The Cay

By Theodore Taylor
Essential Questions
1. How do the beliefs and values of your parents shape your own beliefs and values?

2. How are opinions and behaviors impacted by first impressions?

3. What can we do, individually and collectively to eliminate prejudice in our

classrooms and larger community?
Enrichment: World War II
Today who would believe that the calm blue waters of the Caribbean once exploded with
gunfire and torpedoes? Yet during World War II, the Caribbean Sea, the setting for The Cay,
was one of the most important battlegrounds in the war.
World War II began in September of 1939. Germany under Adolph Hitler’s rule, invaded
Poland. When Germany wouldn’t pull its troops out of Poland, England and France declared
war. Other countries such as Canada, Australia, and India joined England and France in the
war. These countries became known as the Allies. Italy and Japan sided with Germany; these
countries were called the Axis powers. After the Japanese bombed United States military
bases in Hawaii, the United States entered the war on the side of the Allies.
To survive during World War II, England needed food and war materials from North America.
Curacao, the Caribbean island in The Cay, produced gasoline and oil essential to the war
effort; large tankers transported these products from the island across the Atlantic Ocean to
England. The greatest threat to ships sailing the Atlantic were German submarines called
Unterseeboote or U-boats. Philips bone-chilling words at the beginning of The Cay accurately
show how dangerous these boats were: “Like silent, hungry sharks that swim in the darkness
of the sea, the German submarines arrived in the middle of the night.”
Enrichment: WWII
In 1942, German U-boats began torpedoing tankers and boats in the Caribbean and along the
East coast of the United States at a horrifying rate. Between January and March, 216 ships,
mostly oil tankers, were sunk. By the end of six months, 397 ships carrying over two million
tons of war materials had been sunk, and over 5,000 people had died. In contrast, the
Germans only lost seven U-boats and 320 men. At this point, Germany was clearly winning
the battle in the Atlantic.
To fight back, the U.S. began using a convoy system. Instead of sailing alone, groups of cargo
ships traveled together and were escorted by war ships. The convoys were successful, and
shipyards in the U.S. increased their production of war ships.
In addition to convoys, other strategies were employed to fight the U-boats. Radar and an
underwater detection device known as a sonar were used to find U-boats. From the skies,
long range aircraft began bombing the U-boats when they surfaced. Because of these massive
efforts, the Allies successfully sank more boats than Germany could produce. At last, the fiery
battles in the Caribbean and Atlantic subsided, and allied ships could safely sail to their
destinations.
As you read think about: What kind of impact do the German boat have on Philips life? How
does WW II affect Phillip and his family? What happens to the S.S. Empire Tern?
Enrichment: Coral Reefs
Imagine an underwater fairlyland ablaze with brightly colored, strange looking animals and
plants that look like giant brains, thick fingers and boulders. Welcome to the majestic world
of the coral reef where life and action abound.
Coral reefs cover over seventy million square miles of the ocean! They are the largest
structures ever built by animals, and the oldest reefs began growing over twenty-five million
years ago. A haven for thousands of organisms, this ecosystem is one of the most diverse on
Earth.
A tiny animal called a coral or a coral polyp builds coral reefs. This minute, simple organism
has a jelly-like body that is enclosed in a tube that opens at one end. Around its mouth are
tenticles that the animal uses to gather plankton, its food. These polyps extract calcium
carbonate from seawater and use it to form hard limestone skeletons. When the polyp dies, it
leaves behind this stony skeleton, which joins millions of other casings to form the coral reef.
Coral reefs are located in a broad belt on both sides of the equator. Ideal conditions for
growth include clear, shallow, sunlit waters and temperatures in the seventies. The Great
Barrier Reef, which is located off the coat of Australia, is the world’s largest reef. It is 500 feet
high and 1,260 miles long!
Enrichment: Coral Reefs
Mysterious, magical creatures inhabit the coral reef, which pulsates with life. Colorful
clownfish hide inside the finger-like tentacles of the anemone. Plump-bodied butterfly fish
weave in and out of brain and organ pipe coral while hungry barracuda hovers nearby. As a
blue wrasse approaches the barracuda, the predator opens its mouth. Strangely, the
barracuda does not devour the wrasse. Instead the wrasse cleans the barracuda’s teeth just
like a dental hygienist!
Equally as magnificent and strange are the corals, which are either hard or soft. Hard corals,
the reef builders, are easy to picture because their shapes resemble their names-Elkhorn,
leaf, star, brain, flour, doughnut, mountain, and lettuce corals.
In contrast to hard corals, soft corals often look like plants or quill pens. Soft corals include
organ pipe coral, umbrella coral, sea fans, and sea pansies. Abundant on all reefs but
particularly in the Caribbean, the colorful red, violet, lavender, yellow, and ebony corals
brilliantly shimmer like an artist’s palette floating in the sea.
As we read think about: What is the relationship between the coral reef, the cay and Devil’s
Mouth? How does the coral reef on the eats side of the island differ from the one on the
north side? What kind of reef animals endanger Phillip?
Before Reading the Book
Reading Strategy:
Using Background Knowledge
The Cay takes place on the island of Curacao in the Caribbean and also on
a cay, settings few readers may have actually visited. Although the author
describes both places in great detail, gathering information about the
setting will help you visualize and understand how it affects the characters.
A cay is a low bank or reef of coral, Map of the Caribbean
rock, or sand. It looks like this:
Literature Response Journal
1. For each chapter you will be writing a Literature response in your Reader’s
Notebook.
2. You will be able to choose from two or more prompts.
3. When responding to the prompts, you must fully restate all questions and make
your entry at least four sentences long.
4. You must use a new page for each journal entry.
5. You must include a heading for each entry.
Ex. The Cay - Chapter 1, Question 1.
Literature Response Journal- Pre-reading
A. Write about one of these topics in your journal.
1. Imagine being in an unfamiliar place and also being separated from your parents.
How would you feel? What would you do to cope with the situation?

