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 The Courageous Conductor: The Story of Harriet Tubman
by Andrew Wright, age 17
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Ann Petry, author of Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad, was thought by her teachers destined to become a writer. She was born in 1908 on October 12th. She was the youngest of her three siblings and was raised in a small town. Originally, she wanted to become a writer when she was in high school but went to the College of Pharmacy because she needed to help her family's farm. During her college career, she earned her Ph.D. but also found time to write short stories. In 1938, she eventually married George D. Petry, which led Ms. Petry to New York. Eight years later she published her most popular novel, The Street. It was idolized by most readers. Excited, she went on creating many more stories including the book Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad in 1971. Although the book is non-fiction, the narrative is told in story form. Sadly, Petry passed away in 1997.
This inspiring story begins with a husband and wife, Benjamin Ross and Harriet Greene, supporting characters on a plantation in Tidewater, Maryland. Ross and Greene do what they are told honoring their owner, Edward Brodas, hoping they and their children will eventually be granted their freedom as the law at the time promised. They have several children, most of whom still live with them, except those who are hired out by their master to other farmers. In 1820, they have another baby, and the protagonist is born. After the central character’s birth, Greene and Ross decide to give their new child the “basket name” Minta, or Minty. Eventually, as she grows older, her name changes to Harriet because each slave child needs a grown-up name. Although once in a while she toys with the inconceivable idea of her family running away to freedom, she does not act on the impulse immediately.
The conflict of the story is whether Harriet Tubman and her family will be freed. One day in 1849, while working in vast fields, she hears her sister is being sold to another farmer, which leads a terrified Tubman to believe that she will soon follow. She devises a plan. After a long, harsh scheme of events, thanks to the help of people who believe slaves should be free, she miraculously smuggles herself to Pennsylvania. Having escaped, Tubman often thinks of her family, which leads to her decision to help free her husband. Upon returning, Tubman discovers that her husband has remarried another woman since Tubman had run away and left him alone. By the path she uses to Pennsylvania, she leads other slaves to the North. Triumphantly, she even leads some other slaves to Canada since the new fugitive slave law in Pennsylvania helps return runaway slaves to the South. Tubman is then given the nickname “Moses” for leading them to their “promised land.”
The turning point in the story is when Tubman decides to free her family who are still enslaved at the plantation. Finally, after a game of “cat and mouse” she retrieves her family and then journeys to Canada. They travel day and night. Through perseverance, the group eventually reaches their destination. Experienced, throughout the years following, she makes more trips to the South, bringing hundreds of other slaves to freedom. When the Civil War breaks out, in 1861 she serves as a scout for the Union army in South Carolina, advising Union forces on how to attack the rebellious Confederacy. The story is at its close after the war as she has little to no money and feels slightly lonely because she hears that her former husband was murdered. She dies on March 10, 1913. After reading this story, the main message is clearly emphasized—through perseverance anyone can achieve anything.
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad is an engaging, well-told third person tale about how Tubman goes from a slave to a hero. In the story, characters are well thought out, and the story explains almost every supporting character descriptively. They are also well visualized as the story describes clothing, weather conditions, and even the feelings some of the characters have, such as sadness to physical pain. In the same form, the setting of the story can be easily imagined as well, from a windowless small cabin to the plantation the slaves worked on. As Tubman is going from North to South several times, her journey is well narrated while telling about each stage of smuggling she goes through to complete each of her journeys. The effective and powerfully presented theme is clearly survival as Tubman struggles to keep out of sight without being caught and executed. The conflict is well presented as Tubman decides to achieve what used to be unthinkable because there were consequences if anyone failed to escape. She achieved that and more. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad is a suspenseful story about how an unsuspecting girl who rises from her chains is freed, becoming a courageous conductor aiding others to freedom.
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A Bittersweet Ending
by Katherine Page, age 15
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“Nothing gave the youngest princess such pleasure as to hear about the world of human beings up above them.” Echoing through the mind of a young mermaid, these invigorating thoughts appeal to anyone who has pondered adventure into another avenue of life. The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen recounts the captivating tale of adventure, romance, and tragedy. As a young, lively mermaid discovers the bright and wonderful world above the surface of her familiar underwater kingdom, she passionately pursues her love for the handsome human prince and her desire for a life above the cerulean waters. This enchanting story was one of the most renowned fairy tales of the 19th century. Andersen, who was of Danish descent, came from a family of limited means. The author, while born to little wealth and a lack of proper education, grew to be the father of many well-known short stories and children’s tales due to his own determination and natural talent. Subsequently, Disney published a kinder, revised film of the story in 1989, which soon grew to be the better-known version of the tale. Although several aspects of the original story are preserved in the movie, the differences between the two versions outweigh the similarities.
