The Jumbies

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Seed Symbolism”

In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of the symbolic motif of seeds in The Jumbies by illustrating a significant quote and explaining how this quote is relevant to their own lives.

In The Jumbies, seeds represent an idea larger than themselves—they are symbols that convey a life lesson to Corinne and to the reader. In this activity, you will demonstrate your understanding of this symbol and the lesson it teaches.

Investigate the Symbol

• Go back to the text itself and find the places where seeds are discussed. Think about these questions:

o What is the tone of these passages? How does Baptiste use language and detail to create a mood in the reader and suggest what the seeds might stand for?

o How does the story’s plot convey a message about what the seeds mean?

o How do Corinne’s thoughts and memories convey messages about what the seeds mean?

• Once you have an idea about what the seeds stand for, choose one quote from the novel that seems especially meaningful in this context. Remember that a “quote” just means borrowed language—it does not have to be something that a character says out loud.

Illustrate Your Quote

• Write out the quote from the novel, making sure to transcribe it accurately and cite the page number where you found it.
• Create an illustration for this quote. Your illustration should have a clear relationship to the meaning of this quote.

Write a Reflection

• Write a paragraph explaining what you think seeds represent in the novel. Reflect on why you chose your quote and how well you think you captured the quote’s meaning in your illustration.
• Write a second paragraph exploring how this symbol relates to your own life. What is a “seed” that you, personally, carry? What kinds of actions will allow it to grow?

Teaching Suggestion: If your students do not have much experience with symbolism, you might preface this assignment with a brief discussion of symbols. You might use another symbol in the novel—the pendant necklace, for example—as an example of how to use plot, language, and other devices to decode the symbol’s meaning. After students complete this activity, you might challenge them with the suggestion that we all contain many kinds of potential—good and bad—and ask them to think about how both our choices and our environments shape which seeds “grow.” You can connect this discussion back to The Jumbies by asking how Corinne’s own choices, her cultural context, and her relationships all contribute to her ability to access the seed in the pendant and make it grow.

 Differentiation Suggestion: Students with aphantasia (a lack of mental imagery) may struggle to imagine a picture to illustrate their chosen quotes; these students might be allowed to search the internet for an appropriate visual reference. Those with visual impairments may not be able to complete the assignment as written. A possible alternative would be to allow these students to choose two quotes rather than one and explain in a few sentences how these quotes reveal different aspects of the novel’s seed symbolism. Then, in their reflection, they might explore which of the two quotes seems more relevant to their own lives and why.