Sparkle Schoolhouse

Fifty Study Page- Mississippi: “Boll Weevil and the Blues”

Chester Arthur Burnett left his mother’s home in the Mississippi Delta because he had had enough. His righteous and downright mean Uncle caught him humming a tune that he had overheard one of the sharecroppers singing and called it “The devil’s music”. Chester knew it wasn’t the devil’s music, but he did want to know more about what this music was. So he went barefoot nearly a hundred miles to his father’s home - where he met two men that would introduce him to the music and his own destiny.

Note: Though this is historical fiction and the characters have been developed to accommodate a story, their attributes and development may be useful as reference points and inspirations.

Topics for Investigation

Mississippi history - Biographies of Howlin Wolf, Charley Patton and Henry Sloan - History of Delta Blues - Account of cotton sharecropping and the boll weevil

Mississippi geography - Map of the mississippi river - Map tracking the boll weevil’s introduction and spread throughout the south - Historical map of the Blues and how it spread north

“Boll Weevil and the Blues” study topics - Music and cultural influences that created the “Blues” - How the cotton industry affected America

Topics for Reflection

From a Child Development Perspective:

In this story, your child might learn that:

• Telling the truth is a relief. When we start down the path of telling a fib, it can grow and grow and grow, making it hard to keep up with the story we have created. So it's always a relief when we just come to the truth. Chester had begun down a path of dishonesty when he lied about his age, but then when he told his father's name at the porch of the juke joint he was relieved when the man knew his daddy.

• There are people that we meet in life that we know we're going to change us forever. We can feel it deep down in our bones somehow. There is something inexplicable about human connection. When Chester saw Charlie Patton and heard his booming voice, he knew immediately that there was a deep connection that he would have with this man, or at least with this man’s music.

• It is important to trust that feeling deep inside when you don't feel safe. And just as important to do what you need to to get away from that unsafe situation and find grown-ups who can help you find safety. This is just what Chester did when he ran from the situation with his uncle to find his daddy at Deerwood Plantation.

• We cannot forget our good friends who were in situations like Chester living along the Mississippi River in the time of history when he did or others who live in equally challenging situations now.

• Perhaps the most profound lesson to be learned from this story is that good can prevail, even in the hardest of situations. Challenges from our circumstances, history, and the Boll Weevil can be overcome if we put our head, heart, and hands toward making change and by listening to the deep in resonant tones in the guidance of the Blues. This was, in essence, Chester's story.

Not yet a subscriber? Try a free trial HERE.