Sounder the book characters

The family of five consists of the mother, father, two sons, one daughter, and last but not least their dog sounder. Armstrongs novel, sounder, depicts the life of a poor black family and their dog around the turn of the twentieth century. His coon dog sounder, tries to rescue him, but gets shot. The story, however, deals with hardship and injustice. Sounder has been restless for the past three days, whining and pacing in the heat. In the book, the father is on the chain gang for multiple years, not just one year, as in the film. The film established names for the characters, which the book did not. And yet this seems so natural, that i didnt even notice it the first couple times i read the book. The father is an absent character for the most part, since he is in jail for much of the text. The main human protagonist of sounder is a young boy, whose name is never revealed to us by the author. 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.

The protagonist in most novels features the main character or good guy. The family dog, sounder, is a beloved member of the family who helps them during troubled times by hunting and being a loyal companion. 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. Sounder is the dogs name, and it is the only name used in the book. 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. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are. The story begins with a young boy asking his father where he got their dog, sounder. How did the dog get that name, and what did it say about him. Armstrong spoke to this point in an interview for writers digest. These became sounder and its sequels, the sour land, and the macleod place.

The only character to bear a name is the family dog, sounder. Why do you think the author chose not to name the father, mother, boy, teacher, or any other character. List of characters the author has chosen not to name his human characters. Free download or read online sounder pdf epub book. Lesson plans and resources for sounder inclass introduction this lesson is designed to provide students with a oneclass introduction to the book. 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. Winner of the newbery award, the book purposefully omits most proper names of people and places in order to unchain its narrative and characters from a specific time and place. In 1972, sounder was made into a film starring cicely tyson, paul winfield, kevin hooks, carmen mathews, taj mahal, and eric hooks. The only character with a name is the dog, sounder.

Reading, writing, and sounder students will read sounder and record reactions to each chapter of the novel in a journal. Sounder begins shortly before christmas, in a small cabin on a poor, desolate farm somewhere in the american south. In the early 1970s, armstrong wrote two books that echoed the characters and plot of soundersour land 1971 and the mills of god 1973though neither achieved the critical or popular success of sounder. Sounder tries to protect his family against the white sheriff and his deputies, but it is a losing battle.

Sounder by william h armstrong, james barkley, paperback. In 2003, abcs wonderful world of disney aired a new film adaptation, reuniting two actors from the original. The story line is fairly simple, the characters are pretty interesting, and it is set in an interesting historical period. This is a complete novel study that includes many individual products bundled together to offe. Sounder novel unit is a common core standards aligned book study to be used with sounder by william h.

I actually think it made me cry when i read it in 6th grade or whenever i did actually read it. 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. Set in the nineteenthcentury south, sounder is the story of a poor african american boys struggle to carry on when his father is jailed. 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. Okay, thats not a very good answer, whoever answered before me for important characters having much to do with the story line, theres sounder, the boy, his mother, his. Some other characters that were in talked about in the stoy were the mother, the father, the children,the white men, the jail gard, the school teacher,and the. The family exhibits a strong religious faith that was rendered in a very gentle way that i enjoyed. It was still night, but the first red glow of dawn was rising in a faint crescent over the pine woods.

Sounder is a story simply told and universally moving. The white people in the book are more truculent, cruel and racist than those in the film. Sounder is the only being to have a name in the entire book, and perhaps that is meant to underscore the fact that many africanamerican sharecroppers had no real identity during this time period. That is, by the end of the story the book had come full circle sounder the dog as well as the boys father left, came back and died. Some other characters that were in talked about in the stoy were the mother, the father, the children, the white men, the jail gard, the school teacher,and the. Sounder, who is very attached to the father, barks and runs after the wagon as the father is taken away. Who are the characters in the book sounder answers. Sounder has more of an identity than they do, which illuminates an ironic and horrible reality. Sounder 1972 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Sounder cast and crew cast photos and info fandango. 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. Set in the deep south, this newbery medalwinning novel tells the story. He continued to be prolific in his writing output after the publication of sounder, mainly publishing books with historical or biblical main characters, such as. The newbery medalwinning classic novel about the courage and faithand the love of a dogthat give a family strength in the face of inhumanity.

