Copper Sun

by

Sharon Draper

Tidbit is Teenie’s four-year-old son. Tidbit is a bright, happy, and mischievous child. He can often be found underfoot in Teenie’s kitchen playing with his dog, Hushpuppy. He is instrumental in teaching Amari English, as he often talks to her as he teaches her how to perform tasks around the plantation. Occasionally, Amari speaks to him in Ewe, which fascinates Tidbit—he’s captivated by the idea of living in Africa, though he’s too young to fully understand what it means to be free. Both Amari and Polly come to genuinely love Tidbit, and both take it upon themselves to care for him when Teenie cannot. Polly begins to understand just how horrible life is for slaves when she learns that Tidbit will one day work in the rice fields—and she can’t fathom how anyone can condemn such a bright, innocent child to such deadly work. Amari does everything she can to protect Tidbit when Clay takes him from Teenie to use as alligator bait in the river. Following the birth of Mrs. Derby’s Black baby who’s fathered by one of her slaves, Mr. Derby punishes Teenie for her involvement by deciding to sell Tidbit. However, Tidbit escapes with Polly and Amari thanks to Dr. Hoskins’s kindness. Along the journey, Tidbit struggles to understand why they have to leave at all. For him, despite having experienced abuse at the hands of his white masters, being with Teenie is still more important than freedom, a concept he’s perhaps too young to fully understand. However, he promises to remember everything Teenie told him about Africa and her mother, and he ultimately asks Amari to be his mother in Fort Mose. In Fort Mose, Tidbit shares that his real name is Timothy. He begins to go by Timothy and decides that he’d like to be a soldier when he grows up so he can fight for his freedom.

Tidbit Quotes in Copper Sun

The Copper Sun quotes below are all either spoken by Tidbit or refer to Tidbit. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Slavery, Dehumanization, and Resistance Theme Icon
).
Chapter 21 Quotes

“And that’s just the first part. Then you gotta tend to the plants and flood the fields and cut the stacks and thresh the seeds—seem like it go on forever. That’s what be in your future, Miz Africa. And when he get old enough, this here boy’s future too.”

Polly looked at Cato in disbelief. “They’d put Tidbit out there?” she asked, horrified. The thought of little Tidbit sweating and working in the dangerous swampy water made Polly feel ill.

Related Characters: Polly (speaker), Cato (speaker), Amari, Tidbit
Related Symbols: Babies / Children
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 31 Quotes

He took a deep breath, then said quietly, “I am ashamed to be a human being this morning. I witnessed not just murder last night, but violence and cruelty and vicious hatred. By saying nothing, I feel I am as responsible as my so-called friend who pulled the trigger.”

Amari and Polly exchanged stunned looks.

Dr. Hoskins continued. “I am just one man. I don’t know how to fight everything that is happening around me. I don’t understand how one man can own another. And I don’t know how to stop it.” He looked around at the deep woods and the darkness within them. “But I can help the three of you.”

Related Characters: Dr. Hoskins (speaker), Amari, Polly, Mr. Derby, Tidbit
Related Symbols: Babies / Children
Page Number: 202
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes

“My name be Amari,” she informed the two of them.

Polly opened her eyes and looked at Amari with a slight frown. “What’s wrong with the name they gave you?” she asked. “We’re used to it now.”

Amari took a deep breath of the woodsy air. “Not Myna no more. Amari.” She spoke with clarity and certainty.

If you say so,” Polly said with a shrug. “I suppose it is a good name for a free woman.”

“Free!” Amari exclaimed in quiet exultation. She had no intention of ever using that slave name ever again.

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Polly (speaker), Clay Derby, Tidbit
Page Number: 207
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes

Amari sat close to Polly for warmth and companionship, looking at the fire, thinking not of the horrendous fire that had destroyed her village, but of the smoky cooking fires that decorated the front of each household as the women prepared the evening meal. If she closed her eyes, she could almost smell the pungent fish stew.

Related Characters: Amari, Polly, Tidbit
Page Number: 223
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 37 Quotes

“Of course, child. Everybody has slaves. How do you think we handle this land? But my Patrick is a good man and does not mistreat his property. Our slaves like it here.” Amari couldn’t understand how the woman could see no wrong in owning slaves as long as they were well treated.

Related Characters: Fiona O’Reilly (speaker), Amari, Polly, Tidbit, Patrick
Page Number: 256
Explanation and Analysis:

“It’s like this: if my Patrick brings home a new slave like he did last week, for example, that’s his right as master and man of this house, and I dare not interfere. As a woman, I ain’t got muckle to say about those kind of decisions. But when I got the chance to decide for myself, I find it gives me pleasure to choose to help you be free. That’s the truth, and I did not know it until I spoke the words.”

Related Characters: Fiona O’Reilly (speaker), Amari, Polly, Tidbit, Patrick
Page Number: 256
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 38 Quotes

“You know, I never really knew any black people before I came to Mr. Derby’s place. I mean, everybody had slaves, of course, but I never actually thought about them. And I certainly never had a black friend before,” she admitted.

