Pink and Say

Refer to your Pink and Say book for a complete version of this text.

To Pink, returning to the war is the right thing to do.

How does Say feel about returning to the war?

• The idea of war terrifies him.

• The thought of revenge excites him.

Read the excerpt from Pink and Say.

“Mother, this war has to be won or this sickness that has taken this land will never stop.” Pink always called slavery “the sickness” when we talked. “We have to go.’’

• Every war results in disease and suffering.

• Freedom is a cause worth fighting for.

Read the excerpt from Pink and Say.

Sheldon had been injured in a fierce battle and was left for dead in a muddy, blood-soaked pasture somewhere in Georgia. He was a mere lad of fifteen. He lay there for two days, by his reckoning, only to slip into unconsciousness and fever. He was rescued from this field by another lad who had also been separated from his company.

• It helps readers understand why people go to war.

• It shows that she believes war is no place for children.

Refer to your Pink and Say book for a complete version of this text.

Which detail from the text best explains how Say is wounded?

• “‘I was hit when I was runnin.’”

• “Then fever must have took me good…”

Read the dialogue between Pink and Say.

“You can call me Say,” I said. “Everybody in my family calls me Say, not Sheldon. I ‘spect you’re family now.”

“Near ‘nuff, Say. Near ‘nuff,” he said as he chucked the blanket under my feet.

What do Say’s words reveal about him?

• He believes he has a lot in common with Pink.

• He feels a bond with Pink because Pink saved his life.