The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep Review

Module 4: Poetry Across the Curriculum-Social Studies

 

The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep: Voices from the Donner Party

Bibliography
Wolf, A. (2020). The snow fell three graves deep: voices from the Donner party. Candlewick Press. ISBN: 9780763663247.

Summary
An historical fiction retelling of the tragedy of the Donner party in 1846 uses 8 different “voices” to give different perspectives of the story. Each voice is from a member of the Donner party, except for the narrator, who is Hunger. Readers are guided from the onset of the journey in Illinois through the times of abundance and scarcity to California, where the journey ends. Readers get to know the main participants of the journey through the narration. Most voices are written in verse, but Hunger is written in prose. The book opens with a table of contents, a map of the Donner party trail, the voices, a recreated advertisement, a prologue by hunger, the novel, and the notes on backmatter. The novel is divided into six parts which progresses the reader through the treacherous journey. The backmatter consists of a bounty of helpful things such as character biographies, a timeline and a breakdown of the people by numbers, reality checks, terms, and more reading/resources for further learning. The notes section is useful in guiding the reader to fully understand what happened more wholly and with empathy.

Analysis
The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep is written with 9-12 graders in mind, but is a captivating read for young adults and adults alike. Wolf expertly pens the story of what happened on that doomed journey through pointillism-his viewpoints include children and adults from the group, Native American guides, a pair of beloved oxen, and most notable, the narrator-hunger. All but hunger tells their parts in poetic form which sets the narrator apart from those living the nightmare (no pun intended).

Most of the poems are written in a free-verse style that makes them very approachable and sound like they are talking to the reader. This approach helps to build a connection between the reader and the voices and aids in creating empathy because there is no heavy figurative language or alliteration to wade through. Just raw and honest words. We feel the heartbreak as we hear Baptiste utter “Then I leave Alder Creek Behind, / my snowshoes crunching against the snow. / Somewhere hidden beneath my feet/ lie the bodies of Buck and Bright. / Maybe. If they were ever there at all.” (Wolf, 2020, p. 318). The straightforwardness of the poems allows teen readers to relate to the speakers. Frequently, Wolf uses whitespace and placement to convey more meaning, particularly when there are two dissenting ideas being presented.

In stark contrast to the human voices are the voices of Buck and Bright, Baptiste’s beloved oxen. Each time they speak, or have human counterparts to their voices, there is strong rhythm and repetition. “Buck/step, pull. Step, pull. / Dumbly, numbly pull the load. / Bright/ From yoke to yoke, / we’ll take the wagons there. /…Buck/ Step, pull. Step, pull. / Dumbly, numbly pull the load. / Bright/ From yoke to yoke, we trudge. / We’ll take the wagons there. /…Buck/ Step, pull. Step, pull.” (2020, p. 81). The rhythm and repetition mirror the monotony the animals and party must have felt day in and day out walking. Oxen were a key part of emigrating, so they provide an ideal mouthpiece for this part of picture.

One last unique addition to the novel is the addition of multiple poems all entitled “SNOW” spread throughout. It is a concrete poem of the word snow and the names of the accumulated deceased. Each word of “snow” and name is written in lower case and written spread across the pages as if they are each a snowflake falling, the same snowflakes that buried the party in and caused most of the deaths of those on the pages. This is a powerful image and reminder of the people who passed.

Excerpt
PATTY REED-The Angel
With the second rescue party, stranded west of the pass

Dear God,
Can you see us? Can you tell that we’re here?
You’ve sent along a powerful fierce wind.
I know you watched us go over the pass.
And I thank you for leaving behind
a ready-made platform for our fire.
But why this wind and terrible snow?
Maybe you forgot we was still here.
I know you have a whole world to look after,
but it’s been blowing now for a day and a night.
The wind is so loud you might not hear Mr. Breen’s prayers.
And I’m scared. You see, Isaac Donner is sittin’ to my right.
And Tommy’s sittin’ to my left. And they’re about the same age.
Only Isaac, as you probably know, died a little while ago.
Please make a solid shield of me, God,
so death will not leak through.
I hope that you are satisfied
and don’t take Tommy, too. 

Amen

Activity
After reading the selection from above and having a brief discussion about the content of the poem and meaning behind lines such as “make a solid shield of me.” Teacher will then ask students to put themselves in the shoes of Patty Reed or another member of the Donner party. They will write a letter or journal entry to a loved one from the perspective of someone trapped in the snow, expressing their fears and hopes. For an extension activity, students can choose a person from the Donner party and write a short biography on them.

Reviews
From Kirkus Reviews: “This historical narrative reads like a thriller, with nature, arrogance, ignorance, and greed as the villains, and it focuses on White settlers without glorifying them. The two Miwok vaqueros who serve as guides for a portion of the journey leave readers wanting more Indigenous voices; their presence, though, adds to the title’s poignancy as an exploration of the inhumanity involved in Westward expansion. This mature corrective to cultural mythology horrifies and edifies.”

From Publishers Weekly: “The individual voices quickly become recognizable, a combined chorus that creates a multidimensional telling of this "catastrophic failure" that haunts the problematic story of western expansion. The rich extensive back matter (including "Native Americans and the Donner Party," "Reality Checks," and numerous statistics) adds historical context and factual clarity to this arresting saga.”