Paula Fox's "The Slave Dancer"

Paper Summary:

This paper briefly summarizes the plot of Paula Fox's book "The Slave Dancer" and then explains how the book can be used to teach students about slavery, race, morals and ethics. The paper explains how the book can even be integrated into other subjects and the multimedia support available that can be used to teach the lessons in the book.

From the Paper:

"An exciting story from the point of view of a student, but a potential lesson in history and ethics in the eyes of a teacher, for Jessie, as compelled by the crew, must play for the slaves so they can dance and keep themselves 'in condition' for the horrific state of human enslavement that awaits them. Few Africans survived the journey known as the Middle Passage with bodies or minds intact, and Jessie becomes a part of this frightening part of American history. This merging of American history and personal identification with the story's main character is conveyed in an especially strong fashion by the author because young children can so easily identify with the protagonist. Like all of boys junior high school age, children such as Jessie are often thrust into a situation where, in his words, was no one can save him. In other words, Jessie has very little control over his life. His father is dead, and he has few resources other than his own wiles. (Fox, p. 22) He does not choose his fate, his fate chooses him."

More papers on Paula Fox's "The Slave Dancer":

• Analytical Essay # 34251 : "Challenging Race and Gender Bias in Three Works of Children's Literature"
• Comparison Essay # 141929 : "Comparative Literature"
• Book Review # 41636 : "Anti-Racism in Children's Literature"

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