Beloved

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The first time that the scene of Sethe murdering her daughter is portrayed, it’s presented from schoolteacher’s point of view.

• Why is his point of view the one the author chose for this scene? (topic sentence)
• In what ways does his inhumanity toward Sethe and other slaves provide a context for her actions? Provide specific evidence from the text to show how he dehumanizes or demeans Sethe.
• How does this relate to the theme of the destruction of Black identity?

2. When the schoolteacher’s nephews violate Sethe, she is most outraged by their theft of her breast milk.

• What does Sethe’s milk mean to her in the novel? (topic sentence)
• How does her ownership of her breast milk manifest in her thinking about slavery, motherhood, and/or her value as an individual? Provide specific evidence from the text.
• How does this tie the theme of the trauma and memory of slavery to the theme of intimate mother-daughter relationships?

3. Paul D questions whether he is truly a free man throughout the novel, and he thinks that Mr. Garner allowing him to have dignity as a slave may have been a lie.

• Has Paul D found his freedom? (topic sentence)
• What has caused Paul D to struggle with his identity as a free man? What would freedom look like to him? Provide specific evidence from the text.
• How does this relate to the theme of the destruction of Black identity?

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. The novel portrays a complex relationship between the slaves at Sweet Home and Mr. and Mrs. Garner that is juxtaposed to the much crueler treatment the slaves receive when schoolteacher and his nephews arrive. Are the Garners truly benevolent? What is the novel trying to say about the difference between schoolteacher and the Garners? Make sure you incorporate evidence from the text and direct quotes as you compose your essay.

2. The Black community’s feelings about Baby Suggs, Sethe, and the household at 124 play a role in Sethe’s decision to murder her children; thereafter, the community ostracizes her. What argument would you make for what Beloved is trying to say about the way community deals with trauma, especially a community of free Black people in the aftermath of slavery? Why would they abandon someone whose suffering so closely resembles their own? Make sure to incorporate evidence from the text as you create your argument.

3. Throughout the novel, Sethe returns to memories of her mother, Nan, and Baby Suggs. How is the trauma that the previous generation of women experienced a part of Sethe's identity, and how is she passing that trauma down to Denver? What is the book trying to say about the nature of intergenerational trauma and its effects? Provide evidence from the text showing the connection between the three generations in the book.