Jason Salyer
Mr. Salyer
Period 4
5/24/16
Crispin Essay Prompt 1
Crispin has a low self-esteem at the beginning of the novel. My first example is that he can't look anyone in the eye. My second example is that his parents are dead. My third example is that he doesn't have a name. My last example is that he is suicidal.
At the end of the novel Crispin as a high self-esteem.He explores Great Wexley on his own without Bear. He also orders Aycliffe around. In the final pages he uses his fighting skills to kill Bear.
These changes are important because without them the book would be boring. Crispin would not have killed Aycliffe. Crispin and Bear might not even be alive.
Jason Salyer
Mr. Salyer
Period 3
5/24/16
Crispin Prompt 1
From the beginning of the novel to the end Crispin has changed in many ways. From being shy and not confident to sticking up for others. At the beginning of the novel Crispin was shy and had a low self-esteem. You can tell he is shy because when he talks to people he looks at the ground. You can tell he has a low self-esteem because people mock him. He doesn’t have parents, everyone calls him Asta’s son, and he doesn’t have a name. Another way you can tell he has a low self-esteem is because he welcomes death. He thinks it’s easier to die than have no home and food.
Toward the end of the novel Crispin is confident and outgoing. He learns many new things when Bear captures him. For example, Bear teaches Crispin how to sing, dance, and play the recorder. Bear also teaches Crispin how to fight in case something ever happens to Crispin. Also, when Bear and Crispin go to Great wexley Bear leaves Crispin alone and Crispin goes and explores the city when Bear tells him not to. A final example that Crispin is more confident and outgoing is when Crispin sneaks into the house and saves Bear from Aycliffe.
It is important that crispin changed because that’s what kept the novel, adventure, and relationships going. If Crispin didn’t change there would be no Bear, no fighting, no entertaining, and Crispin would be most likely dead. That’s why it’s important Crispin changed.
Jason Salyer
Mr. Salyer
Period 3
5/24/2016
Crispin Essay Prompt 1
In Avi’s novel Crispin, the title character’s confidence improves, and his personal beliefschange once he leaves his tiny village of Stromford. At the beginning of the novel, Crispin had a very low self-esteem due to the depressing circumstances of his life. Crispin is a serf, the lowest rank in the feudal system, and must work from dawn until dusk for an extremely low wage. In fact, his mother is only able to afford a loaf of bread per day. The pair also lives in a flimsy hut with a dirt floor and a thatch roof. An even worse reality is the fact that Crispin’s mother is dead by the first line in the novel; his dad also supposedly died in the Black Death. The death of his parents leaves him alone with no one to take care of him, and he doesn’t even own a name. His motherAstadoes not reveal his name to him for reasons the reader does not know at the beginning; he is simply referred to as Asta’s son. The lack of a name makes Crispin an easy target for being mocked by his peers. Aycliffe, the town steward, makes life for him even more miserable when he demands that Crispin give up his ox to pay his mother’s death tax. Without the ox, Crispin may not be able to produce enough food to survive. To make matters worse, Aycliffe accuses Crispin of theft and declared a wolf’s head, making it legal for anyone to kill him.
Crispin demonstrates his low self-esteem in a variety of ways. He blames himself for his miserable situation in life, including the deaths of his mother and Father Quinel. He believes that God is punishing him for his terrible sins when, in reality, his biggest sin is stealing some wine to comfort his dying mother. Crispin’s inability to look people in the eyes also indicates his low self-esteem. When Aycliffe approaches Crispin about the death tax, Crispin’s eyes focus on the ground, emphasizing his feelings of worthlessness. Crispin’s feelings of worthlessness are even more obvious when he refers to himself as a “nothing” in two situations. He refers to himself as a “nothing” when he prays to the Lord early in the novel. He also refers to himself as a “nothing” when Bear asks him what he is. Crispin also embraces the idea that death would be more comforting than trying to survive. When he does flee from Stromford, he is very pessimistic about his chances of survival and readily awaits death.
Crispin’s self-esteem dramatically improves throughout the novel, mostly due to his developing relationship with Bear. Bear senses Crispin’s lack of confidence and is not shy about giving Crispin advice. He tries to prevent Crispin from dwelling on the past so that he can focus on the future ahead of him. For example, Bear says, “Lose your sorrows and you’ll find freedom.” Bear wants Crispin to stop devoting so much of his time and energy to this negative thinking so that he can move in a positive direction. Bear also cuts Crispin’s hair and cleans his face to emphasize that Crispin’s miserable situation in life is not his fault, but the fault of the cruel feudal system. Crispin doesn’t easily accept Bear’s advice right away, but he does over time. Eventually, Bear teaches Crispin how to sing, play instruments, fight, and hunt. Crispin struggles at first but as he improves, he feels satisfaction and pride. After playing his first song, Crispin says, “To think that I, with my breath, could make a song, thrilled me deeply.” As Crispin’s skills and confidence grow, he develops the mindset that he can accomplish anything that he sets his mind to.
