Copper Sun

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Draper, Sharon M. 2006. Copper Sun. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 9781416953487

PLOT SUMMARY

Copper Sun tells the story of a young African girl, Amari, who is ripped from her homeland and sold into slavery.  Her life is changed instantly when slave traders invade her village.  After an atrocious trip across the ocean, Amari arrives in the Carolinas where she is sold to Mr. Derby as a gift for his sixteen year-old son.  Copper Sun details her experience as a slave and her later escape from slavery.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

There have been many historical fiction novels that explore slave life in the early United States.  Few, however, detail the emotions of capture and subsequent enslavement as well as Sharon Draper’s Copper Sun.  The story begins with the main character, Amari, in Africa.  Readers will understand what life was like for her before she was captured.  Draper quickly describes how strong Amari’s love was for her family, which makes the loss of them even more devastating.  Throughout the story, Draper is able to expertly explain the horrors of slavery while maintaining an age appropriate frankness.

As a reader, I enjoyed the contrast between the two main characters, Amari and Polly.  On the surface, it appears that they have few things in common.  Throughout the story, they realize just how much in common they do have.  The history of indentured servants is frequently minimized in the retelling of our nation’s history.  The character of Polly gives a face to this situation and children will learn that white people also experienced a form of enslavement.  Amari and Polly are both about fifteen years old.  As a result of their young ages, readers will be able to relate to the girls’ experiences.

Draper excels at creating a clear setting for this novel.  The story takes place in several different locations, but Africa, the slave ship and the Derby plantation are the most memorable settings.  Of these three places, Draper described the conditions on the slave ship the best.  The conditions were undeniably crowded and harsh, but readers will have a good understanding of just how horrific the conditions were.  After explaining how the men were stacked up like logs, Draper describes how disgusting the ship was:

“The men on the bottom were splattered with the blood of the men who had been beaten, as well as the vomit and urine and feces that the men chained above them had no choice to eliminate where they lay” (43).

The conditions were undeniably crowded and harsh, but readers will have a good understanding of exactly how horrific the conditions were. 

The themes of endurance and hope are constants in this story.  Despite all of the hardships that Amari and Polly face, they remain determined to better their situation.  During the voyage to the Carolinas, Amari forms a relationship with an older woman, Afi.  Afi encourages her to stay hopeful and these thoughts remain with Amari during her enslavement.  Later, Amari and Polly are mentored by a slave woman, Teenie.  Teenie encourages Amari to remember her past saying “Long as you remember, chile, it ain’t never gone” (109).

Copper Sun is written from the perspective of both Amari and Polly.  This contrast allows for readers to better understand the prejudices on both sides.  This stylistic element increases the impact that Copper Sun will have on readers. 

Cultural markers are included throughout this story and it would be impossible to mention all of them.  Draper explains the role of women in Amari’s village of Ziavi, writing that “Tomorrow the women would dye the yarn, and when it was ready, her father, a master weaver, would create the strips of treasured fabric on his loom” (4).  Later, Draper emphasizes how important music and storytelling are to the culture.  After Amari is sold and begins living on the Derby plantation, Draper explains how ingrained racism was in society.  Throughout the story, she includes dialogue between whites that shows how slaves were viewed.  For example, Clay Derby says, “Slavery just makes good sense to me.  Anyway, our slaves are better off here than in some jungle eating bugs and slugs like savages” (143-144). 

The complexity of the relationships between the two races comes to a climax with the relationship between Mrs. Derby and her slave, Noah.  Although this particular situation may be difficult to read, Draper captures just how multifaceted the relationships between owners and slave could be.  Another difficult scene to read was the one where Tidbit was used as alligator bait.  As a mother, this scene was powerful to me because I could imagine my child in that situation.  Younger readers will be able to relate to how scary that would be and understand how vicious some slave owners were capable of being.   

At the end of the story, Draper includes an Afterword, extensive bibliography, and discussion questions.  These elements add to the authenticity of the story and it is obvious that Draper conducted years of research.  Although this story is historically accurate, its content is difficult and rape is mentioned repeatedly.  Most reviews recommend Copper Sun for grades 8 and up.

By creating a likeable character like Amari, Draper is able to put a face on this experience and make it more personal.  As a result, this story makes the history of slavery more horrifying to readers than it may be if they were reading a nonfiction account of the slave trade.  This is a powerful and engaging story that I highly recommend.  After connecting with the characters, I was sad when the story ended.  Copper Sun would be an excellent foundation for a series.  It would be interesting to discover what happened to the characters and future generations.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

School Library Journal: “This action-packed, multifaceted, character-rich story describes the shocking realities of the slave trade and plantation life while portraying the perseverance, resourcefulness, and triumph of the human spirit.”

Booklist: “Draper builds the explosive tension to the last chapter, and the sheer power of the story, balanced between the overwhelmingly brutal facts of slavery and Amari's ferocious survivor's spirit, will leave readers breathless, even as they consider the story's larger questions about the infinite costs of slavery and how to reconcile history.”

CONNECTIONS

The following award-winning novels about slavery might appeal to readers who enjoyed Copper Sun:

Mary E. Lyons. Letters From a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs. ISBN 9780689800153

Gary Paulsen. Nightjohn. ISBN 9780440219361