Quote:
Originally posted by Hootie
So I'm in this Black Studies course and my assignment for a project was to pick out a movie, watch it, and answer some questions about it.
Has anyone else seen this movie, or read the book? I had some questions that I wasn't clear on:
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Ahhh yes my Women in Lit. class last semester. Not a dry eye in the house when the class, about 15 girls and our prof (also a female) watched the movie. I'll do my best to answer your ?s!
1) The old lady that preached on the stump - who is that in relation to Sethe? Is she just a preacher or was she the mother-in-law
As far as I can remember she was just a woman who had a place for them to come to after they escaped the plantation (sweet home) and "teacher" (the slavemaster). She could be Sethe's mother-in-law but I'm not 100% sure.
2) When the "teacher" comes and Sethe takes the children into the barn to kill them, how is it they would be able to take her children? I thought Ohio was a free state....unless this was around the time when you could go into the North to get runaways - but even then, why didn't they take Sethe back with them?
I think bc they escaped it doesn't matter if Ohio is a free state or not. I think Sethe did think 'teacher' would take them back to the plantation which is why she tried to kill them all.
3) What was the significance of Beloved being with child? I was talking with a co-worker and we couldn't figure out the meaning or symbolism.
Not too sure here. But Sethe was with child when they first escaped. Perhaps Beloved is with child to make she and Sethe have more in common and put more distance btwn her and the daughter.
4) I think I understood the significance of the "tree" lashings on Sethe's back - but just to clarify, was that because she'd told her mama she wanted a marking and her mama said no she didn't, and then her mama was lynched from a tree?
A tree typically represents life I think, tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Bible, but to the slaves it was as you said a source of death via hangings, lynchings etc. I think you're right about it also showing for Sethe her mama's death as well as the beatings she endured. Milk and blood were two other big symbols in the story.
Woa...what a difficult book, and in more ways than one. Check out the sparknotes for the book...
sparknotes
they were helpful to me. Btwn this course, and three other reading intensive lit. classes, I read over 40 novels, plays and short stories. So much for an easy Spring semester of Senior year! Spark notes were my best friend!! Good luck on your paper!