68 pages • 2 hours read
Christopher Paul CurtisElijah of Buxton
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 6-7Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 6 Summary: “Mr. Travis Cheats Us Out of a Great Lesson”
Mr. Travis is both the schoolteacher and the Sunday school teacher. To Elijah, the lessons get mixed up in one’s head, and if Mr. Travis “pegs you as being not particular bright in everyday school, you ain’t got prayer the first of having a clean slate when Sunday comes ’round and you got to go to Sabbath School” (78).
At school Monday, Cooter shows Elijah a quote on the board: “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Cooter thinks the words are close enough to “Family breeding contest” that they must mean the same thing, and Elijah doesn’t know any better to correct him. They excitedly wait for the lesson; Mr. Travis, however, flies into a rage and pulls Cooter from his seat to twist his ear. He is furious because Cooter addressed him informally the past Saturday at the sawmill, and he uses the quote to teach the students to respect and appreciate instructors, education, and freedom.
Chapter 7 Summary: “Mr. Leroy Shows How to Really Make a Lesson Stick”
Two nights later Elijah walks home with Mr. Leroy. Helping Mr. Leroy clear Mrs. Holton’s trees is one of Elijah’s chores, but tonight clouds hide the moon, so they stop work early. Elijah begins to tell Mr. Leroy about Mr. Travis’s lesson. In his excitement to get the story out, Elijah refers to himself and his classmates by the first syllable of the n-word. He cuts himself off, knowing that the word stands for hate and ignorance, but Mr. Leroy strikes him hard across the face, knocking Elijah to the ground.
Mr. Leroy shouts at Elijah, asking what Elijah thinks slavers called him as they branded his chest, what other slavers called his family as they sold his daughter and separated him from his wife, and what another slave called Mr. Leroy in an angry confrontation as the slave cut Mr. Leroy’s finger off. He says the word “shows the same kind of hate and disrespect” no matter who uses it (99).
When Mr. Leroy calms, he accepts Elijah’s apology. He reminds Elijah that he is not a friend but an elder who hasn’t always been free. Elijah feels no ill will toward Mr. Leroy. He tells Mr. Leroy he understands: “It boils down to familiarity breeds contempt” (102).
Chapters 6-7 Analysis
In these two chapters, Mr. Travis and Mr. Leroy communicate a parallel message, but according to Elijah, the way in which Mr. Leroy teaches him the lesson causes the message to “stick” far more effectively. When Cooter neglects to respectfully address Mr. Travis, Mr. Travis tells him:
‘You are so fortunate to be freed from the yoke of slavery, you have this wonderful opportunity to improve who you are, and instead you choose to behave toward me in a manner one would expect of a poor ignorant soul who has lived his entire life in bondage!’ (91).
Mr. Travis wants Cooter to see greeting one’s instructor as a chance to show appreciation and respect for education, as someone living free can and should do. Elijah’s careless use of the n-word sparks an enraged reaction in Mr. Leroy, who tells him that word shows disrespect because of its association with slavery.
Elijah makes the connection between the two lessons, showing that he better understands his obligation as a free child to respect not only the experiences and emotions of former slaves, but also the opportunity he has in Buxton to become educated and learn from the past.
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By Christopher Paul Curtis
