Morning Girl Questions
By Veronica
Nov 22, 2011
1. 1. Do you think it is fair for author Michael Dorris to fictionalize true historical events?
Yes, I think it is fair. This is a children’s book, and if he didn’t fictionalize it, it was all facts, then younger kids wouldn’t understand it as well. The plot makes it more interesting. The only big facts occur at the end of the book, when Columbus comes, that is only 5 pages. Through fiction, we can understand the feelings and thoughts of the characters, and their personalities. We learn about the culture of the Taino people, because we realize that they are such good-natured people, and Columbus enslaved them. Then you can pick which side you want to be on easily.
2. What do you think of the way Taino people name thier children (based on personalities and hobbies). How is this different from the American naming system?
The naming system in Taino culture is very interesting. Here, names almost make no sense. Theirs make sense. Here you name a child before they’re born, and that’s their name for the rest of their life. In Morning Girl, it reflects upon their personalities and they get to choose their names. Your names change over time because you change over time. The boy in the book’s name was “Hungry,” because he was little and always hungry, and he ate too much. His name is Star Boy now because he stays up all night and watches the stars. He knows all the stars and he is admired for his knowledge of the night. When you get older, you get a real name and feel more confident of yourself. It is a symbolic milestone in your life to get a name, because it is like you’re turning older. In the book, he was running, grabbing the food, and Morning Girl told him to grow up. He realized he wasn’t a baby anymore and he had to live up to his new name.
3. Change is a major theme in the novel. Three changes (the baby girl, the hurricane, changing names) are important to the story. Tell why.
One change is the names changing, which symbolizes growing up. The arrival of the baby sister is a change they’re looking forward to, but then she dies, and they are disappointed. This could be foreshadowing or an omen of something bad that is going to happen. The Taino might have thought that the hurricane occurred because it hinted at something bad that was going to happen.
When Christopher Columbus comes, their whole entire culture is changed. They are going to speak Spanish and recruited into the Catholic churches. Their culture is going to be swept away by Columbus and their people will be enslaved.
4. What is the most important thing you learned through reading this novel? Why do you think we read this novel in history class?
The most important thing I learned was about the Taino culture, what they do in everyday life. We saw Columbus’ arrival through the eyes of the Taino people.
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