The boy helps her string more clothesline, and in the spring he goes to work in the fields. It is the story of an africanamerican boy living with his sharecropper family. Sounder questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on sounder. When the state shoots sounder, it is actually a shot in the back of humanity. So the father tries to steal a pig, but gets caught and sent to jail.
Sounder 1972 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Sounder is a 1969 young adult novel written by william h. He was caring and noticed many things about this parents his mother hums when worried and sings when she is not worried, his father had big strong hands. Did you prefer the book to the movie, or vice versa. I was pleasantly surprised by this book, though the story itself doesnt strike a pleasant tone. The family exhibits a strong religious faith that was rendered in a very gentle way that i enjoyed. The boy loves sounder, especially now that he does not go to school. It was translated into 28 languages, and was made into a movie, which in turn was nominated for an academy award. Best characters from young adult fiction books thetoptens.
The author notes prisoners were hauled in muledrawn wagons, and the mention of chain gangs places an upper limit to the story of 1955 when the. After the mans arrest, the boy, his mother, and sounder must face the hardships without the father. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Sounder, who is very attached to the father, barks and runs after the wagon as the father is taken away. It is one of the most compassionate and truthful of movies, and theres not a level where it doesnt succeed completely.
Set in the deep south, this newbery medalwinning novel tells the story. The larger unit involves 4 novels with a common theme. The only character with a name is the dog, sounder. Its based on the newberry awardwinning novel by william h. Sounder cast and crew cast photos and info fandango. Not only did he lose him, his mother had lost her husband. Shop our collection of new, classic and awardwinning books for boys and girls of all ages from preschool to grade. The boy comes of age as the novel progresses, especially in his helping raise his siblings and filling the void left behind by his father.
He lost his father because he stole meat from the store, and he lost sounder because he ran off and the boy was. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. In sounder, why is the dog the only character with a name. Sounder by william armstrong lesson plans and teaching resources i have to change. Sounder is a story simply told and universally moving. See a complete list of the characters in sounder and indepth analyses of the boy, the father, the mother, and sounder. Armstrong sounder whole book test is a set of 33 true and false questions cover the whole book and checks for basic comprehension. List of characters the author has chosen not to name his human characters. The film was adapted by lonne elder iii from the 1970 newbery medal winning novel sounder by william h. The family dog, sounder, is a beloved member of the family who helps them during troubled times by hunting and being a loyal companion. Armstrong winner of the newbery medal authors note a man keeps, like his love, his courage dark. Sounder quotes showing 16 of 6 one day might be different from another, but there aint much difference when theyre put together.
The story takes place in the cabin of a sharecroppers home and the outlying town. Needs to be treated with care due to language and themes. Carmen best james best sheriff young yvonne jarrell josie mae morgan eric hooks earl morgan inez durham clerk spencer bradford clarence sylvia kuumba williams harriet rev. Sounder is the tragic and moving story of an unnamed boy who is devoted to his family and their faithful hound, sounder. What word best describes the boys general disposition. The boy, his son, asks the man how he got sounder, and the father explains that sounder came to him on the road as a pup.
Suddenly the boy must grow up fast in a world that isnt fair, keeping hope alive through the love he has for his fathers faithful dog, sounder. The author refers to the various characters by their relationship or their role in the story. It does require a detailed factual knowledge of the. Sounder by william howard armstrong a good book for the grade 6 level. Rent the video, and then write a paper comparing and contrasting the book and the movie. Who are the characters in the book sounder answers. The book begins by introducing us to a young boy, his family and their incredible dog sounder who was named by his iconic howl. Is the movie faithful to the story line of the original book. Why do you think the author chose not to name the father, mother, boy, teacher, or any other character.
