Witness by Karen Hesse

Genre: Historical Fiction; Poetry
Theme: Racial Oppression, Crime, Equality
Grade Level: 6-8
Curricular Connections: History (KKK, Prohibition), Writing (Poetry, Metaphor)

The Witness takes place in a small Vermont town in 1924. Each page begins with the name of one of eleven characters in which story events are told through that character's perspective in poetic form. The KKK has come into this small town which is made up of white protestants, Irish Catholics, a jewish family, and an African American girl and her father. When the Klan makes threats about poisoning the Sutter's well, and there is an attempted murder on Ira Hirsh, the jewish shoe salesman, the neutral characters in the story must take a stand to drive the KKK from their town and protect their friends and neighbors.

Related Work: Out of the Dust

Classroom Suggestions:

1. Have students research the Ku Klux Klan. Describe their behaviors and beliefs. How did they use religion to mask their behavior? Is the KKK still active today?

2. Have students read other nonfiction or historical fiction books to find out what other groups experienced prejudice in American and world history. Book suggestions: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Hattie Big Sky, Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights, When My Name Was Keoko, etc.

3. Students should examine the metaphor on pages 158-159 told by Merlin Van Tornhout. Who does the buck represent? What does it say about people's ignorance changing in the future?

4. Students can try writing their own stories in the form of poetry. Notice the author's creative liberties in not using any capital letters. Do you think this has meaning in the story? What types of liberties can students take to add meaning to their stories?