2. Write about a time when you met a new person, formed an opinion about him/her
and then realized your opinion was wrong. What was your first reaction to this
person? Why did you react the way you did? How did your opinion of the person
change? What did you learn from this experience?
Chapters 1-2 Group Discussion
1. Compare WWII to wars that are currently being fought. For example,
WWII vs. the war in Afghanistan. Is war ever justified? Explain your
reasoning. How can war be prevented? What can be done to promote
world peace?

2. WWII was a conflict, or a fight, among many nations. Unfortunately,

conflicts also occur within our schools. Discuss conflicts between groups
in your school. What are the causes and effects of these conflicts? How
can they be resolved? What actions can your school community take to
make your school a safe place?
Literature Response Journal Ch. 1-2
A. Write about one of these topics in your journal.
1. Search for passages to help you compare and contrast one of the following:
 Williamstad before and after the U-boats arrive.
 Virginia and Curacao
 Phillip’s mother and father
Focus on one of these comparisons. Describe the similarities and differences between
the two places and characters.
2. In Chapter 1 Phillip lies to his friend, Henrik van Boven. What motivates him to lie?
How do you feel about these lies? Is lying ever justified? Support your response!

3. OR write about what your predictions, questions, observations and connections

were as you read Ch. 1-2.
Chapters 3-4 Group Discussion
As a group, take turns experiencing Phillip’s blindness. Work with partners. Tie a scarf around
one person’s eyes. Be sure they can’t see. Have the blindfolded person perform the following
tasks:
Tie a shoe
Button or zipper up a jacket
Write his/her name
Identify classroom objects like paper clips, pencils, desks, etc.
Do simple exercises like jumping jacks
Identify sounds in the classroom or hallway
Discuss your reactions. How were your senses and emotions affected by your blindness? What
would you have done if you were Phillip? What if you were Timothy?
Literature Response Journal Ch. 3-4
A. Write about one of these topics in your journal.
1. What causes or motivates Phillip to feel the way he does toward Timothy? Record
your inferences (inferences are conclusions you reach while reading!). Include
evidence from the story to support your inferences (use quotes from the story!)
2. What have you learned about Timothy? How is he similar to or different from other
characters you’ve read about or people you know? What do you and Timothy have in
common? How do you differ?
OR write about your predictions, questions, observations and connections as you read
Chapter 3-4.
Chapters 5-7 Group Discussion
 Phillip and Timothy disagree about whether or not
they should stay on the cay. Phillip does not want to stay
but Timothy does. What are your thoughts? Should they
stay or not?
Literature Response Journal Ch. 5-7
A . Write about one of these topics in your journal
1. What kind of questions do you have about The Cay right now? What
would you like to ask Timothy, Phillip, and/or Stew Cat? Record your
questions in your journal.
2. Imagine that you are on the cay. What are the chances of you being
rescued?
3. Carefully review the descriptions of the cay in your book. Then draw a
picture of it. Label each item you include. Beneath the illustration,
describe the island in your own words. What similarities are there
between the cay and the place where you live? What differences are
there?
Chapter 8-9 Group Discussion
Search Chapter 8-9 and other parts of the book to review
conflicts or problems that occur between Timothy and Phillip.
Record the page numbers on which you find them.
As a group, briefly identify and discuss the conflicts.
Literature Response Journal Ch. 8-9
A . Write about one of these topics in your journal
1. As you read, think about the events in the story from Timothy’s point of view.
What is he thinking and feeling? Imagine that you’re Timothy. Write about being
stranded on the cay with Phillip.

2. Read the following passage and respond to it in your journal:

“They had their place and we had ours. He (Timothy) did not really like me, or
he would have taken me along. He was different.”
What is your reaction to Philip’s statement? Why do you think he says this?
Explain whether or not you agree with Phillip’s opinion.

