
                          AFTER READING THE NOVEL

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Following the first reading of the novel, allow students opportunihes to
respond to the novel as a whole. Here are some possible ways to do this.

  1. Write responses to Beloved in which you express your thoughts and
     feelings about the novel as a whole. All personal responses are valid,
     but provide details to explain why you reacted as you did.

  2. Share the written responses to Beloved in small groups. Explore
     similar and different responses of group members, trying to understand
     what made different readers respond as they do.

  3. Hold a whole class discussion in which individual responses are shared
     and discussed. Encourage students to explore the comments of other
     class members.

Questions and comments generated by these activities may help the teacher
determine directions to take either with the whole class or with individual
students. It may be appropriate for students to simply reread the novel at
this time. The following activities focus on various literary aspects of
the novel, and may be effective strategies to pursue during the second
reading.

Plot

  1. Make an outline of the significant events that occur in Beloved.

  2. A newcomer to Cincinnati passes by just as Sethe is rushing out to
     attack Mr. Bodwin with the icepick. Explain to the newcomer the events
     that led up to Sethe's action.

  3. You a e a newspaper reporter assigned to write a feature story on the
     strange happenings at 124 Bluestone Road. Write your story using as
     many human sources as possible.

Point of View

The various points of view from which Beloved is told make it a rich and
intriguing story. These activities are designed to help students appreciate
ways in which the differing view points enhance the story.

  1. Tell the story of Beloved from one character's point of view.

  2. Take the point of view of the house at 124 Bluestone and describe the
     events that have taken place in you.

Setting

Morrison's sense of setting is exquisite. She transports the reader through
three decades, over many miles to numerous places, and from one intense
mood to another. Here are some activities designed to enhance students'
sense of Morrison's settings.

Time

  1. The historical period in which Beloved is set is crucial to the story.
     By selecting the decade before and the two decades after emancipation,
     Morrison provides insight into the pre- and post-slavery treatment of
     black people. Read some slave narratives (such as those suggested in
     the bibliography) and compare them with the events in Beloved.

  2. Because of the specific time period, Beloved abounds in historical
     references. Some of these references are explained, others rely on the
     reader's background knowledge. Students interested in history may want
     to research some of the following.

       1. Underground Railroad
       2. Ku Klux Klan
       3. Fugitive Slave Law
       4. Emancipation Procla nation
       5. Prisons in which escaped slaves were held
       6. Plantation life of slaves

Place

Beloved takes place in two main places, Sweet Home Farm in Kentucky and 124
Bluestone Road in Cincinnati, Ohio, but other places are also important to
the story. Students' sense of place in Beloved may be heightened through
some of these activities.

  1. Design a flow chart showing the various places at which the action
     occurs in Beloved.

  2. Chart the routes Sethe and Paul D took on their journeys to
     Cincinnati.

  3. Draw/paint one of the scenes that is vividly pictured in Beloved.

  4. Determine the place that is most closely associated with each of the
     main characters and explain that association.

Mood

  1. Trace the mood changes the house at 124 Bluestone Road undergoes
     throughout the novel.

  2. Pretend you are Emma and analyze the effect your feelings toward Sethe
     have on the attitudes of the other coloredwomen toward her.

  3. Discuss how Beloved's moods are central to the events in the novel.

  4. Desribe the mood in the yard on the day Sethe kills her child.

  5. Compose a piece of music that desribes the changing moods in Beloved.

  6. Select musical pieces that depict the changing moods in Beloved.

Characters

Morrison has created many memorable characters in Beloved. These activities
are designed to help students strengthen their relationship with and
understanding of Morrison's characters.

  1. For which character in the novel do you feel the most sympathy?
     Explain why you feel this way.

  2. Sethe was faced with a difficult moral dilemma. If you were the judge
     at her murder trial, how would you have ruled? Defend your decision in
     a television interview.

  3. Sethe never felt she could adequately convince Beloved why she did
     what she did. Beloved often seemed not to listen to Sethe. Suppose
     Sethe and Beloved have suddenly became literate. Write a letter from
     Sethe to Beloved in which Sethe justifies sending Beloved to the other
     side.

