Beloved Questions
AP English
Name ____________________________________ Beloved Questions
Directions: These are optional unless I tell you to do them. Because Beloved has two plots, and because the story is not chronological, I would highly suggest that you do follow along and answer these questions. Book One pages 319
1. Write a journal entry as Sethe or Denver, describing how you feel about Paul D’s arrival. How do you think it will change life in 124?
2. What do you think Baby Suggs means when she says, “What’d be the point [of moving?]... Not a house in this country ain’t packed to the rafters with some dead Negro’s grief. We lucky this ghost is a baby.” (5)
2027 What are Paul D and Sethe remembering about Sweet Home? Why do you think Morrison gives us the information little bit by little bit?
2842
What new information do we learn about Sweet Home in this chapter, specifically about Denver’s birth?
Retell the night of Denver’s birth, from Amy’s point of view.
4350
For each of the following quotes, explain:
a. What does it tell us literally about the characters and what they are experiencing?
b. What is significant about the quote? Does it have a deeper meaning than the one it holds in this context?
Does it contain any literary devices that make it beautiful or interesting?
1. “Risky, thought Paul D, very risky. For a usedtobeslave woman to love anything that much was dangerous, especially if it was her children she had settled on to love. The best thing, he knew, was to love just a little bit, so when they broke its back, or shoved it in a croaker sack, well, maybe you’d have enough love left over for the next one.” (45)
2. “They were not holding hands, but their shadows were.” (4)
5056
Describe the woman who walks out of the water. Who do you think she is? Explain.
Explain who is being discussed in the following quote, and why you think it is significant:
“If there had been an open latch between them it would have closed.” (56)
5763
Name ____________________________________ Beloved Questions
Directions: These are optional unless I tell you to do them. Because Beloved has two plots, and because the story is not chronological, I would highly suggest that you do follow along and answer these questions. Book One pages 319
1. Write a journal entry as Sethe or Denver, describing how you feel about Paul D’s arrival. How do you think it will change life in 124?
2. What do you think Baby Suggs means when she says, “What’d be the point [of moving?]... Not a house in this country ain’t packed to the rafters with some dead Negro’s grief. We lucky this ghost is a baby.” (5)
2027 What are Paul D and Sethe remembering about Sweet Home? Why do you think Morrison gives us the information little bit by little bit?
2842
What new information do we learn about Sweet Home in this chapter, specifically about Denver’s birth?
Retell the night of Denver’s birth, from Amy’s point of view.
4350
For each of the following quotes, explain:
a. What does it tell us literally about the characters and what they are experiencing?
b. What is significant about the quote? Does it have a deeper meaning than the one it holds in this context?
Does it contain any literary devices that make it beautiful or interesting?
1. “Risky, thought Paul D, very risky. For a usedtobeslave woman to love anything that much was dangerous, especially if it was her children she had settled on to love. The best thing, he knew, was to love just a little bit, so when they broke its back, or shoved it in a croaker sack, well, maybe you’d have enough love left over for the next one.” (45)
2. “They were not holding hands, but their shadows were.” (4)
5056
Describe the woman who walks out of the water. Who do you think she is? Explain.
Explain who is being discussed in the following quote, and why you think it is significant:
“If there had been an open latch between them it would have closed.” (56)
5763