Struggling to maintain dignity in the face of prejudice is a major theme in this book. Emi music publishing, cmrra, and 1 music rights societies. In each of these stories, the dog is truly mans best friend, taking on a role as important as any human in the book. If you loved sounder, you need this reading companion. In addition to his constant search for his father and sounder, the boy learns to read and finally moves out of the cabin in pursuit of an education. Sounder is a quick read that probably could be done in a days time or less. The white people in the book are more truculent, cruel and racist than those in the film in the book, the father is on the chain gang for multiple years, not just one year, as in the film. Boy the protagonist of the novel, who is a sensitive child. Sounder is a rather ugly mix between a georgia redbone hound and a bulldog, but he is a magnificent hunter. So the father tries to steal a pig, but gets caught and sent to jail. Sounder by william armstrong lesson plans and teaching resources i have to change.

The boys mother while the boys mother is an understood key character in the texttaking care of the entire family in her husbands absenceher role is significantly downplayed. The family exhibits a strong religious faith that was rendered in a. With cicely tyson, paul winfield, kevin hooks, carmen mathews. The story takes place in the cabin of a sharecroppers home and the outlying town. The larger unit involves 4 novels with a common theme.

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 food. The boys father steals a ham to feed his hungry family, and a few days later an angry sheriff and his deputies come to arrest the father. Armstrongs sounder explores the life struggles of an african american family during the turn of the century. Sounder film differences between the book and the film. Lesson plans and resources for sounder free library of. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing sounder near you. 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. After the mans arrest, the boy, his mother, and sounder must face the hardships without the father. The story focuses on the boys search for sounder and his father, both of whom he loses on the same night. The boy looks for sounder s body over the course of the next few days but cannot find the dog. 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. At the end, he is injured much like sounder, significantly beaten, and broken by his stint as a convict. With the novel study, scholars explore the authors purpose in the unusual decision. It was written by lonne elder iii and directed by martin ritt.

In fact the only character named in the book is the family dog, sounder. The young boys father is a sharecropper and the family is struggling through hard times. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It tells the story of an africanamerican family and their coondog, sounder, living in the harsh life of the south. Discusses the writing, characters, plot, and themes of the newbery awardwinning book. They also write similes, answer comprehension and analysis.

Sounder, the dogs name, is the only character name used in the book. The protagonist is a young black teenager whose family is a sharecropping. Ultimately the goal was to universalise the characters, allowing the reader to place themselves. This companion gives background on the author, questions to guide reading, clues to themes, plot, characters, and setting of the book, a glossary, writing and other activities, and more. From a parental standpoint, i think this book has some wonderful messages to convey to kids. During the winter, when no other money is coming in for this poor family, the money from.

A young african american boy and his family are living in poverty in the south during the 19th century. The role of the adolescent in the family scroll down to find 5 questions for discussing the novel. The lesson can be used to start off a class reading of the text, or to encourage them to read it independently. In sounder, why is the dog the only character with a name. The author refers to the various characters by their relationship or their role in the story. It is one of the most compassionate and truthful of movies, and theres not a level where it doesnt succeed completely. Over the next twentyfive years, armstrong continued to live and work in kent, penning a series of historical biographies, study aides. This gives the reader some closure over the characters and allows the reader to follow their journey from the beginning to the end. Sounder just couldnt poke slow enough for your father the mother said to the boy as they stood in the doorway, straining and sifting the dark for some movement. On a symbolic level, the conflict can be viewed in terms of a clash between the life giving forces of love, devotion, and justice as symbolized in the faithfulness of sounder, the love of the family, and the justice of the teacher and the lifenegating forces of injustice, inhumanity, indifference, and racial discrimination as embodied in. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 128 pages and is available in paperback format.

It is the story of an africanamerican boy living with his sharecropper family. Sounder is about a poor family who cant afford to support themselves with enough food and supplies to live. Armstrongs young adult novel, sounder 1969, winner of the 1970 newbery. 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. Sounder is a young adult novel by william armstrong, published in 1969. 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 main characters in this novel are portrayed with sympathy and admiration. Armstrong, was an extremely good and exciting story.