A Cause For Gratitude
Website by Bastian Von Schoettler
Summary
"A Cause of Gratitude" is a story behind the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, MA in 1621, telling us about the struggles the Pilgrims had during the year, and after finally having a good harvest, they decided to have a festival to celebrate, inviting the indians to share with them.
Characters
Mrs Carver
Pilgrim Mother, one of the 12 mothers of the Mayflower ship from England, Mother of Prudence
Kind, talkative, caring
Prudence
Daughter of Mrs. Carver,
brown hair, pale, short, blue eyes, very pretty
Mrs Winslow
Pilgrim Mother, another mother of the Mayflower ship, Mother of Faith, Ruth, Susan and James
Faith
Daughter of Mrs Winslow
blonde hair, brown eyes, tall, adventurous, trusting
Ruth
Daughter of Mrs Winslow
ginger hair, blue eyes, short girl
Susan
Daughter of Mrs Winslow
brown hair, brown eyes, pale, intelligent
James
Son of Mrs Winslow
Clever, tall, intelligent, strong, brown eyes, blonde hair
Governor Bradford
The Governor of Plymouth, MA
Grey hair, old person, blue eyes, tall
Timeline of important events
- Prudence and Mrs Carver talk about the nightmares of the past year.
- Faith arrives and informs Mrs Carver that they will have a Harvest Festival with the indians.
- There is a concern about who is jeopardizing the peace with the Indians.
- Indians arrive at the Harvest Festival, concerning our characters regarding the number of people.
- Governor Bradford with the help of James finds the culprit of disturbing the peace with the Indians.
- Prudence changes her mind, regarding James marriage proposal.
Questions to our main character: Mrs Carver
How was the past after arriving from the Mayflower ?
The past after Mayflower was treacherous because there was a lack of food, medicine, and shelter.
what is the festival celebrating?
we celebrate that the terrible months are behind us, and is not merely a celebration of the harvest, it is an occasion of thanksgiving to God for all his mercies.
Why was there only twelve mothers on the Mayflower?
There was only 12 mothers because they were the ones selected to go to America on the Mayflower
How did the mothers managed to feed all the people and indians?
Because they cooked every recipe they ever knew, and also the indians shared meat with us for the harvest as well.
What is the food served on the Harvest Festival?
Turkey, oysters, clams, duck, chicken, biscuits, bread, fish
Description of setting
Plymouth, MA 1621
After bad years in the colony, the pilgrims finally had a good harvest year and decided to celebrate with food for everybody and also invite their Indian friends to share with them.
Theme
Historical, Drama, Romance
Historical: the story takes place in real-life situations, Drama: because of all the suffering that the pilgrims had and the conversations around that, and romance because Prudence decides between Tom and James, and how the story helps her on the decision.
5 elements of plot
Exposition
Mrs Carver and Prudence discuss about the past, until Faith arrives.
Rising Action
Faith indicates that there is going to be a harvest festival with the Indians sharing with them the food and the celebrations
Climax
Someone is jeopardizing the Indians’ participation with a scheme with furs
Falling Action
The harvest festival is going to start, the Indians arrive with gifts, and in big quantities
Resolution
With the help of James, the Governor discovers that Tom is the culprit, and Prudence sees James as a suitable husband now
Final Message
What did you get out of the story?
I understood that we need to be grateful for all that we have now because in the past we didn’t have enough things to survive, but now we do so we should show gratitude for that. I also comprehended that sometimes we don’t have to discuss what we do and don’t have.