Across Five Aprils Summary

Chapter by Chapter synopsis of action, themes, character development, and other literature elements

Across Five Aprils Decision Chart

Chapter One

In the opening scene we meet nine year old Jethro and his mother, Ellen, planting potatoes in April 1861. Ellen worries about the possibility of an impending war, while Jethro shares his older brother's enthusiasm for a start to the conflict. In this chapter we meet the following additional characters:

Matthew, Jethro's father who is a well-respected farmer
Tom, the 18 year old brother of Jethro
Eb, the 18 year old cousin who lives in the household
Bill, the 21 year old brother who is Jethro's favorite
Jenny, the 14 year old sister who is fond of Jethro
John, the oldest of the brothers still living in Illinois
Nancy, the shy, quiet woman married to John
Mary, a sister who died and is buried on the property
Shad, the school master, who is treated like part of the family
Travis Burdow, an unruly neighbor who caused Mary's death by firing a gun

In the first chapter our activities allow students to do the following:

Identify the main character and setting.
Examine the dialect.
Analyze the values of Ellen Creighton.
Investigate the Imagery in Writing
Match the 10 other names above to their relationship with Jethro and Ellen.

Decision Chart: This story is largely about decisions. Our unit study provides a chart for students to analyze the major decision of that chapter. In chapter one Jethro and his mother discuss the decision that must be faced by Abraham Lincoln to call for war or avoid it.

Chapter Two

The arrival of a cousin from Kentucky is a special treat for Jethro and he enjoys the rare company meal with the large family around the table - at least until talk of war and succession come up. Jethro listens as the conversation becomes harsh and different views in favor of the North and South are explained. It becomes clear that not just the nation, but this family is also divided by the conflict. In this chapter students will:

Define exposition and tell the exposition of this story.
Compare the problem in the family and the problem in the nation.
Identify which family members support which side of the national problem.
Reread quotes of family members about their reasons for their positions. Identify if that position is from the southern or nothern perspective.
Discuss the impact the news of the Firing of Fort Sumter on the family.
Make apples, honey and cream dessert.

Chapter Three

The war has started, and Jethro finds it is affecting his home and family. Bill says good-bye to Jethro alone as he leaves to join the Southern army. With his brother's leaving to fight, the work of running the farm falls on young Jethro.

Expectations of a quick Northern victory were dashed.
Eb and Tom left, leaving more work for fewer workers.
Several scenes occur on Walnut Hill. What does it represent?
The role of Bill in the family.
Bill's decision to support the south was different than Eb and Tom's support of the north.

Decision Chart: Jethro's favorite brother, Bill, is struggling with the question of what side of the war does he really support. As he agonizes over this decision, readers begin to see the different sides.

Chapter Four

After some Northern victories, the Creighton's get a letter from Tom. Jethro takes the letter to Shad and spends the night with him. The two review the impact of the war on the nation and family as Shad is preparing to leave to join the Northern army. Shad tells Jethro he should continue studying after he leaves.

Comparison of the division between the nation and between families.
Information on "ironclads"
Shifting attitudes of Tom about war.
Jethro's work ethic
Jenny and Shad, Jethro and Matthew
Effect of war on Shad and the plans of other young men
Irony
Current events and history unfolding
Imagery and Tone in the last paragraph

Decision Chart: Matthew Creighton is faced with the decision to allow his youngest daughter Jenny to marry Shad to school teacher. He is against their marraige because of Jenny's young age.

Chapter Five

After his mother suffers a serious headache for lack of coffee, Jethro has the honor of going into town for supplies by himself for the first time. His adventurous day includes being accosted by men in the general store because his brother Bill joined the Southern army, being befriended by the local newspaper editor who gives him a book and buys him dinner, and being attacked by thugs on the way home but saved by Dave Burdow. Readers assess these issues in the chapter activites:

Comparing wants and needs
Caffeine, Coffee, and Headaches: Background Info
The meaning of Jethro's trip to town
Battle of Pea Ridge
Figures of Speech: Never-do-well; King's English
The illiterate neighbor and Jethro
The effect of Jethro's studying on his ability to help others
Compare the men who insulted Jethro in the general store and those who stood up for him
Meaning of the grammar book
Compare the attack by Trev Burdow on Mary's wagon and the attack of Guy Wortman on Jethro's wagon
Evaluate the character of Dave Burdow
Mood at home

Decision Chart: Should Dave Burdown risk helping Jethro when the entire community is against him?