Crispin is a completely new and improved version of himself by the time he and Bear enter Great Wexley. Even though Bear warns him to stay secluded in the Green Man Inn for safety purposes, Crispin’s intense curiosity and renewed confidence take over. He explores the city and is even brave enough to enter the church supervised by guards. Aycliffe sees him inside the church and orders his soldiers to kill him. Despite two adult soldiers approaching him from both sides of a narrow alley, Crispin uses his combat skills to injure the two guards and escape. Later on, Crispin learns that he is Lord Furnival’s son. Bear is captured by Aycliffe, but instead of blaming himself, Crispin realizes that Lord Furnival is to blame. Although the odds are stacked against him, Crispin’s growing confidence and strong love for Bear give him some sense of hope that he can rescue his friend. After maneuvering his way into the palace, he confronts and subdues Aycliffe, holding a knife to Aycliffe’s throat and making him swear an oath to let him and Bear free. While Crispin was unable to lock eyes with Aycliffe at the beginning of the novel, he has no trouble ordering Aycliffe to lead him to the dungeon and provide Bear with water and clothes. When Aycliffe commands Crispin’s lead cross, Crispin confidently threatens to reveal his name. The guards are shocked to see a peasant ordering Aycliffe around, but Aycliffe complies with Crispin’s demands. In the final scene, Crispin and Bear successfully kill Aycliffe when he went against his oath to set them free.
In addition to his strengthened confidence and skill-set, Crispin’s views of the world also change significantly throughout the novel. For the first half of the novel, Crispin believes that God meant for the feudal system to exist. Although he does not enjoy being a peasant, he believes he was born to work the land and serve others. He also believes that it is treasonous to speak negatively about masters. When Crispin is hiding from a search party to murder him, he overhears two members of the party speaking critically of the wayAycliffe and Furnival abuse their powers. While Crispin agrees that they are awful rulers, he would never dare speak his thoughts out loud. Similarly, when Bear challenges Crispin’s beliefs on freedom by suggesting everyone should be their own master, Crispin feels that Bear’s words are treasonous. He has been taught to believe that God meant for a select few to rule over others. Bear also challenges Crispin’s beliefs by trying to motivate Crispin to take action and improve himself. Crispin does not believe that he has the control to become a capable and successful person. According to Crispin, he can only improve himself if God allows it.
Over time, Crispin and Bear’s relationship improves, and Crispin’s beliefs start to align with Bear’s. Several experiences with Bear challenge Crispin’s original beliefs. After entertaining in the town of Lodgecot, Bear gives Crispin his share of their profits—a whole penny, which is four times greater than his average wage for a single day as a peasant. Bear tells Crispin that he is receiving “honest pay for honest work.” By this, Bear means that a person deserves a salary that is equal to the effort that they put in. Earlier in the novel, Bear also tears bread into equal parts, giving half to Crispin and the other for himself. Even though Bear is a much larger person, he is showing Crispin respect and trying to teach Crispin that everyone should be treated as an equal. The idea of equality and fairness rubs off on Crispin as he begins to trust Bear. Crispin also reverses his original belief that “we must be content as God made us.” He makes efforts to improve himself by asking Bear to teach him how to hunt and fight. His new skill and belief system help him develop a new purpose for his life—to assist Bear and the rebellion. Crispin assists the rebellion by trying to keep Bear safe and by alerting the members of the meeting that Aycliffe and his guards were outside the building. At the end of the novel he courageously defeats Aycliffe who represented the oppressive system he once passively accepted.
If Crispin hadn’t changed in these major ways, the story would not have the same ending. Crispin absolutely needed Bear as a role model and a teacher. Prior to running into Bear, Crispin had little chance of survival. He had no skill set beyond farming, and he was also suicidal and pessimistic. Bear helped Crispin improve his confidence and outlook on life by teaching him how to fight, encouraging him to improve himself, and instilling the belief that freedom was attainable. Crispin’s change in attitude and thinking allowed him to accomplish the great things he did. If he had run away from Bear or rejected Bear’s teachings, then the two of them would be dead, and Aycliffe would continue to oppress the people of England.