more so what the Negros did on the Night of the Flames.
Bravery – Bravery was shown by Midnight when he ran away twice, especially the second time, after he had been caught and branded the first time. Bravery was also shown by all the people who went into the mountains even though they were thought to be haunted. Another instance of bravery was when Marassa and Midnight both took of the Great One and his followers.
Determination – Determination was shown by both of the twins obviously. They were very determined to find their brother and even though it had been almost over a year that they had been separated, they still fought with a fire in their hearts to find the other. The bad Negroes were determined to get revenge on all the Beke` , planning the night of Flames for nearly a year in advance.
Resourcefulness – Resourcefulness was shown by Papa Doctor, because he knew much about treatments and cures for wounds. Resourcefulness was also shown by Midnight when he was in the mountains. Midnight, found food and tools that he used to survive.
Heritage – All of the Negroes paid much respect to the god of fire – Ogoun. Heritage was also shown by the way the Negro slaves religiously had bamboche. Another point that showed heritage was Papa Doctor and his constant reference to the past (Wydah Roads and the Feraille).
Hospitality – Hospitality was shown by Tir Nan Og towards Marassa, when he tended to his wounds after his fight with the gang of street boys and his fever. Hospitality was also shown to both twins by Papa Doctor. He treated both of their wounds and offered his home to Marassa and Tir Nan Og.
Love/Loyalty – Love and loyalty was shown by both twins, Marassa and Midnight. It was their love for each other that kept them strong and determined. Tir Nan Og and Papa Doctor especially showed this, guiding both twins on their quest to find each other. This was a very special case because both men hadn’t known either twin for long but went out of their way and showed extra-ordinary kindness to the boys.
Plot : The story is a tale of two Haitian twin boys, Marassa and Midnight who have worked as slaves on a plantation in San Domingo for as long as they can remember. Soon after the boys turn eleven years old they are separated. Marassa, always known for having the better manners is chosen to become a Paige boy to a man in Paris while Midnight is stuck at the plantation, doing harder labour. Months go by and the boys can’t stop thinking about if they will ever see their brother again. A tale of fate and determination, Marassa and Midnight both do what many thought was impossible and through a odd chain of events are finally reunited.
Special Point of Concern :
My special point of concern was the ending. Throughout the whole book, Midnight and Marassa struggled to be reunited, and kept just missing each other giving it the feeling of suspense. AT the end of the book, Marassa and Midnight slowly find the paths that lead to each other but when they are finally reunited the book abruptly ends. I feel that Morna Stuart could have given the book a more definite ending by telling what happened to all the other parts of the book. She could have answered questions such as “What happened to the warriors of the Feraille?” and “What happened after they got down off of the mountain?” in an epilogue. This would have made the story a lot better.
Marassa and Midnight - Review2 - Pt.3
Critique (my opinion) :
Marassa and Midnight was an excellent book in my opinion. I think that many people can easily relate to some of the feelings relayed in the story such as doubting themselves at one point in their life and a sense of feeling alone. To me this book took me on an emotional rollercoaster, at some points in the book I found myself cheering for the twins and then feeling afraid of the Great One as if I was a Maroon myself. This just goes to show how well written it was.
One of the things I liked most about this book was the exciting point of view of the revolutions of that time. I felt like I was in the era feeling the injustices and hardships the slaves faced. I usually do not like historical books but Morna Stuart mixed it into the story so you were learning as well as reading an adventure.
My favorite character in the book, suprisingly, was Tir Nan Og. I found myself liking him in particular because of what he stood for. Unlike the other whites of that time, he did not despise Negroes and had a heart. When he first came across Marassa, he was like the good Samaritan and put him in his own bed and tended to him as if he was his own child. Tir Nan Og, loathed how the Beke` treated the slaves and refused to fight alongside any of them. Tir Nan Og was a gentle, kind-hearted man who was also very robust, surviving the harsh life of a Maroon quite well. He also adapted quite well to the Negro culture. In addition to this I liked that he was very skilled in fencing.
