{"id":2670,"date":"2020-08-10T14:25:59","date_gmt":"2020-08-10T14:25:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/?page_id=2670"},"modified":"2020-08-10T15:07:26","modified_gmt":"2020-08-10T15:07:26","slug":"margaret-walkers-jubilee-discussion-questions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/margaret-walkers-jubilee-discussion-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Margaret Walker’s Jubilee: Discussion Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tPart 1<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tHow does the opening scene affect you as a reader?  What purpose does it serve?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat do we learn about the black family, both immediate and extended, during slavery in this book, beginning with the opening scene with Hetta and running through Vyry’s life?  What do we learn about white families, both rich and poor, in this book both before and after the Civil War?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tExamine the role of religion in Jubilee<\/em>, including folk traditions like the “death chant” in the opening chapter and the Rising Glory Baptist Church.  How is religion politicized for slaves and freedpeople? <\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tExplore issues of class in this book.  How is class constructed in Jubilee<\/em>?  How do the characters learn what it means to be from a certain socio-economic status?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWho has power in this book and how is it used?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhy doesn't Vyry flee the Dutton plantation when she has the chance?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \n<\/p>\n

\n\tPart 2<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tHow does the Civil War shift the balance of power in race relations in the South?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat does John Morris Dutton reveal when he reflects that “if the northern radicals only knew and understood his nigra slaves the way he did, they would not carry on such foolishness about containing<\/em> slavery and not letting it spread to the territories”?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tExplore the confidence that southerners felt going into the War.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tHow do slaves assert their claims to freedom as the War wears on?  What do we learn about slavery, slaves, and slave owners?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tUsing specific examples, explain how families—both white and black—comprise a central part of this story.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWas there ever “honor” in the Dutton house?  Explore.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tContinue your analysis of the role of religion in the second part of Jubilee<\/em>.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhy doesn't Vyry immediately leave with Innis Brown when she has the chance?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \n<\/p>\n

\n\tPart 3<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tExplore issues of class in this book, especially in Part 3.  How is class constructed in Jubilee<\/em>?  How do the characters, both white and black, learn what it means to be from a certain socio-economic status?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tTalk about the rise of sharecropping and what it means for Vyry and her family.  How does it play into the construction of class in this book?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat is the importance of family for freedpeople in Jubilee<\/em>, and how do they act on that importance?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tExplore the white backlash that Vyry and other freedpeople encounter.  What is it rooted in?  Should Vyry, other freedpeople, and even the reader be surprised by it?  Why or why not?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tContinue your discussion of faith as it is expressed in Jubilee<\/em>.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat are the tangible and intangible things that Vyry, her family, and other freedpeople value?  Why do they value those things, and how do they reflect the experience of freedpeople during slavery?<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tDiscuss Vyry’s desire to see her children educated.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tDiscuss Innis’ frustration with Vyry and the return of Randall Ware.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhy is Vyry finally accepted into the white community?  Explore particularly her background as a house slave and her ability to “pass” as white.<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhy doesn't Vyry leave with Randall Ware when she has the chance?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 1 How does the opening scene affect you as a reader?  What purpose does it serve? What do we learn about the black family, both immediate and extended, during slavery in this book, beginning with the opening scene with Hetta and running through Vyry’s life?  What do we learn about white families, both rich […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":108,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-left-sidebar.php","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_mc_calendar":[]},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2670"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2670"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2678,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2670\/revisions\/2678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}