We will process the text of Beloved, following the pattern we've been using all year, discussing structure, content, author's purpose, and impact of the novel.  Students should expect to participate fully in class discussions.  The following questions may serve as a guide to topics we may discuss, but we are not limited to these concerns.  Students should also expect to write in-class essays about Beloved.  After discussing the novel in class, we will have a Socratic Seminar.  The advanced readings may jumpstart your thinking on some issues.  As you read, be sure to mark your text, noting examples of motifs and personal questions in the margins.   

Questions for consideration: 

Pre reading: 

1. What is the hardest text you've ever read, and why was it difficult?
2. What are your thoughts about ghosts? 
3. Think for a moment about what you consider to be "the typical slave story". 
4. Consider the dedication and epigraph which precede "the story".  Predict why Morrison might have included these.

While reading:

1. How does Morrison use community in Beloved?
2. What is going on in chapters 22 & 23?  What is unique, interesting, thought-provoking and challenging about these avant garde chapters?
3. How does Morrison make use of motifs?
4. How does Morrison use multiple narrators in this text and to what effect?
5. Discuss the role of male characters throughout the novel. 

After reading: 

1. What are Beloved's motives for returning? 
2. Is there a parallel between Sethe and Beloved?
3. What is the effect of the flashbacks used throughout the novel?  Why is the novel told as it is?
4. How was this novel received after its publication?  What are your views on the novel? 
5. In what way(s) does this novel rewrite history? 
6. View the original article of Margaret Garner which inspired Beloved.  Compare the facts of each "story". 

Revisit Essential Questions

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