In my opinion I think that it was a great book. It was suspense mixed with adventure. The book was well written so as to give us a sense of the setting. It also had very detailed descriptions, which gave me the sense that I was right there beside both of the twins in their adventure. I would recommend this book to anyone because it has a little of everything in there but especially to those who like history, suspense and adventure. Morna Stuart did a wonderful job with this story ,however, there were some parts of the story that she just gave a briefly explained and for that reason, I would give it a 9 out of 10.
Marassa and Midnight was an excellent book in my opinion. I think that many people can easily relate to some of the feelings relayed in the story such as doubting themselves at one point in their life and a sense of feeling alone. To me this book took me on an emotional rollercoaster, at some points in the book I found myself cheering for the twins and then feeling afraid of the Great One as if I was a Maroon myself. This just goes to show how well written it was.
One of the things I liked most about this book was the exciting point of view of the revolutions of that time. I felt like I was in the era feeling the injustices and hardships the slaves faced. I usually do not like historical books but Morna Stuart mixed it into the story so you were learning as well as reading an adventure.
My favorite character in the book, suprisingly, was Tir Nan Og. I found myself liking him in particular because of what he stood for. Unlike the other whites of that time, he did not despise Negroes and had a heart. When he first came across Marassa, he was like the good Samaritan and put him in his own bed and tended to him as if he was his own child. Tir Nan Og, loathed how the Beke` treated the slaves and refused to fight alongside any of them. Tir Nan Og was a gentle, kind-hearted man who was also very robust, surviving the harsh life of a Maroon quite well. He also adapted quite well to the Negro culture. In addition to this I liked that he was very skilled in fencing.
In my opinion I think that it was a great book. It was suspense mixed with adventure. The book was well written so as to give us a sense of the setting. It also had very detailed descriptions, which gave me the sense that I was right there beside both of the twins in their adventure. I would recommend this book to anyone because it has a little of everything in there but especially to those who like history, suspense and adventure. Morna Stuart did a wonderful job with this story ,however, there were some parts of the story that she just gave a briefly explained and for that reason, I would give it a 9 out of 10.
Marassa and Midnight -Review2 - Pt.4
Summary :
Marassa and Midnight
The story starts off by telling Marassa’s side of the story and where he his. Marassa is in a house in Paris in January 1791. It tells of how he is mistreated and ignored and how in Paris no one even cared about his age or name.The story then explains about how his name plainly means “twins” in Creole and how he had been separated from his brother for thirteen full moons. Since their separation, Marassa had only felt half-alive, he missed his brother and couldn’t help but think that if Midnight was here, he could have helped him out of all of his problems. Marassa explains that “Oguon” is the god of fire of his people and he is called upon in times of suffering. Right then, Marassa was calling upon him.
Little after this, Marassa is ordered outside into the icy courtyard to open the gate. Two carriages go out and Marassa realizes that his Marquis has left him. Marassa ran after it crying “Master, Master”, but his cries were in vain. Marassa was alone. As if this wasn’t bad enough, as soon as he turns around, Marassa is greeted with a crowd of savage street boys piling on top of him. He is engaged in a fierce battle and is knocked out cold. While the boys are stripping his clothing off, they suddenly scatter and a man came charging towards the unconscious Marassa. The young man put him upon his shoulder and easily carried him ¼ of a mile to his captain’s house. It was here the captain laid Marassa on his own bed and began to treat his wounds.
The story quickly shifts over to Midnight’s side of the story. Midnight still in Haiti too was thinking about his brother and how long they had been separated. Midnight missed all the games that they used to play and the dances they used to do. Because of him, none of the slaves were let outside of the boundaries now. Three days after Marassa left he tried to runaway and was caught and severely punished. It was a bamboche night. The Saturday night dance. Midnight explains why he didn’t take part in it and he sat talking to his friend Bloodhounds – Dove and Diamond. It is here that Midnight has his first encounter with Papa Doctor, they talk and Papa Doctor treats his wounds and then leaves.
