The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
Name:
Grade 12 (Incoming)
Chapter 1
Hetty Handful Grimké
pp. 3-7
Question that assesses
structure of the text of
chapter
Kidd introduces the relationship Hetty has with both Mauma and
Missus in the first chapter through the first person narrator.
What does the author tell us about Hetty through these
relationships and story setting?
Question that assesses
knowledge of vocabulary
Read this sentence from page 6 (5th paragraph down):
“The rail in the stable was forbidden cause the horses had eyes
too precious for lye.”
What does the word mean in the context of this sentence?
Questions that assesses
syntax and structure
Read the first 4 paragraphs on page 3. Examine the sentence
structure, words, and phrases carefully. What choices does the
author make that established the meaning and tone for the
story?
Chapter Summary
(students should write a simple summary of the chapter)
Part One
Question that assesses
themes and central ideas
of chapter
Question that assesses
knowledge of vocabulary
Questions that assesses
syntax and structure
Chapter Summary
At the end of Part One, describe how Sarah, Handful and her
mother each have found a way to rebel.
On page 9 define the word audacity and explain why it is
appropriate for Sarah. “If you must err, do so on the side of
audacity.”
The author creates a basket name for Hetty—Handful. Why
does she choose this name and how does it develop her
characterization?
Part Two
Question that
assesses
structure of the
text of chapter
Question that
assesses
knowledge of
vocabulary
Questions that
assesses syntax
and structure
Chapter Summary
Sarah catches Handful in her copper bath. Describe the significance of
this scene and the symbolism of the tub.
The author uses imagery to describe the quilt. Explain the following
quote and its effectiveness. “They [colors of quilt squares] hit my ears
more than my eyes. They sounded like she was laughing and crying in
the same breath. It was the finest work ever to come from mauma’s
hands.”
Handful discovers the worth as slaves from Mr. Grimke’s ledger of
goods and chattel. Explain the mix of emotions that this discovery has
on Handful. How does the author show this through her words?
Part Three
Question that
assesses
structure of the
text of chapter
Question that
assesses
knowledge of
vocabulary
Questions that
assesses syntax
and structure
Chapter Summary
Sarah has been banned from her father’s library, and when she
enters after many years, she finds the book she read long ago—
The Sacred Biography of Jeanne d’Arc of France. It reminds her
of the silver button with the fleur de lis. What do these symbolize
to Sarah?
Denmark Vesey won the lottery and bought his freedom. Handful
then understood what the final square on the quilt meant. In the
following quote, what does Handful mean with the word fancy.
“So that’s her last word, then. That’s what it came to—a chance
for getting free. A fancy chance.”
Define desiccated and its effectiveness in the following
sentence.
After Sarah’s father’s health worsens, he is described: “Father
still couldn’t walk more than a stone’s throw without exhaustion
and pain. He’d lost more weight. He looked absolutely
desiccated.”
A common theme in this section of the novel is about being a
slave and being enslaved. Find examples of how the author
describes each and makes a distinction between the two.
Part Four
Question that
assesses structure
of the text of
chapter
Question that
assesses
knowledge of
vocabulary
Questions that
assesses syntax
and structure
Handful steals two bullet molds from the artillery. What is
dilemma she has after the fact? Evaluate how the author uses
this to further the readers understanding of Handful as a
character.
Define and explain the power of the word—untenable based on
the following sentence.
“Catherine had put him [Israel] in the same untenable position
as me—he wanted to give no one a reason to question what
went on in his house, especially the good people of Arch Street
who were at the center of his life, who’d known and cherished
Rebecca.”
On page 215, the author uses clothing as a way of showing
cultural and religious differences. How does this effectively show
these differences and how they mirror Sarah’s transformation
into a Quaker.
Chapter Summary
Part Five
Question that
assesses
structure of the
text of chapter
Question that
assesses
knowledge of
vocabulary
Questions that
assesses
syntax and
structure
Chapter Summary
Sarah questions her decision about refusing Israel’s proposal. Nina
readily refuses Reverend McDowell. Comment on the similarities
and differences with the two sisters and the parallels in their lives
with men and religion.
Define and explain the symbolism of irreparable hole. This is a
conversation between Lucretia and Sarah. She [Lucretia] leaned
toward me. “Life is arranged against us, Sarah. And it’s brutally
worse for Handful and her mother and her sister. We’re all yearning
for a wedge of sky, aren’t we? I suspect God plants these yearnings
in us so we’ll at least try and change the course of things. We must
try, that’s all.”
I felt her words tear a hole in the life I’d made. An irreparable hole.
Compare the words in the letters of the two sisters. How does each
convey the passion of her convictions?
Part Six
Question that
assesses themes
and central ideas of
chapter
Question that
assesses
knowledge of
vocabulary
Questions that
assesses syntax
and structure
Chapter Summary
At one point the staunchest supporters of the sisters’ requests
that the sisters should focus only on the issue of freeing slaves
and stop their message of giving women rights too. Do you
agree the men or the sisters? Why or why not? Cite evidence
from the text that supports your argument.
Define and explain the significance of the word amalgamators.
(p. 316)
Reflect on the title of the novel. How is it fitting for the
characters and the message of the novel?