Potato People: Question and Answers

1. Lesson that can be learnt

There are many lesson that can be learned from the novel, Potato People. Perhaps the most important is that we should never give up hope.Patrick Flynne was a young orphan in Ireland during the time of great famine. He had to fend for himself. All around him were people suffering from the effects of the famine. Some of this people were nasty and took advantage of weaker people, but others were good. Patrick, like many other people, ate whatever he could find. Once he had to eat the rotten meat of a dead dog. Patrick saw his home in his village destroyed and burn down. He saw his best friend, Sean, being arrested. He dream of escaping to Amerika. We should never give up hope and must strive for a better life.

2. Enjoyed reading the novel?

Yes, I have enjoyed reading the novel, ‘Potato People’. The story is interesting, and it has an important message. The story tells about the food famines during the Irish potato blight in 1840s. Its message is that we must control our destiny and work hard towards achieving a better life, like Patrick and Marie. They persevered and never gave up hope for a better life. In the end they settle down in California and became cattle ranchers. I am inspired by the story of their success.

3. Enjoyed reading the novel ‘Potato People’

The story is interesting and tells about the food famines during the Irish potato blight in 1840s. Many Irish wanted to migrate to the new world. Its message for it readers is that we must work hard towards achieving a better life, like Patrick and Marie. In the end, they settled down in California and became cattle ranchers. I am inspired by the story of their determination and success.

4. Message of Love

Potato People highlights the message of love. Sean showed his love for Patrick by turning up with the money for the ship tickets after having gone to great lengths to obtain the money. Patrick and Marie struggle together in a new country. Love blossomed between them for they shared difficult as well as happy times. Patrick showed his love for the poor and hungry when he welcomed them at his home in California. These characters portray the value of selfless love.

5. Brave Character

The character in ‘Potato People’ who is brave is Patrick. He showed a great courage by leaving Ireland for a new life in Amerika. Life was full of hardship. He endured the struggle and even joined the Union Army to fight against slavery. His courage paid off when he was promoted to the rank of Captain and had the respect of the people. After the war, he travelled a lot, experiences many dangers and finally, settled down in California.

6. Theme of Perseverance and determination

Patrick and Marie show perseverance and determination to achieve a better life in America. Life in the new country was tough. Often, they had to go hungry. However, they persevered for they never gave up hope for a better future. After so much hardship, they settled down in California. Patrick married Marie and became a wealthy cattle rancher.

7. Lesson that I have learnt

I have learnt an important lesson from ‘Potato People’. It is the effort taken in working towards a better future. During their early years in America, Patrick and Marie had to endure many years of hardship. However, the hope or a better life in a new country made them persevere. Their perseverance paid off for life become much better many years later. I have learnt that if one is determined to struggle, one can achieve one’s dreams for a better future.

8. The character I like most

The character I like most in ‘Potato People’ is Marie. She is intelligent, cheerful and determined. She remained cheerful despite the widespread hunger an uncertainty. Her intelligence save her and Patrick when she stopped him from revealing their identity to the soldiers. In New York, she was determined to make a better life for herself. Her struggle finally paid off when she married Patrick and they both settled down in California.

9. The character that u like

I like the character Sean. I think that he was very loyal to his village and he love the people very much. Although he stole from Mr Greystone, he did it because he felt that Mr Greystone was greedy and unfair by burning the village down. The money that he stole, he gave to Patrick and Marie so that they could go to America to lead a better life, a live that he could not live. He was punished for stealing the money, but he did it because he could not bear injustice.

10. Message of loyalty for it readers

The novel ‘Potato People’ has the message of loyalty for its readers. Sean and Patrick were loyal in their friendship with one another. Sean did not reveal the identity of Patrick and Marie to the soldiers. This was to save their lives. When Patrick saw Sean being led away in chains, he wanted to approach Sean, showing his loyalty. Fortunately, Marie saved his life by stopping him from doing so. Like them, we too, must be loyal to our friends.

11. Brings attention to the value of love

The novel ‘Potato People’ brings attention to the value of love. Sean showed his love for Patrick by turning up with the money for the ship fare. Patrick and Marie struggled in the new country, sharing the hope for a better future. Love blossomed between them as they shared their hardships with one another. Patrick showed his love for the poor and hungry when he welcomed them at his ranch in California.

12. The title ‘Potato People’ is relevant to the novel

The title ‘Potato People’ is relevant to the novel. The story is about the ‘potato blight’ in Ireland in the 1840’s. the people who were victims of this famine were called the ‘Potato People’. They fed on whatever they could find, even decayed meat of dead animals. These people, like Patrick and Marie, saw emigration to the New World as an escape from the starvation and national chaos.

13. Interesting incident

In the novel ‘Potato People’ I especially find the incident in the chapter ‘The Feast’ somewhat intriguing. When Patrick following Marie into the house full of food on the table, it seemed like they had wandered into a dream. This experience was somewhat exciting, yet was dangerous. Had they been caught, the story would have surely ended differently. Strangely, they found humour in narrowly escaping danger. This was both exciting and thrilling to me. It has taught me to strive hard to achieve my dreams