Back in Paris, Marassa is burning with fever. Marassa half-delirious thinks the song that the captain is singing is something about “Ti Nan Ogoun”. He then wakes up and sees the captain’s bright red hair and the fire and thinks for sure that he is the son of the fire lord as the Creole names suggests. The next morning the doctor arrives and predicts that Marassa will die by night or by the next morning. While in bed, Marassa overhears the Captain and the Apothecary talking about where they should leave France and go. The apothecary suggests San Domingo where the captains long lost love was supposed to be and they remember that Marassa is from San Domingo so the captain ponders the trip. While the Captain is deliberating, he brings up the theory that Marassa is only half witted. Instantly Marassa chirps up and calls “Master!” and pleads with the astonished captain to take him with him to Haiti. Marassa tells him that he would work on the ship and give him the money as well if he would buy his brother there Midnight. Captain considers this proposal and tells Marassa to go to sleep.
Meanwhile in Haiti, Midnight thinks about the days when the women and children were still there and how gay a time it would be. Now both the Bekes (white men) and the Negroes seemed to be becoming harsher. Since the women had gone, Midnight had done most of the cooking, he used this time to listen to the men’s conversations while playing a dumb idiotic boy. Although he was lonely and desired to interact with the slaves, he knew he had work to do for the Papa Doctor and just talked to Diamond and Dove the twin hounds every night. Each night that went by, each messenger that came brought no news of Marassa or Papa Doctor.
A messenger had just told Marassa that the Marquis and all his servants left Paris six full moons ago and that they went to England. Later that night he dreams that he found Marassa. One bamboche night before the twentieth moon Midnight had started to formulate a plan when he realizes that it was the Night of the Drums. He then goes to sit and think by the Mango tree and make a big discovery. He figured out that the Great One was not Ogoun, the God of Fire but a great Maroon leader. When the messenger comes that night he quickly tells him his theory and runs off to the mountains to go figure out how the Great One does his tricks. When he reached the forest, he realized that the hounds had followed him. The Great One and his mini-procession pass Midnight as drunk as they come. After they had passed, Midnight travels about three miles and comes to the place of the echo. Clouded with rage, Midnight destroys the drums and cries out into the night. Midnight and the hounds quickly slip into a shallow nearby cave and spend the night.
The story then shifts back to Marassa. Dawn comes, the ship docks and Tir Nan Og gets off and starts on his way to the hotel while Marassa stays on board. While walking with Chirstophe, Tir Nan Og finds out that the beautiful young lady who he had come to see, had gone to America and married a rich young gentleman. He also finds out that Midnight had runaway just a few hours ago. Tir Nan Og gets on his horse and leaves to visit a woman he knows. Christophe alerts Papa Doctor that Marassa is in town and Midnight is missing. Two hours later, while Marassa is on his way to the hotel, a young Beke` comes out of a carriage and captures him, mistaking him for Midnight. Christophe sees this and tried to stop him but he received a whip across his face. The situation is explained to Papa Doctor and fifteen minutes later Papa Doctor is hot on “Milord’s” trail. Meanwhile, Marassa, in pain cries out for Tir Nan Og. Tir Nan Og hears him and the whips and sets off immediately. When he gets nearer, he sees Marassa’s condition and quickly frees him engaging in a 3-to-1-sword battle in the process. When this is done, he confronts “Milord” about what he was doing and tells him that he is Marassa, Midnight’s twin. When they are trying to figure out compensation, Marassa unexpectedly strikes Milord in the face. Since that was a crime just as the flogging was, all is called off, but Tir Nan Og gets the right to buy Midnight.
Papa Doctor, his overseer, Marassa and Tir Nan Og ride to Papa Doctor’s house. When they get there, Papa Doctor’s wife tends to Marassa’s wounds and he sits down under the Mango tree outside. Papa Doctor introduces his sons to Marassa and then goes inside and tells Mama what had happened and asks her to watch him. Later that night, a storm hits. A fire starts where lightning hit the Beke` stables. Marassa enjoys the storm seeing as how it fits his mood. Papa goes to the house and sees Marassa sitting down inside and tells him stories of his encounters with Midnight. Papa Doctor calmly tells Marassa to show him the brand that he had made with the flat iron and dresses it. Marassa becomes the polite boy he was once known as and asks to become a warrior of the Feraille as Midnight was. Concurrently, Midnight had a frightening experience when the storm hit. He clutched Dove and Diamond and said a reassuring word to them. A fork of lightning sprang at him. The side of the mountain was falling in. The platform that they had used to get down there had disappeared, and so they were trapped. Midnight finds a secret staircase that was built into the rock. Seeing no other option he flees down. Midnight climbs and climbs until he reaches the summit of King’s Mountain. He had found a way to the top of the Kings Mountain.