Sounder is a 1972 american deluxe color drama film in panavision directed by martin ritt, and starring cicely tyson, paul winfield, and kevin hooks. The book sounder strikes me as quite unique, in that it gives a lot of detail, and yet most of the characters, even main characters like the boy and his father, are not named. Discusses the writing, characters, plot, and themes of the newbery awardwinning book. In each of these stories, the dog is truly mans best friend, taking on a role as important as any human in the book. They are poor and hungry, stuck in a rigged system designed to keep blacks poor and hungry. In most years i would quickly agreed that sounder was the best choice for the. The main human protagonist of sounder is a young boy, whose name is never revealed to us by the author. Author of more than a dozen books for adults and children, he won the john newbery medal for sounder in 1970 and was awarded an honorary doctor of letters degree from hampdensydney college in 1986. Although the familys difficulties increase when the father is imprisoned for stealing a ham from work, the boy still hungers for an education. Life is filled with hard times and hunger for a young boy and his family surviving in the south during the 19 th century. The starkness of the writing, almost poetic at times, contrasts with the complex philosophical nature of the story. His coon dog sounder, tries to rescue him, but gets shot. Sounder is a novel by william armstrong that was first published in 1969. How did the dog get that name, and what did it say about him.
While the original 1972 version of sounder will stay in my heart forever, i am glad that this new adaptation brought the story to lots of young kids via television. Its one of those rare films that can communicate fully to a child of nine or ten, and yet contains depths and subtleties to engross any adult. The author did not really name the place or time of the story. Set in the late nineteenth century, the novel is a segment of the life and times of an impoverished black sharecroppers family in the southern united states. Writer and teacher william armstrong wrote celebrated childrens books including the newbery medalwinning sounder, about an african american sharecropper family with a loud and loyal hound. An african american boy and his family rarely have enough to eat. To optimize your experience with your screen reading software, please use our website, which has the same tickets as our and websites. Discusses the writing, characters, plot, and themes of the. The book begins with the image of the father standing on the porch, petting sounder. Sounder was loyal to the father by trying to take care of him. Environmental education resources to commemorate earth days 50th anniversary. In most years i would quickly agreed that sounder was the best choice for the newbery medal, but for 1970 i probably would have given the award to john d. The mother is longsuffering and patient, and she even returns the parts of the uneaten pig when she realizes it was stolen.
This story is about a dog that tries to protect his owner and get hurts in the process. Movies that i saw in early 1972, i dont seem to recollect very well. The family exhibits a strong religious faith that was rendered in a. The boy does his work first, sees to his family, then seeks his father and sounder. Writer and teacher william armstrong wrote celebrated childrens books including the newbery medalwinning sounder, about an african american sharecropper family with a loud and loyal hound, inspired by odysseus dog argus.
Boy the protagonist of the novel, who is a sensitive child. It tells the story of an africanamerican family and their coondog, sounder, living in the harsh life of the south. These became sounder and its sequels, the sour land, and the macleod place. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading sounder.
The narrator of the book, shes engaging and typically for a. The main character, or protagonist, is the one the storys about. During the winter, when no other money is coming in for this poor family, the money from. Sounder was adapted into a critically acclaimed 1972 motion picture starring cicely tyson and paul winfield. This powerful newberywinning classic tells the story of the great coon dog sounder and his family. The best time of his life is when he listens to his mothers stories, finds a book, and gets the opportunity to learn to read. The main characters in this novel are portrayed with sympathy and. Sounder begins shortly before christmas, in a small cabin on a poor, desolate farm somewhere in the american south.
Explain why you think this point of view is best for this story. Sharecropper boy finds hope, dignity amid racism, hardship. Best book characters the top ten best book characters. Parents need to know that sounder is a 1972 movie about a young africanamerican teens coming of age in 1930s louisiana. Sounders crippling and his failure to survive and revocalize his mighty roar are warnings that the forces of tyranny must be curtailed in order to prevent humanity from limping its way into its grave, just like the dog. The boy, the boys father, the boys mother, sounder, the teacher, the jail guard. Each night the boy and his father hunt with their great coon dog, sounder, but return emptyhanded. From a parental standpoint, i think this book has some wonderful messages to convey to kids. But i must admit that kevin hooks did a fine job sticking to the storyline of the book. And yet this seems so natural, that i didnt even notice it the first couple times i read the book. In fact the only character named in the book is the family dog, sounder. Each night, the boys father takes their dog, sounder, out to look for food. Nov 09, 2016 the oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the depressionera south, after his father is imprisoned for stealing foo. The family of five consists of the mother, father, two sons, one daughter, and last but not least their dog sounder.
