Beloved Discussion Questions Beloved On your notecard What

Beloved Discussion Questions

Beloved On your notecard – What plot questions do you have – write them and try to answer within your group. What did you notice about Morrison’s STYLE and MOTIFS Chose one passage that is worthy of discussion – write the page and the opening line – be ready to share why it’s significant

Ch. 1 -2 What motifs do you notice in these opening chapters Comment on the two opening sentences of the novel Characterize the ghost Characterize Paul D – quote as evidence? In Chapter 1, what do Paul, Sethe, and Denver each seem to want? Be specific and give evidence to support your ideas. Repetition of Sethe’s “they took my milk” In Chapter 2, we hear stories from the past for Baby Suggs, Sixo, and Sethe. Characterize each story—what is the mood of these memories for these characters? What details, diction, imagery etc. creates the moods?

Chapter Three We learn much about the past in this chapter, yet is it clear that some things are being hidden or avoided. How does Morrison let the reader know there are parts of the story being kept from us? What are Sethe and Paul D willing to talk/think about and unwilling to talk/think about? Characterize the relationship between Denver and her mother. How well do they understand each other? Pages 45 -46 Sethe discusses plans and “the temptation to trust and remember. ” Paraphrase her ideas in those two paragraphs – why might she feel that way? Interpret the last two paragraphs of the chapter – specifically the last sentence.

Chapter Four What does Paul want out the relationship with Sethe? What are they in conflict over? What do they fear? What might the imagery of the roses suggest?

Chapters Five and Six Water motif? Examples? Make a connection. Continue to note the tree motif How is Beloved peculiar? Provide many examples. How is she affecting the relationship between Denver and Sethe? Between Denver and Paul D? Why might Denver be so drawn to Beloved? What do the two “memory” stories reveal about Sethe and Beloved? Overall best examples of powerful imagery and how they contribute to the developing themes

Chapters 7 -8 Chapter seven in particular is full of symbols, metaphors, similes, and imagery that enhance the storytelling. Choose THREE of the above that were most impacting to you and explain their significance and why you chose them. Be prepared to share with the class. Include the page number for reference.

Conversation between Denver and Beloved Read as a play – just the dialog How does it characterize each girl? What is the purpose of the continuation of the backstory of Denver’s birth?

Chapter 9 (In groups) Paraphrase Baby Suggs’ message to her congregation Why did her message resonate with the community? Why does she stop preaching? Who/what strangles Sethe? Evidence? The turtles – what might they symbolize?

Chapter 10 The chain gang – how does it add to the characterization of Paul D? Significant imagery/diction/personification/motifs?

Chapters 11 -13 With your group: (All groups) Paraphrase Baby Suggs’ message to her congregation Why did her message resonate with the community? Within your chapter, find and discuss: Significant plot developments Characterization of main characters/character development – choose at least two characters Any symbols? Continued motifs? Past/present/future thematic development Significant diction/imagery/figurative language – at least one of each, with page numbers

Chapters 14 -15 What is the significance of Beloved losing a tooth? What is the purpose of the backstory about the party at 124? What else to we learn about the nature of freedom through Baby Suggs? About the nature of slavery and the Garner’s special type of slavery and how Mr. Garner justified it?

A penny for your thoughts Chapters 16 -18 Guidelines: To rid yourself of the penny: Pose a question based on a significant QUOTE (must provide page number and must meet teacher standard as a meaningful quote and question) Answer a question posed Follow up on another student’s answer Note a motif and comment on its significance Note a continuing theme of past/present/future

Chapter 19 – Stamp Paid/Thesis statement practice and evidence work In this chapter we get Stamp’s thoughts about his internal conflicts, his search for identity, his connection to Denver and Baby Suggs and his place in the community. Write a thesis statement that addresses one or some of those topics or an idea of your own connected to the concept of Stamp and how he sees himself and how it is connected to the meaning of the work as a whole. Then, with bullet points, write out how you would support this thesis

Thesis work continued Sethe is also struggling with internal conflicts, her identity and her place in the community. Create a thesis statement centering on how Sethe views herself vs. how others view her. Find evidence to support your argument (bullet points)

Chapters 22 and 23 Stream of consciousness Make a list of motifs – old and new ones – what do they mean? Where is Beloved? What is the hot thing? End of chapter 23 – mark who you think is speaking in the short dialogs – How do you know? What is the overall effect of these two chapters?

Chapter 26 On notebook paper, respond to the following discussion questions, leaving at least 3 -4 lines in between your responses. 1. What is the “hot thing”? 2. How is Denver being affected by her past in this chapter and how does she overcome it? Similarly, how do the women in the town overcome their pasts, particularly Ella? 3. Is Beloved actually pregnant or is her bloated belly merely a symbol? Is so, of what? 4. What is the purpose of describing the coin holder sitting on the shelf at the Bodwins? (page 300) 5. What do you make of the last scene of the chapter, specifically the last two paragraphs, and the imagery within?

End of novel How does Beloved change Denver? Sethe? What is to be understood from the repeated phrase in the last chapter? Re-read the opening scenes of the novel to page 6 ending at “the baby blood that soaked her fingers like oil. ” What are your reactions to this beginning of the novel now, knowing the entirety of the story? How is it different from your first read? Why would Morrison open her novel this way? What imagery stands out? How do these opening scenes function in relation to the novel as a whole?
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