Sunrise had come at Papa Doctor’s house and Marassa is sleeping soundly. Midnight makes plans to travel to England to find Marassa not knowing that was on the island. Soon after this Midnight looks for some food to eat. That night, Marassa, Tir Nan Og and Papa Doctor’s Beke` reach King’s mountain. When they see Midnight’s footprint at the edge of the cliff and see the side of the mountain broken off, they assume the worst. Marassa calls for Midnight but hears no reply. It is sheer coincidence that Midnight is underground and does not hear Marassa’s cry. For the next few days, Midnight shares the leg of salted pork among the three of them. Midnight goes back into the underground passage in search of food. Midnight comes out at a different place on the mountain that to his surprise overlooks the very plantation from which he had run away. He sees Marassa and two Beke and thinks that they are from the plantation trying to find him and quickly go underground.
That night, Midnight hears drums although it is not the night of the Drums or bamboche and sees tiny points of fire strewn out over the landscape. In addition to this he sees an entire plantation on fire, which quickly catches onto another and then a third separate one. Then it hits him – it was the night of Flames. Midnight heard drums and shouting unlike any he had heard before and when he came out of the tunnel, he saw the sight of his old plantation on fire. The next day, he traveled down there himself and witnessed the horror. Beke`s slaughtered and a few Negroes had the same fate. Before, he had wanted a few supplies but he would feel ashamed taking anything from that place and so he left. When he reached the tunnel where he told his friends to wait for him, he finds that the place is flooded out and almost drowns, but is saved by Dove and Diamond.
Midnight awakes and stares at a nearby Maroon settlement for the third time. He is amazed at the tranquility and how much different their lives are from his. Midnight goes and gets his hounds and goes back to his lookout. A few hours later he finally decides to approach them. He cries out all that he could think of – “I speak for the Feraille! We are faint with hunger!” The people of the village are frightened, right down to the men, thinking that he is Ogoun and begs him to eat their food. He trys desperately to tell them that he is just a boy of their race. Finally he gives up and feeds his children and leaves. When he went back the next day at noon it was no different but because they had insisted, he took a red belt. That night Midnight went back into the underground staircase and found some gifts that he could give to the over friendly Maroons.
Tir Nan Og was using this experience of going into the hills, to grow closer to nature and try and see how Maroons live. Tir Nan Og had undergone a massive transformation. He would sleep on the ground just like a Negro, he mad gotten such a deep tan that he could pass for a Negro and he could speak Creole with a strong Negro accent. Marassa was worried that his eyes and hair would give his identity along with his long sword that Tir Nan Og refused to part with. Food was scarce, al the food that they did find were tropical fruits such as guavas, star apple, honey and nuts. Marassa had grown almost a foot taller than when Tir Nan Og had first seen him and his voice had changed into that of a man’s. Marassa was very sad and Tir Nan Og could sense it. They set off again a few hours later and Marassa questions Tir Nan Og’s motives but Tir Nan Og tells him that he will know in good time.
One mountain away Midnight was going for his daily meal with the Maroons and had brought them some mangoes when, suddenly, he heard them crying out for him (Ogoun Feraille) to help and save them. When he looked at the mountaintop he saw the Great One and a large procession of his followers coming in great strength. Midnight, know what he must do, runs towards where they are posted and shouts out “I speak for the Feraille! Go back” over and over. It was not until Dove and Diamond started baying that the Great One and his followers became afraid. They had mistaken him for Ogoun. Without a second thought every last man fled. The bad Negroes run down the road that leads to the place where Marassa is camping. The Great One threw a stone that knocked Tir Nan Og out and went rushing down the hill. Marassa, suddenly was filled with rage and charged at them repeating the same words Midnight had said. It was too much for the Great One. He didn’t notice the difference between the two figures he had seen, but was so frightened thinking that it was the same Ogoun who had flown to the other mountain, and ran. Tir Nan Og saw the Bad Negroes slaughtered by the Beke armies. Papa doctor and his soldiers had quietly carried many of the wounded men back to their headquarters and Papa Doctor finds out that Midnight (Ogoun Feraille) is still alive and on King’s mountain.
