Name: ___________________________________ Date: ___________________________________ Block: ____________________
Group Project: Leading Class Discussion on Toni Morrison's Beloved
Instructions for Presentations and Discussion:
o Each group, of 3 or 4 students, will be responsible for working together by discussing their topic in class and/or via e-mail
and collaborating outside of class on workload to:
 Present a brief overview of your topic (5-10 minutes)
 Develop discussion questions and lead a 10-minute class discussion on your topic that includes relevant
specific examples from the novel.
 Create a visual aspect of the presentation: examples might include a poster, PowerPoint presentation, video
clip, or combination of things.
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Please limit your presentation/discussion to no less than 15 and no more than 20 minutes. You will have class time to practice
and time your presentation. However, if you fail to present on the day you are assigned, you will receive a grade of F.
Your assignment is to present the topic to the class in an interesting manner. You may use notes or outlines to present the
work but please do not read to the class from a prepared text. Know what you are talking about, and be prepared to ask and
answer questions during and after your presentation. As an example, think about how Mr. Wilbert and I teach class.
In your presentation, begin by summarizing your findings about the topic, and leading the class through some examples from
the novel that illustrate your points. At the end of your presentation (5-10 minutes), start the class discussion (10 minutes) by
asking some higher level questions—these should be questions that generate a variety of interpretations and opinions. These
questions should be important enough to generate answers that help the class to understand the novel. You should also be
prepared to follow up with your own answers, and lead the class to some specific, relevant, textual evidence.
If you have any questions about what you are to do, or would like suggestions for finding resources on Morrison, don't
hesitate to discuss them with me. Be sure to consult the online resources available. Laptops will be available during class.
As a student teacher, I have access to Wichita State’s electronic library. Feel free to ask me for access (available at NE only).
Topics
1.
Major Characters in Beloved: Help the class understand their identity, significance and interrelationships of some of the
major characters in Beloved (other than Beloved herself): Sethe, Denver, Paul D, Baby Suggs, Stamp Paid, Schoolteacher,
Halle.
o In general: Character Analysis defines characters' qualities to explore how they react to various conditions to shape their
identity. The reader/writer seeks to explain why characters behave/think/act in the manners they do. Here are some
questions that might assist in the analysis of characters:
 Consider the character's name, appearance, and history.
 Consider if he/she a static (unchanging) or dynamic (changing) character.
 Consider how the author discloses the character:
 By what the character says or thinks.
 By what the character does.
 By what other characters say about him/her.
 By what the author says about him/her.
2.
Beloved as character and symbol: Who is Beloved? Is she a ghost? What is her identity? Consider the possibility that she
is something different to each character. How does she function in the novel as a character and as a symbol? What is
significant about the timing of her appearance and her disappearance?
In general: Character Analysis defines characters' qualities to explore how they react to various conditions and shape their
identity. The reader/writer seeks to explain why characters behave/think/act in the manners they do. Here are some
questions that might assist in the analysis of characters:
 Consider the character's name, appearance, and history.
 Consider if he/she a static (unchanging) or dynamic (changing) character.
 Consider how the author discloses the character:
 By what the character says or thinks.
 By what the character does.
 By what other characters say about him/her.
 By what the author says about him/her.
Name: ___________________________________ Date: ___________________________________ Block: ____________________
3.
o
4.
The Legacy of Slavery as a Theme in Beloved: In Beloved, Morrison attempts to illustrate that slavery is not just an
institution; it is a philosophy and mindset which is far-reaching in its consequences. In what ways (scenes, images, symbols,
and characters) does the novel demonstrate the extent of slavery and what must be done to abolish it completely? In what
ways does the novel suggest that the main characters and all the members of the black community in Cincinnati are haunted
by the traumas of slavery and racism? How does the novel try to show that a person must confront the past (which is very
much alive in the present) in order to heal the wounds it has caused and find a future? Consider the relationship
between Beloved and the history of slavery in the US. Who are the "Sixty Million and more" to whom the novel is dedicated?
In general: Analysis of Theme involves understanding the concept, thought, opinion or belief that the author expresses. Two
main questions to consider are:
 Does it seem as though the author is making a value judgment?
 How does the author convey her ideas? Consider: --Direct statements. --Imagery and symbolism. --A
character's thoughts or statements. --A character who stands for something (e.g. an archetype) -Overall impression/tone/meaning of the work?
The Importance of Community Solidarity as a theme in Beloved: How does Beloved demonstrate the extent to which
individuals need the support of their communities in order to survive? Additionally, how does this community support and
create personal identity? (Consider Sethe, Denver and Paul D. in particular.) How does Cincinnati's black community play a
pivotal role in the events of 124?
o
In general: Analysis of Theme involves understanding the concept, thought, opinion or belief that the author expresses.
Two main questions to consider are:
 Does it seem as though the author is making a judgment?
 How does the author convey her ideas? Consider: --Direct statements. --Imagery and symbolism. --A
character's thoughts or statements. --A character who stands for something (e.g. an archetype) -Overall impression/tone/meaning of the work?