"How can you buy the sky? How can you own the rain and wind?" asked the great Chief Seattle over one hundred years ago.
I taught this speech to my eighth grade students before I knew there was picture book that illustrated it. Granted his words are beautiful and create wonderful imagery in the readers mind.
"My Father said to me, I know the sap that courses through the trees as I know the blood that flows in my veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, and the great eagle, these are our brothers."
This is a speech all should read. Here is a copy of it. Chief Seattle's speech.
My only complaint with the book is that is does not contain his speech in its entirety, but it is a great teaching tool, and Susan Jeffers' illustrations are wonderful.
Aww you gave us this book I believe I'm going to pull quotes from it for our living room wall.
ReplyDeleteI would have much rather learned this speech, we had to remember Romeo and Juliet in 8th grade. Don't get me wrong I love it , but it's a little morbid for 8th graders. This would have been more appropriate I think.
Nightchayde
The link to the speech has all the words. The book is abridged. The kids really liked it, and then we used it again when we learned literary language.
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