While Marassa is walking, he reaches a gully and looks across and sees two twin hounds, who he thinks are ghosts and tells them to show him the way to his brother. Meanwhile, Papa Doctor, heads into the mountains thinking of what will happen next, about his plot for the next real slave revolt in Haiti with the soldiers of the Feraille. When he reaches the place of the echo and sees Midnight’s footprint where the rock had broken off into the gully he assumes that Marassa had tried to jump across and instead jumped to his death. He mourned for Marassa. Meanwhile, Midnight began to question his thinking. He started to think that no one he had ever loved had existed. A couple of yards away, the hounds were urging Marassa on to jump to them. Suddenly, Midnight is alarmed by what he thought was a footstep. He got up to see the hounds running towards him excitedly and the mirror image of himself approaching him. After identifying if each other were with the Feraille they cried out to each other and embraced. They were reunited.
Marassa and Midnight
The story starts off by telling Marassa’s side of the story and where he his. Marassa is in a house in Paris in January 1791. It tells of how he is mistreated and ignored and how in Paris no one even cared about his age or name.The story then explains about how his name plainly means “twins” in Creole and how he had been separated from his brother for thirteen full moons. Since their separation, Marassa had only felt half-alive, he missed his brother and couldn’t help but think that if Midnight was here, he could have helped him out of all of his problems. Marassa explains that “Oguon” is the god of fire of his people and he is called upon in times of suffering. Right then, Marassa was calling upon him.
Little after this, Marassa is ordered outside into the icy courtyard to open the gate. Two carriages go out and Marassa realizes that his Marquis has left him. Marassa ran after it crying “Master, Master”, but his cries were in vain. Marassa was alone. As if this wasn’t bad enough, as soon as he turns around, Marassa is greeted with a crowd of savage street boys piling on top of him. He is engaged in a fierce battle and is knocked out cold. While the boys are stripping his clothing off, they suddenly scatter and a man came charging towards the unconscious Marassa. The young man put him upon his shoulder and easily carried him ¼ of a mile to his captain’s house. It was here the captain laid Marassa on his own bed and began to treat his wounds.
The story quickly shifts over to Midnight’s side of the story. Midnight still in Haiti too was thinking about his brother and how long they had been separated. Midnight missed all the games that they used to play and the dances they used to do. Because of him, none of the slaves were let outside of the boundaries now. Three days after Marassa left he tried to runaway and was caught and severely punished. It was a bamboche night. The Saturday night dance. Midnight explains why he didn’t take part in it and he sat talking to his friend Bloodhounds – Dove and Diamond. It is here that Midnight has his first encounter with Papa Doctor, they talk and Papa Doctor treats his wounds and then leaves.
Back in Paris, Marassa is burning with fever. Marassa half-delirious thinks the song that the captain is singing is something about “Ti Nan Ogoun”. He then wakes up and sees the captain’s bright red hair and the fire and thinks for sure that he is the son of the fire lord as the Creole names suggests. The next morning the doctor arrives and predicts that Marassa will die by night or by the next morning. While in bed, Marassa overhears the Captain and the Apothecary talking about where they should leave France and go. The apothecary suggests San Domingo where the captains long lost love was supposed to be and they remember that Marassa is from San Domingo so the captain ponders the trip. While the Captain is deliberating, he brings up the theory that Marassa is only half witted. Instantly Marassa chirps up and calls “Master!” and pleads with the astonished captain to take him with him to Haiti. Marassa tells him that he would work on the ship and give him the money as well if he would buy his brother there Midnight. Captain considers this proposal and tells Marassa to go to sleep.
Meanwhile in Haiti, Midnight thinks about the days when the women and children were still there and how gay a time it would be. Now both the Bekes (white men) and the Negroes seemed to be becoming harsher. Since the women had gone, Midnight had done most of the cooking, he used this time to listen to the men’s conversations while playing a dumb idiotic boy. Although he was lonely and desired to interact with the slaves, he knew he had work to do for the Papa Doctor and just talked to Diamond and Dove the twin hounds every night. Each night that went by, each messenger that came brought no news of Marassa or Papa Doctor.
