Sacajawea Sparknotes

“What was it like to be a captive? I can tell you I was soon sorry that I had asked the river what it was like to travel...For when I was given what I was given what I asked for, it was not something I wanted at all.” This is a story of the famous journey of Lewis and Clark with Sacajawea. At age sixteen she is already married, a mother and taken from her home community. Sacajawea must find a way to live her life, still being a child, and help navigate across America with strangers. She tells this story to her first-born son, Pomp, as he learns all about his mother's voyage. Sacajawea is tested to the limit undergoing the harsh climate, vast mountains and Great Plains. In this book, it combines her perspective with William Clark’s, as he tells
Those rains, my lad, almost ended your life.” William Clark and Captain Lewis have begun their journey, beginning in St. Charles on May 21, 1804. As they make their way up the Mississippi River they face some challenges, but don’t hold them back. When they come to Fort Mandan in today’s North Dakota, they meet Sacajawea and Pomp is born. Sacajawea, being a translator, peacemaker, caretaker and guide join Lewis and Clark to help them make history. The cruel weather wasn’t their only fear now. Sickness had become a big threat to all the tribes and their journey. Sacajawea begins to show signs of sickness and even came close to death. Captain Lewis was the only physician who worked hard to keep her alive, which worked in the end. “‘You have done a fine thing, Meri,’ I said to him. ‘What else could I do?’ he answered. ‘She being our only dependence for a friendly negotiation with the Snake
Beyond the alternating first-person views that show the respect for the expedition from both Clark and Sacajawea, the recurrent thrills and hardships of the story move you and put you in the place they are in. “The hungry storm that had tried to steal our lives had struck the men while they were out on the plains. They had dropped their loads and run. The wind was like a great hand, slapping them down. The wall of hail had hit them so hard that it knocked them off their feet again and again as they ran. They were much bruised and bleeding. It had been a day I would never allow myself to forget.” Joseph Bruchac used incredible diction to provide a description of the conditions they experienced to explore their Country. He uses Clark to record Sacajawea’s extraordinary bravery and endurance to ensure that the mission would have been a certain failure without her. This is a great book for teens to read on how another teenager made history with Lewis and Clark on their remarkable