The Cay by Theodore Taylor By Theodore Taylor

The Cay by: Theodore Taylor By: Theodore Taylor

Historical Fiction When reading historical fiction, it helps to understand the ____ and ____ in which the literary work is set. Welcome to today’s history lesson…. .

World War II We’re going to step back in time again! We’re going to go back to World War II, but this time to a different setting than before. We will also learn about another country that was involved in World War II. Here we go….

First, let’s remember some of the images of World War II we looked at previously…

We now understand how the United States became officially involved in World War II, but that isn’t all there is to the story. World War II was a long and difficult war that lasted, for the United States, from December 1941 to September 1945. There were three major countries that were against the United States and their allies. Those three countries were known as the Axis Powers: Germany, Japan, and Italy.

So, for now, let’s focus on: • One of the Axis Powers: Germany • Germany’s leader: Adolf Hitler • Time: World War II, 1942 • Place: Curacao, West Indies

Germany’s leader: Adolf Hitler

One of Germany’s most powerful weapons! U-boat

This was one of the most important areas fought over in the entire U-boat war. In May 1942 the German U-boats began to sink merchants in these waters at an alarming rate. Here they saw the chance to literally strangle the allied war effort by cutting the vital supply line of oil and aluminum. With more U-boats available, due to very long time-away-from-battle for each boat, they might have succeeded. Even though the U-boat visited the area throughout the war, after 1942 the momentum had swung in favor of the allies through a massive build-up there.

The island of Curacao is located in the Caribbean Sea. It is one of many islands that are a part of the territory known as the West Indies.

Curacao

Curacao has many old military forts. Fort Nassau Willemstad, Curacao

Inside Fort Amsterdam Punda, Willemstad, Curacao

Views of the Schottegat from Fort William. Willemstad, Curacao

A WORLD WAR… HERE?

A cay is a small, low island composed largely of coral or sand.

The Cay is a historical fiction book.

Characters • Philip Enright: the protagonist; he is eleven years old, skinny, short, and has dark brown hair. He lives in Willemstad on the island of Curacao. Philip is excited about the war because he has never experienced it before. He’s the type of boy who brags about himself and is proud of whatever he does.

Characters • Henrik: a good little boy who is one of Philip’s best friends. He lives with his family on the island too. Unlike Philip, he grew up without prejudice.

Characters • Philip’s mother: a woman who is prejudiced against those who are different from her. Afraid of the war, she feels unsafe on the island wants to run away instead of just facing it. • Philip’s father: a strong man like Philip who is proudly working in the war (fighting). He lives most of the time on the island of Curacao with his family.

Characters • Timothy: an old black man with white hair. He is not good with spelling or his speech, but he is kind and very helpful on the island. He also has strong survival skills.

Themes • To survive, one must live in harmony with nature. • We can learn from people of other cultures and races.

Meet the author: Theodore Taylor Born 1921 in North Carolina Started writing at the age of 13 Wrote for NBC radio sports at 19 Served in World War II Served in the Korean War Wrote his first book at 33 Wrote over 50 books Award-winning author Died in 2006 at 85 years of age