Armstrong, which was made into a 1972 film directed by martin ritt and starring cicely tyson and paul winfield the story involves a family of black sharecroppers in 1933 louisiana in the movie. Sounder, the dogs name, is the only character name used in the book. In the book, forrest is more of a savant, and gets top marks in advanced physics at college. The test does not require story interpretation nor does it address elements of literature. This study guide consists of approximately 11 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of sounder. He did not give in when searching for sounder or his father right away, but after a while he did. Sounder is a quick read that probably could be done in a days time or less.
The boy had lost his father because hes in jail for stealing food to feed the family. Full text of sounder see other formats sounder william h. Armstrong was born in virginia 102 years ago today. Armstrong is a book about a young slave boy who loses everything to gain more then he imagined. Armstrong was definitely an author who understood the meaning of the saying, less is more and put it to good use. The wonderful world of disney sounder tv episode 2003. Sounder is a rather ugly mix between a georgia redbone hound and a bulldog, but he is a magnificent hunter. She gets caught up in the stories she loves, sometimes to.
Emily is an admirable and relatably flawed character for book worms. The father and his dog, sounder, go hunting each night, but the hunting is poor. Sounder is the dogs name, and it is the only name used in the book. Sounder had ran away and theyre trying to look for him. Sounder by william h armstrong, james barkley, paperback. The family subsists on biscuits and gravy until one morning they wake up to the smell of boiling ham. The boy is first seen as a lonely child, perhaps six or seven years old, who idolizes his father and loves to hunt with him and sounder. At the onset of the story, he stands on the porch gazing wideeyed at the tall presence of his black father and running his fingers over his coon dog, sounder. It weaves in mysteries, puzzles, and secret treasure with the real histories of beloved authors.
One of the sneakiest characters in literature, not only in his many conniving schemes to get lolita to be his very own, but also in that he manages to trick you into caring for him, even through. All of the main characters, the boy, his mother, his father, and sounder, all showed a great deal of determination in the face of adversity. The character who is in most of the scenes or talked about the most will be the main character. Sounder won the newbery award for the best american childrens novel of the year, and was a monumental success right from its date of publication. Sounder still waits for his master and mother hums nearly all the time. Armstrongs novel, sounder, depicts the life of a poor black family and their dog around the turn of the twentieth century. The new york times chose sounder as the best book of the year when it was published. Readers who enjoy timeless dog stories such as old yeller and where the red fern grows will find much to love in sounder, even as they read through tears at times. The boy looks for sounder s body over the course of the next few days but cannot find the dog. His father, jailed for stealing food to feed the starving family, is put on a chain gang that is constantly moved around the state, and the boy sets out on a quest to find him. Readers who enjoy timeless dog stories such as old yeller and where the red fern grows will find much to love in sounder. For a film that was shown in theaters in late 71 and early 72, sounder was quite unique.
Armstrong, was an extremely good and exciting story. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. The only character to bear a name is the family dog, sounder. Armstrongs sounder explores the life struggles of an african american family during the turn of the century. They eat it, but a while later a sheriff and two of his deputies burst into the cabin and arrest the father, saying that they have proof he stole the ham. A landmark in childrens literature, winner of the 1970 newbery medal, and the basis of an acclaimed film, sounder traces the keen sorrow and the abiding faith of a poor africanamerican boy in the 19thcentury south.
The oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the depressionera south, after his father is imprisoned for stealing foo. The boy is the protagonist of the novel, and his tale is one of growing to maturity. Sounder is about a poor family who cant afford to support themselves with enough food and supplies to live. How does the book begin, and what conflict is introduced right away. The protagonist in most novels features the main character or good guy. The film was adapted by lonne elder iii from the 1970 newbery medalwinning novel sounder by william h. The role of the adolescent in the family scroll down to find 5 questions for discussing the novel.