On account of the brevity of the short story, it was necessary to further develop and devise figures for the movie, which led to many character similarities and differences between those of the narrative and those of the film. How do the characters contrast? While the protagonist remains a young mermaid princess with an astoundingly clear, beautiful voice and an affinity to the sunlit human world, the similarities between the little mermaid’s character in the short story and film mostly cease there. The little mermaid, somber and attentive, behaves more sensibly than the spirited and rebellious Ariel, although both are driven by a fierce desire. Remaining kind and accommodating to his young and silent guest, the prince is oblivious to the little mermaid’s interest in him in both scenarios. While the prince’s blindness hampers the little mermaid, no clear antagonist is identified in the short story. Contrarily, the sea witch, who shows no glaring signs of malice in the narrative, evilly entices and deceives Ariel, taking the position of the antagonist in the film. Also, the authority figure changes. While in the short story, the little mermaid’s experienced grandmother poses as a source of wisdom and charge, Ariel’s father, Triton, protectively oversees Ariel’s well-being in the movie. While some characters and their aspects from the original short story are preserved in the movie, others are modified.
Several aspects of the conflict between the original narrative and the filmed rendition of The Little Mermaid remain alike; however, the differences between the two ultimately outweigh the similarities. Both the silent little mermaid and the spirited Ariel face the same unfortunate fate of being born a mermaid, unable to independently fulfill their deafening desires. In view of this, while man versus fate represents the opposition in the short story, it is not so in the movie. Separating the story from the movie, the main conflict of The Little Mermaid is man versus man. In the book, the nameless sea witch simply offers the little mermaid her request, a decision that costs her dearly. There is no clear antagonist. Contrarily, in the movie, the sea witch, Ursula, is portrayed as the antagonist because she maliciously and mendaciously plots against Ariel. The young mermaid, ensnared by Ursula’s deceiving plan, is led directly into the trap formulated by the evil character. Since one version of the story tells of how the mermaid attempts to overcome her unfortunate fate and the other tells of how the mermaid attempts to overcome an evil antagonist, the conflicts lead up to strikingly differing climaxes and resolutions.
From the climax to the resolution, the two scenarios have very little in common. At the turning point of the short story, the muted little mermaid comes to a crossroad. She may either kill the prince so that she might live, or she may sacrifice her own life in exchange for his. Selflessly, the little mermaid casts herself into the sea, instantly dissolving into sea foam and deserting her dream of obtaining an immortal soul, in order to preserve the life of her oblivious love, the prince. Because the little mermaid displayed such an act of selfless love, however, her spirit is sustained with promise of an immortal soul, in time. Surprisingly, the turning point and falling action of the movie drastically diverge. In the movie, Ariel regains her gentle voice from Ursula, and the spell over Prince Eric is broken, much to the sea witch’s displeasure. However, it is too late. Ursula cruelly kidnaps Ariel. King Triton demands her release. Bargaining with the evil Ursula, King Triton offers the witch his power in exchange for his stolen daughter. After a turbulent battle against the power-crazed Ursula, Prince Eric finishes off the sea witch, and Ariel and her beloved prince live happily ever after. While the two plots are initially similar, the climaxes diverge strikingly.
Clearly recognized, several aspects are sustained between the two editions of the story. However, the differences are greater. Since the characters carry such vague description in the short story, further development and additional characters were necessary for the film. Causing further contrast, the conflicts of the two editions are surprisingly diverse. While this may be, the underlying conflicts of the two scenarios coincide. From the climax through the resolution, similarities between the two editions are unseen. The climaxes of the stories differ to such a striking degree because the characters and conflicts are so contrasting. Further, the resolutions are nearly opposite. Which of the remarkably disparate portrayals of the story is better? While the spirited and cheerful storyline of the movie contains foreshadowing, symbolism, and provokes satisfaction from the viewer, its predictable ending follows the clichéd route of most modern fairy tales. The suspenseful short story entrances the reader with sharp and unpredictable twists, engaging imagery, and a bittersweet ending that leaves the reader feeling as if he were hit by a bus, and somehow enjoyed it.
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