Amari looked away. “Sometime I hate white people,” she admitted softly. “I never hate before I be a slave.” She stretched her arms. “I never even see white person until they attack my village. It be hard to have hate feeling and like feeling at same time.”

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Polly (speaker), Teenie, Mr. Derby, Tidbit
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 40 Quotes

“What did your mama keep a-tellin’ you while you be with her?”

“She tell me stories about Africa and about her own mother, and she tell me, ‘Long as you remember, ain’t nothin’ really gone.’”

Amari, blinking away tears, hugged him. “You gonna always remember?”

“I ain’t never gonna forget nothin’ she done tell me,” the boy said with great seriousness. He squeezed the leather pouch.

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Tidbit (speaker), Teenie, Afi
Related Symbols: Kente Cloth
Page Number: 282-83
Explanation and Analysis:
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Copper Sun PDF

Tidbit Quotes in Copper Sun

The Copper Sun quotes below are all either spoken by Tidbit or refer to Tidbit. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Slavery, Dehumanization, and Resistance Theme Icon
).
Chapter 21 Quotes

“And that’s just the first part. Then you gotta tend to the plants and flood the fields and cut the stacks and thresh the seeds—seem like it go on forever. That’s what be in your future, Miz Africa. And when he get old enough, this here boy’s future too.”

Polly looked at Cato in disbelief. “They’d put Tidbit out there?” she asked, horrified. The thought of little Tidbit sweating and working in the dangerous swampy water made Polly feel ill.

Related Characters: Polly (speaker), Cato (speaker), Amari, Tidbit
Related Symbols: Babies / Children
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 31 Quotes

He took a deep breath, then said quietly, “I am ashamed to be a human being this morning. I witnessed not just murder last night, but violence and cruelty and vicious hatred. By saying nothing, I feel I am as responsible as my so-called friend who pulled the trigger.”

Amari and Polly exchanged stunned looks.

Dr. Hoskins continued. “I am just one man. I don’t know how to fight everything that is happening around me. I don’t understand how one man can own another. And I don’t know how to stop it.” He looked around at the deep woods and the darkness within them. “But I can help the three of you.”

Related Characters: Dr. Hoskins (speaker), Amari, Polly, Mr. Derby, Tidbit
Related Symbols: Babies / Children
Page Number: 202
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes

“My name be Amari,” she informed the two of them.

Polly opened her eyes and looked at Amari with a slight frown. “What’s wrong with the name they gave you?” she asked. “We’re used to it now.”

Amari took a deep breath of the woodsy air. “Not Myna no more. Amari.” She spoke with clarity and certainty.

If you say so,” Polly said with a shrug. “I suppose it is a good name for a free woman.”

“Free!” Amari exclaimed in quiet exultation. She had no intention of ever using that slave name ever again.

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Polly (speaker), Clay Derby, Tidbit
Page Number: 207
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes

Amari sat close to Polly for warmth and companionship, looking at the fire, thinking not of the horrendous fire that had destroyed her village, but of the smoky cooking fires that decorated the front of each household as the women prepared the evening meal. If she closed her eyes, she could almost smell the pungent fish stew.

Related Characters: Amari, Polly, Tidbit
Page Number: 223
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 37 Quotes

“Of course, child. Everybody has slaves. How do you think we handle this land? But my Patrick is a good man and does not mistreat his property. Our slaves like it here.” Amari couldn’t understand how the woman could see no wrong in owning slaves as long as they were well treated.

Related Characters: Fiona O’Reilly (speaker), Amari, Polly, Tidbit, Patrick
Page Number: 256
Explanation and Analysis:

“It’s like this: if my Patrick brings home a new slave like he did last week, for example, that’s his right as master and man of this house, and I dare not interfere. As a woman, I ain’t got muckle to say about those kind of decisions. But when I got the chance to decide for myself, I find it gives me pleasure to choose to help you be free. That’s the truth, and I did not know it until I spoke the words.”

Related Characters: Fiona O’Reilly (speaker), Amari, Polly, Tidbit, Patrick
Page Number: 256
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 38 Quotes

“You know, I never really knew any black people before I came to Mr. Derby’s place. I mean, everybody had slaves, of course, but I never actually thought about them. And I certainly never had a black friend before,” she admitted.

Amari looked away. “Sometime I hate white people,” she admitted softly. “I never hate before I be a slave.” She stretched her arms. “I never even see white person until they attack my village. It be hard to have hate feeling and like feeling at same time.”

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Polly (speaker), Teenie, Mr. Derby, Tidbit
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 40 Quotes

“What did your mama keep a-tellin’ you while you be with her?”

“She tell me stories about Africa and about her own mother, and she tell me, ‘Long as you remember, ain’t nothin’ really gone.’”

Amari, blinking away tears, hugged him. “You gonna always remember?”

“I ain’t never gonna forget nothin’ she done tell me,” the boy said with great seriousness. He squeezed the leather pouch.

Related Characters: Amari (speaker), Tidbit (speaker), Teenie, Afi
Related Symbols: Kente Cloth
Page Number: 282-83
Explanation and Analysis: