Engle, Margarita. THE POET SLAVE OF CUBA. Art by: Sean Qualls. 2006. New York, NY. Square Fish. ISBN978-0-312-65928-8.

 BIBLIOGRPAHY 

Engle, Margarita. THE POET SLAVE OF CUBA. Art by: Sean Qualls. 2006. New York, NY. Square Fish. ISBN978-0-312-65928-8. 

PLOT SUMMARY 

Juan, a young, enslaved boy, learns to read and write, but is forced to keep his knowledge to himself. His owner, who looks at him as a “son” treats him so badly, he describes himself as a pet to her. The owner frees his family and all future siblings of him; except for himself. Upon her death, his freedom is still not secured as he is under another womans ownership. His poems express the pain he endured by being beaten, whipped and locked away. A young white boy, the owner's son tries to help him and learns from Juan. His life was supposed to be a freed one as his mother paid the amount for his freedom, yet he was not until he escaped.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS) 

The characters “The Poet Slave” are of different backgrounds. Juan and his family are the enslaved family. Juan, was used as a prop for entertainment and although he was a very intelligent person, because of his enslavement he was not allowed to freely show it. His owner, along with other dark skin ladies would cover their faces in white masks to appear less dark. The illustrations portrayed throughout the book in black and white sketches show the deep pain Juan feels as he has saddened facial expressions. We see Juan chained up sitting amongst skulls expressing his life. Through the characters we see good and evil. His master, who promised freedom for all his family except him, shows her selfish ways by keeping him enslaved for her own benefit. We also see his mother who shares in his pain by offering his support and even goes against the man who whips, causing her to be whipped herself.  

The setting is consistent with the historical time of the 1800’s as we see enslaved people enduring punishments of being whipped, glass lanterns to light their paths, horse carriages for transportation, quills to write and more. Juan’s time being locked up, whipped, used for entertainment in reciting poetry is consistent with being enslaved. We see some Spanish words throughout the text from the names and some translations as well. The owners, who dressed in satin clothing, owned multiple homes, attended lavish parties are all examples consistent with accurate depictions of slave owners. The helplessness and unsuccessful transaction of Maria Del Pilar’s payment for her son’s freedom shows the theme of family and slavery. Upon his escape, we see the other slaves offering words of encouragement to him to continue on. We see his community gather behind him to help him believe he can escape and not be afraid.  

Juan Francisco Manzano was not allowed to write or speak his thoughts and through this biography the reader is able to understand the pain and suffering as he describes himself, “I become the companion of my owner, noble ghost no, not a companion, remember? A poodle, her pet with my curly dark hair and small child's brown skin.” He also vividly describes the torture he endured and uses words such as “I sit tied and gagged.” La Marquesa demanded the overseers give him harsh whipping punishments, making him count as he was tied to a ladder. When she says “and even when this is done nine days in a row still he bleeds and weeps, trying to show me that he has won.” We see a struggle between how she treats him and how she wants power over how he should feel. This book was very emotional and easy to read. The illustrations complement the narrative. Overall, the theme of slavery is one that is a tough one to read because of the harsh treatment to people.  

REVIEW EXCERPTS 

ALA Notable Children’s Books, 2008 

Book Links, 07/01/09 

Book Links starred, 02/15/06 

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books starred, 07/01/06 

Horn Book Magazine, 01/01/10 

Kirkus Reviews, 03/15/06 

Pura Belpre Author Award, 2008 

Voice of Youth Advocates, (VOYA), 04/01/06 

Booklist starred (February 15, 2006 (Vol. 102, No.12): “Related in fast-moving poetry, the cruelty is vivid, as is the boy’s amazing inner power: tied, gagged, and beaten, Juan Knows his owner “can’t hear the stories I tell myself.” 

Horn Book Magazine (July/August, 2006): “The slaveholder’s conflicted longings, the parents’ anguish, and especially the boy poet's determination to preserve his inner life paint an unusually complex and forceful picture of growing up in bondage.” 

Kirkus Reviews (March 15, 2006): “Simple charcoal drawings accompany the text and capture its emotional and geographical atmosphere.” 

CONNECTIONS 

Having students read related books such as the “The Surrender Tree” by Margarita Engle can give readers another look into her writing.  

Having a discussion with students about their thoughts on this book would be a great conversation to have in order to get students talking about difficult subjects such as slavery and will get them to think critically and develop their discussion skills.  

Students can write a summary of their thoughts or their feelings after reading The Poet Slave.  

Frost, Robert.  ROBERT FROST. ISBN 978-0-32981759-6 

Fleischman, Paul. JOYFUL NOISE: POEMS FOR TWO VOICES. ISBN 978-1-41310-732-6 

Grandits, John. BLUE LIPSTICK: CONCRETE POEMS. ISBN 978-0-618-85132-4