Chapter Six

The anxiety about their problems causes Matt Creighton to have a heart attack. With his father's illness and all his brothers away fighting in the war, Jethro becomes the man in the family and takes over running the farm. At first he and Jenny become closer, but her reticence to share Shad's letter upsets Jethro. Attackers who are angry that Bill has joined the South come at night and burn their barn and destroy their farm. Literary elements and action in this chapter include

Mood
Matt's condition
Jethro's changed life
Changes in the family in 12 months
Metaphors
- "Staff of yore pa's old age"
- "This war is a beast with long claws"
Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing)
The role of letters in family life

Decision Chart: Should Jethro accept Jenny's privacy and the fact that her relationship with Shad is different than his?

Chapter Seven

While the community comes to the aid of the Creighton family, the leader of the bandits suffers a public humiliation. Jethro learns that Tom was killed in the Battle of Shiloh. He watches Jenny add the date of his death in the large Bible as he ponders the history of his family, including siblings he never met. With this chapter, readers contemplate:

Comparison of the community's response to Creighton and Wortman
Reaction of Tom's death
Battle of Corinth - no true victory to either side
the lack of a Northern general
Symbolism: Page in the Bible symbolizes family history
Punctuation: capitalization of US President (Congress, Constitution, and Capitol)
Foreshadowing coming battles of Antietem, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville.

Chapter Eight

As the last months of 1862 come, the war drags on. The community helps the Creightons as farm life continues and Jethro continues to study the newspaper accounts of the battles. But there are changes in attitudes both at home and away. Readers consider:

Popularity and disgrace of generals
View of soldiers vs citizens regarding a general
Back and forth of southern and northern victories
Status of Dave Burdow in the community
Contrast the men's view of Jethro's worries with his own view
Irony
Changes in Shad's letter
The growing discontentment with war
The question if the nation and Constitution would last
The soldiers were signing up for the glory of war, now they are fleeing it in discouragement.

Decision Chart: Should generals wage an offensive or defensive war? What makes a good general? A popular general?

Chapter Nine

Danger increases for the Creighton's and the community as army deserters flee their units. The problem becomes personal when Jethro discovers Eb is a deserter. Should he turn his sick cousin over to the officials or harbor him at risk to his family? Unsure of who to turn to for advice, Jethro makes a bold decision which leads to a dramatic scene for his family when a letter arrives.

Vivid writing
Super Writer's Challenges
Deserters in war
Bravery vs bullying by federal officials
Irony
Symbolism: Jethro's rifle
Timeline: two years into the war
Ed's plight and Jethro's decision
Ethical Dilemmas
Metaphors
Risks of Jethro's letter
The President's decision
A letter delivered

Decision Chart: Should Jethro provide shelter for his cousin who is a deserter?

Chapter Ten

The war continues into the spring and summer of the 1863. General Lee becomes a legend in both the South and the North. The battles of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg fill the papers. The Creighton's get word that Shad was seriously injured at Gettysburg and her father gave Jenny permission to go see him. Shad recovers and he and Jenny marry. Chapter activities include:

Understanding the three major battles
Antithesis
Popularity of Generals and Fickleness of the Public
Army of Potomac and Army of Cumberland
Eb's return to his unit
The fate of families during war.

Decision Chart: In light of Shad's injury and likely death, Matthew reconsiders his refusal to allow Jenny to marry.

Chapter Eleven

In 1864 after a highly contested election, Abraham Lincoln was re-elected. As students read of a war that continued to drag on, they consider:

Impact of letters from home
Gettysburg Address and contemporary reaction
Lincoln's offered clemency to the South
The seige of Petersburg
Contrast in the experience of southern and norther families.

The chapter ends with a reunion between John and Bill, who has been captured and is a southern rebel prisoner in a northern camp.

Decision Chart: The general population faced a major decision to relect Abraham Lincoln or the general George McClellan whom Lincoln fired.

Chapter Twelve

The story ends with the end of the war, and the realization that neither the nation or its families will be the same. Jethro grieves the death of the president who worked for peace and offered mercy. He is relieved at the homecoming of Shad and Jenny who want him to return with them to the east coast so he can get an education. Issues raised include