  4. Draw or paint a picture of one of the characters in Beloved.

  5. Form small groups of six and have each student select one of the
     following characters: Beloved, Baby Suggs, Paul D, Denver, Stamp Paid,
     or Sethe. Have each character discuss the significance of his or her
     name.

  6. Although Beloved has the body of a young woman, she often acts like an
     infant. Identify passages that show her in her infantile state.

  7. Analyze the complex relationships between Sethe and Beloved, Denver
     and Beloved, and Sethe and Denver.

Themes

Beloved is rich in thought-provoking themes which many students will enjoy
exploring. Here are a few of the many ways to assist students in this
exploration.

  1. Identify themes you encountered while reading Beloved.

  2. Write an informal reflection paper in which you discuss the influence
     your past has had upon your present.

  3. In his popular song "Tangled Up in Blue," Bob Dylan comments that
     everywhere he went the past was close behind. Write an essay applying
     this statement to Beloved.

  4. Take the parts of Baby Suggs, Paul D, and Sethe and discuss your first
     reactions to freedom in a panel discussion.

  5. Using lines and paraphrases from Beloved, write a one-act play in
     which Sethe and Paul D discuss their individual methods for coping
     with painful memories and the ways they can now help each other.

Symbolism

Students wishing to experience the novel's more abstract levels will be
interested in the symbolic aspects of Beloved. Here are some suggestions to
help them develop this interest.

  1. List possible symbolic elements you discovered in Beloved.

  2. Draw a picture of the tree on Sethe's back and explain the symbolism
     inherent in the parts of the tree as well as the tree as a whole.

  3. Write the script for a conversation between Sethe and Paul D in which
     they discuss the meaning of their particular trees (the scars on
     Sethe's back; Paul D's Brother tree).

  4. Characters are often associated with or referred to in connection with
     Christian concepts such as resurrection, baptism, fishes and loaves,
     the sins of excess and pride, communion, and the trinity. Keeping the
     concepts in mind, explore the religious symbolism in Beloved.

  5. Beloved is a real ghost, and 124 Bluestone Road is a haunted house,
     but there are also psychological, historical, and cultural ghosts in
     Beloved. Write an essay exploring the various types of ghosts
     symbolized by Beloved.

  6. Discuss the symbolic function of mother's milk in Beloved.

  7. Write a formal essay discussing this question: If Baby Suggs
     represents black women born in freedom and inducted into slavery,
     Sethe represents black women born in slavery and set free, and Denver
     represents black women born in freedom, what does the way Denver
     handles her mother's situation say about the future of the black race?

  8. Choose teams of students to debate whether or not there are any
     potential Christ figures in Beloved.

  9. Discuss or write about the significance of color in Beloved.

Imagery

Toni Morrison creates many powerful images in Beloved. Students who are
responsive to her imagery may enjoy some of the tollowmg actlvitles.

  1. Discuss your favorite images with other class members in small groups.

  2. Early in the novel, Sethe notices the shadows cast by Paul D, Denver,
     and herself look like they are holding hands. She takes this as a sign
     that three people are to be connected in her life. Sethe changes her
     interpretation of who these people are several times during the course
     of the novel. Create a series of tableaus that trace the changes in
     Sethe's interpretation of this trio. Have a narrator explain the
     reasons for the changes in Sethe's thoughts.

Language

Many of Morrison's words and phrases resonate long after reading the book.
These activities are designed to heighten students' awareness of Morrison's
use of language.

  1. Make a list of words and phrases in Beloved you have found
     particularly appealing or impressive and share these with class
     members through small group discussions.

  2. Based on the speech patterns of the black speakers in Beloved,
     describe some features of black English.

  3. Sethe becomes a legendary figure to the people in her community.
     Explain how the use of language that embellishes the "facts"
     contributes to her elevated stature.

  4. Generate a list of key words or phrases associated with each of the
     major characters in Beloved.

Other Activities

  1. In the final pages of Beloved, Morrison states several times that this
     is "not a story to pass on" (pp. 336-337/pp. 274-275). Discuss whether
     or not you believe Beloved is a story to be passed on.

  2. Write an informal paper in which you describe the personal importance
     Beloved holds for you.

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