A messenger had just told Marassa that the Marquis and all his servants left Paris six full moons ago and that they went to England. Later that night he dreams that he found Marassa. One bamboche night before the twentieth moon Midnight had started to formulate a plan when he realizes that it was the Night of the Drums. He then goes to sit and think by the Mango tree and make a big discovery. He figured out that the Great One was not Ogoun, the God of Fire but a great Maroon leader. When the messenger comes that night he quickly tells him his theory and runs off to the mountains to go figure out how the Great One does his tricks. When he reached the forest, he realized that the hounds had followed him. The Great One and his mini-procession pass Midnight as drunk as they come. After they had passed, Midnight travels about three miles and comes to the place of the echo. Clouded with rage, Midnight destroys the drums and cries out into the night. Midnight and the hounds quickly slip into a shallow nearby cave and spend the night.
The story then shifts back to Marassa. Dawn comes, the ship docks and Tir Nan Og gets off and starts on his way to the hotel while Marassa stays on board. While walking with Chirstophe, Tir Nan Og finds out that the beautiful young lady who he had come to see, had gone to America and married a rich young gentleman. He also finds out that Midnight had runaway just a few hours ago. Tir Nan Og gets on his horse and leaves to visit a woman he knows. Christophe alerts Papa Doctor that Marassa is in town and Midnight is missing. Two hours later, while Marassa is on his way to the hotel, a young Beke` comes out of a carriage and captures him, mistaking him for Midnight. Christophe sees this and tried to stop him but he received a whip across his face. The situation is explained to Papa Doctor and fifteen minutes later Papa Doctor is hot on “Milord’s” trail. Meanwhile, Marassa, in pain cries out for Tir Nan Og. Tir Nan Og hears him and the whips and sets off immediately. When he gets nearer, he sees Marassa’s condition and quickly frees him engaging in a 3-to-1-sword battle in the process. When this is done, he confronts “Milord” about what he was doing and tells him that he is Marassa, Midnight’s twin. When they are trying to figure out compensation, Marassa unexpectedly strikes Milord in the face. Since that was a crime just as the flogging was, all is called off, but Tir Nan Og gets the right to buy Midnight.
Papa Doctor, his overseer, Marassa and Tir Nan Og ride to Papa Doctor’s house. When they get there, Papa Doctor’s wife tends to Marassa’s wounds and he sits down under the Mango tree outside. Papa Doctor introduces his sons to Marassa and then goes inside and tells Mama what had happened and asks her to watch him. Later that night, a storm hits. A fire starts where lightning hit the Beke` stables. Marassa enjoys the storm seeing as how it fits his mood. Papa goes to the house and sees Marassa sitting down inside and tells him stories of his encounters with Midnight. Papa Doctor calmly tells Marassa to show him the brand that he had made with the flat iron and dresses it. Marassa becomes the polite boy he was once known as and asks to become a warrior of the Feraille as Midnight was. Concurrently, Midnight had a frightening experience when the storm hit. He clutched Dove and Diamond and said a reassuring word to them. A fork of lightning sprang at him. The side of the mountain was falling in. The platform that they had used to get down there had disappeared, and so they were trapped. Midnight finds a secret staircase that was built into the rock. Seeing no other option he flees down. Midnight climbs and climbs until he reaches the summit of King’s Mountain. He had found a way to the top of the Kings Mountain.
Sunrise had come at Papa Doctor’s house and Marassa is sleeping soundly. Midnight makes plans to travel to England to find Marassa not knowing that was on the island. Soon after this Midnight looks for some food to eat. That night, Marassa, Tir Nan Og and Papa Doctor’s Beke` reach King’s mountain. When they see Midnight’s footprint at the edge of the cliff and see the side of the mountain broken off, they assume the worst. Marassa calls for Midnight but hears no reply. It is sheer coincidence that Midnight is underground and does not hear Marassa’s cry. For the next few days, Midnight shares the leg of salted pork among the three of them. Midnight goes back into the underground passage in search of food. Midnight comes out at a different place on the mountain that to his surprise overlooks the very plantation from which he had run away. He sees Marassa and two Beke and thinks that they are from the plantation trying to find him and quickly go underground.