3. Timothy and Phillip have a serious disagreement in this chapter. Describe a time
when you and another person experienced a conflict. How was your situation similar
to Timothy’s and Phillip’s? How did it differ?
Chapters 10-11 Group Discussion
As a result of his experiences with Timothy on the cay, Phillip begins growing and
changing mentally and physically. Consider how Phillip changes, particularly in his
attitude toward Timothy.
On a piece of paper draw two silhouettes of Phillip. Label one, “Before” and the
other “After.” After
Before

Around the “Before” silhouette, write words that show what Phillip was like before
he began to change (before Timothy slapped him). Around the “After” silhouette
write words that demonstrate how Phillip is changing.
Think about how you’ve changed and grown within the last year. What similarities
and differences do you see between your growth and Phillip’s
Literature Response Journal Ch. 10-11
A. Write about one of these topics in your journal
1. Theodore Taylor end this section of the book with the following words:
“Where is the raft Timothy?’ ‘T’was off d’shore, Phill-eep. ‘Tis back now. An our
luck is change.’ But it didn’t change. It got worse.
What do you think will happen to Timothy and Phillip? Why do you
think Theodore end the chapter this way?
2. Timothy is superstitious and believes that a jumbi or evil spirit causes his bad luck.
Make a list of common superstitions. Why do you think people create
superstitions? In what way are you superstitious?
3. In Chapter 11, why does Phillip think he can no longer trust Timothy? Describe a
situation in which you questioned your trust in someone. How o people build trust
in each other?
Chapters 12-14 Group Discussion
Imagine that your class has survived the explosion of the S.S. Hato and has safely
landed on a cay. Before developing a survival plan, you make a list of all the items you
possess. Your job now is to rank these items in terms of their importance to your
survival. On a separate piece of paper, list the item below in their order of
importance. Place a number 1 by the most important item and number 16 by the
least important.
Water keg Biscuits Rusty bolts Hunting knife
Dry matches Lifeline Tin box Nails
Hinges Rope Wood Leather
Cork Chocolate Palm fronds Clothing
Literature Response Journal Ch. 12-14
A . Write about one of these topics in your journal
1. To which characters or situations do you connect in The Cay? Have you read other
books or watched movies that remind you of people or events in the story?
Reflect on your personal connections, and record them in your journal. Describe
how they are similar to and different from the characters and events in the novel.
2. As Phillip struggles to help Timothy during the malaria attack, what do the boy’s
actions reveal about his character? Would Phillip’s reaction have been the same
earlier in the novel? Explain your decision.
3. Because of his feelings for Timothy, Phillip conquers his fear and climbs up the
coconut tree. What obstacles have you overcome in your life? How did you
overcome them?
Chapter 15-16 Group Discussion
Various emotions stir and swirl through this part of The Cay. Review passages from
the book that vividly portray the following:
The initial violence of the hurricane
The clam of the eye of the storm
The full fury of the hurricane
Timothy’s death
Phillip’s reaction to Timothy’s death
How does the author create the various moods and images in each passage? What
words or phrases are particularly powerful? How do the passages help you visualize
the storm?
Literature Response Journal Ch. 15-16
A . Write about one of these topics in your journal
1. Visualize the hurricane and its aftermath and then draw a detailed picture of the
storm. Beneath the illustration write a brief description of your interpretation of
the hurricane.

2. When Timothy dies, Phillip does not cry. He says, “There are times when you are
beyond tears.” What does Phillip mean?

3. An epitaph is a written record or memory of a loved one. Write and epitaph for
Timothy in the form of a poem, song, speech, or letter.
 Chapter 17-19 Group Discussion
Discuss Phillip’s rescue. What were your reactions to it?
Re-read the end of the story. Why do you think Theodore Taylor ends the book this
way? Is the ending effective? Why or why not?
Phillip refers to the island as “our own cay.” He imagines returning to the island and
saying the following words by Timothy’s grave: “Dis b’dat outrageous cay, eh,
Timothy?” Why does Phillip use these words?
Why is the story titled, “The Cay?” Explain whether you think this is a good title for
the book. What other suggestions do you have for a title?
Some critics of The Cay think the book promotes racism because of the way
Theodore Taylor portrays Timothy. Others believe the novel attacks racism because
Phillip’s racist attitude changes dramatically. Which view do you support, and why?
Literature Response Journal Ch. 17-19
A . Write about one of these topics in your journal
1. Timothy told Phillip not to dive to the bottom of the fishing hole, but
Phillip disobeys. Have you ever been given good advice that you did
not follow? What consequences did you face? What did you learn
from your experience?

2. Instead of giving up when the first plane fails to see him, Phillip uses
his problem solving skills to determine why the plane did not see him.
Think about the problem you have encountered. Show the steps you
took to solve it.