In the novel there are two different girls that are of the same age who become a part of each other's daily lives. These two girls are as different as could be except for one small thing. They both work for Mr. Derby who owns Derbyshire Farms. There is a difference in the work though, due to the fact that polly works as an indentured servant and how Amari is a bought and payed for slave that Mr. Derby bought at a slave auction. Polly is now to be the trainer of Amari who has been given the dreadful name of Myna and is to teach her simple commands and to learn english so that she is able to understand the simple tasks given to her by Mr. Derby or the staff.
Since Polly's parents had a debt to Mr. Derby Polly had to suffer for it.Polly is serving Mr. Derby and it is a total of 14 years of servitude. Polly has lost both of her parents to the disease smallpox. Polly sees herself as better than the slaves because of the fact that she was not captured and that she works for free. She is very mean to Amari at this point. When they start to learn about each other they start to get along.
On the other hand Amari that was taken home and her family at 15. The great and terrible journey has been very stressful to her and she has lost many friends and family. She has been on a very long voyage toward a new world. This is the main super waterway that slaves are brought to America and the journey is long since the main rule is survive. On this journey Amari had to endure torture and rape and embarrassment before arriving in america to be sold even further along the lines.
After Amari and Polly are transferred to the Derbyshire farm by Mr. Derby they meet an elderly slave named Cato. Cato has been on the plantation for many years and he is known for having great knowledge about the slaves and the surroundings of the area. During the time that Amari and polly are at the plantation they run into trouble as Mrs. Derby has a child that is found to belong to her personal slave Noah. After Mr. Derby finds out he changes everyone’s lives . Mr Derby murders Noah with a musket shot to his chest and then silences the baby by murdering it. After that Mr. Derby sells Polly and Amari due to the role they have played in the matter.
The Doctor that they were going to travel with had already wanted to help them. Before the entire argument and death Cato gave them some advice. Cato told them, "since the free states were up north that most patrols watch the northern roads for runaways". Following that by the introduction of a safe haven known to the slaves as Fort Mose. Fort Mose is supposedly a place where slaves can go to be set free. The problem is that it is in florida which is even farther south than they already are.
Since Polly's parents had a debt to Mr. Derby Polly had to suffer for it.Polly is serving Mr. Derby and it is a total of 14 years of servitude. Polly has lost both of her parents to the disease smallpox. Polly sees herself as better than the slaves because of the fact that she was not captured and that she works for free. She is very mean to Amari at this point. When they start to learn about each other they start to get along.
On the other hand Amari that was taken home and her family at 15. The great and terrible journey has been very stressful to her and she has lost many friends and family. She has been on a very long voyage toward a new world. This is the main super waterway that slaves are brought to America and the journey is long since the main rule is survive. On this journey Amari had to endure torture and rape and embarrassment before arriving in america to be sold even further along the lines.
After Amari and Polly are transferred to the Derbyshire farm by Mr. Derby they meet an elderly slave named Cato. Cato has been on the plantation for many years and he is known for having great knowledge about the slaves and the surroundings of the area. During the time that Amari and polly are at the plantation they run into trouble as Mrs. Derby has a child that is found to belong to her personal slave Noah. After Mr. Derby finds out he changes everyone’s lives . Mr Derby murders Noah with a musket shot to his chest and then silences the baby by murdering it. After that Mr. Derby sells Polly and Amari due to the role they have played in the matter.
The Doctor that they were going to travel with had already wanted to help them. Before the entire argument and death Cato gave them some advice. Cato told them, "since the free states were up north that most patrols watch the northern roads for runaways". Following that by the introduction of a safe haven known to the slaves as Fort Mose. Fort Mose is supposedly a place where slaves can go to be set free. The problem is that it is in florida which is even farther south than they already are.