That night, Midnight hears drums although it is not the night of the Drums or bamboche and sees tiny points of fire strewn out over the landscape. In addition to this he sees an entire plantation on fire, which quickly catches onto another and then a third separate one. Then it hits him – it was the night of Flames. Midnight heard drums and shouting unlike any he had heard before and when he came out of the tunnel, he saw the sight of his old plantation on fire. The next day, he traveled down there himself and witnessed the horror. Beke`s slaughtered and a few Negroes had the same fate. Before, he had wanted a few supplies but he would feel ashamed taking anything from that place and so he left. When he reached the tunnel where he told his friends to wait for him, he finds that the place is flooded out and almost drowns, but is saved by Dove and Diamond.
Midnight awakes and stares at a nearby Maroon settlement for the third time. He is amazed at the tranquility and how much different their lives are from his. Midnight goes and gets his hounds and goes back to his lookout. A few hours later he finally decides to approach them. He cries out all that he could think of – “I speak for the Feraille! We are faint with hunger!” The people of the village are frightened, right down to the men, thinking that he is Ogoun and begs him to eat their food. He trys desperately to tell them that he is just a boy of their race. Finally he gives up and feeds his children and leaves. When he went back the next day at noon it was no different but because they had insisted, he took a red belt. That night Midnight went back into the underground staircase and found some gifts that he could give to the over friendly Maroons.
Tir Nan Og was using this experience of going into the hills, to grow closer to nature and try and see how Maroons live. Tir Nan Og had undergone a massive transformation. He would sleep on the ground just like a Negro, he mad gotten such a deep tan that he could pass for a Negro and he could speak Creole with a strong Negro accent. Marassa was worried that his eyes and hair would give his identity along with his long sword that Tir Nan Og refused to part with. Food was scarce, al the food that they did find were tropical fruits such as guavas, star apple, honey and nuts. Marassa had grown almost a foot taller than when Tir Nan Og had first seen him and his voice had changed into that of a man’s. Marassa was very sad and Tir Nan Og could sense it. They set off again a few hours later and Marassa questions Tir Nan Og’s motives but Tir Nan Og tells him that he will know in good time.
One mountain away Midnight was going for his daily meal with the Maroons and had brought them some mangoes when, suddenly, he heard them crying out for him (Ogoun Feraille) to help and save them. When he looked at the mountaintop he saw the Great One and a large procession of his followers coming in great strength. Midnight, know what he must do, runs towards where they are posted and shouts out “I speak for the Feraille! Go back” over and over. It was not until Dove and Diamond started baying that the Great One and his followers became afraid. They had mistaken him for Ogoun. Without a second thought every last man fled. The bad Negroes run down the road that leads to the place where Marassa is camping. The Great One threw a stone that knocked Tir Nan Og out and went rushing down the hill. Marassa, suddenly was filled with rage and charged at them repeating the same words Midnight had said. It was too much for the Great One. He didn’t notice the difference between the two figures he had seen, but was so frightened thinking that it was the same Ogoun who had flown to the other mountain, and ran. Tir Nan Og saw the Bad Negroes slaughtered by the Beke armies. Papa doctor and his soldiers had quietly carried many of the wounded men back to their headquarters and Papa Doctor finds out that Midnight (Ogoun Feraille) is still alive and on King’s mountain.
While Marassa is walking, he reaches a gully and looks across and sees two twin hounds, who he thinks are ghosts and tells them to show him the way to his brother. Meanwhile, Papa Doctor, heads into the mountains thinking of what will happen next, about his plot for the next real slave revolt in Haiti with the soldiers of the Feraille. When he reaches the place of the echo and sees Midnight’s footprint where the rock had broken off into the gully he assumes that Marassa had tried to jump across and instead jumped to his death. He mourned for Marassa. Meanwhile, Midnight began to question his thinking. He started to think that no one he had ever loved had existed. A couple of yards away, the hounds were urging Marassa on to jump to them. Suddenly, Midnight is alarmed by what he thought was a footstep. He got up to see the hounds running towards him excitedly and the mirror image of himself approaching him. After identifying if each other were with the Feraille they cried out to each other and embraced. They were reunited.
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