ANNOTATION GUIDE FOR TONI MORRISON’S BELOVED

ChiArts English III: American Literature

READING AND ANNOTATION GUIDE FOR TONI MORRISON’S BELOVED

How can love be both a healing and destructive  force?

How does the past live on in the present and affect the future?

What do people need to be truly free? How do writers capture the human

experience?

How can names and labels shape our identities?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born Chloe Anthony Wofford, in 1931 in Lorain (Ohio), Toni Morrison was the second of four children in a black working-class family. Displayed an early interest in literature. Studied humanities at Howard and Cornell Universities, followed by an academic career at Texas Southern University, Howard University, Yale, and since 1989, a chair at Princeton University. She has also worked as an editor for Random House, a critic, and given numerous public lectures, specializing in AfricanAmerican literature. She made her debut as a novelist in 1970, soon gaining the attention of both critics and a wider audience for her epic power, unerring ear for dialogue, and her poetically charged and richly expressive depictions of Black America. A member since 1981 of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she has been awarded a number of literary distinctions, among them the Pulitzer Prize in 1988.  , Literature 1991-1995, Editor Sture Allén, World Scientific Publishing Co., From Nobel Lectures , Literature

Singapore, 1997

ANNOTATION ANNOTATION EXPECTATIONS AND TIPS Throughout our reading of Beloved , you are expected t o actively annotate the text in addition to synthesizing your thoughts on the novel in the Reader Response Journal . For this novel, we will work in groups to create the Major Works Data Sheet after reading the novel. So, what should you annotate? The possibilities are limitless. Keep in mind the reasons we annotate. Your annotations must include comments. I want to see evidence of thinking.

Some general tips: Have a conversation with the text. Talk back to  it. Ask questions (essential to active reading).  Comment on the actions or development of a  character. Does the character change? Why? How? The result? Comment on lines / quotations you think are  especially significant, powerful, or me aningful. Express agreement or disagreement.  Summarize key events. Make predictions.  Connect ideas to each other or to other texts.  Note if you experience an epiphany.  Note anything you would like to discuss or do  not understand. Note how the author uses language. Try to note  the significance of: Effects of word choice (diction) or o sentence structure or type (syntax)

o o

o

o o

o o

o o o o o o o

Point of view / effect Repetition of words, phrases, actions, events, patterns Narrative pace / time / order of sequence of events Irony Contrasts / contradictions /  juxtapositions / shifts Allusions Any other figure of speech or literary device Reliability of narrator Motifs or cluster ideas Tone / mood Imagery Themes Setting / historical period Symbols

The most common complaint about annotating is that it slows down your reading. Yes, it does. That’s the point. If annotating as you read annoys you, read a chapter, then go back and annotate. Reading a text a second time is preferable anyway. Approach the work with an open mind. Let the novel inspire you and stretch your imagination.

If you do this and a nd do it well, you will save yourself the agony of boring literary discussions and the pain of low literature quiz grades.

CHARACTERS As you read, make sure to note characteristics of each of o f the people you encounter in the novel. What defines them? Do you relate to them? How do they t hey interact?     

Sethe Beloved Denver Paul D Baby Suggs

    

Stamp Paid Ella Lady Jones Mr. Garner Mrs. Garner

    

Schoolteacher The Bodwins Halle Sixo Amy Denver

THEMES This list is not an exhaustive list of the themes discussed in Beloved, but will serve as a g ood starting point. 







Race and the effects of slavery Facing and dealing with past The everyday nature of evil Moral ambiguity

  

  

The nature of love Role of family Masculine/feminine identity The meaning of freedom Role of community Role of the supernatural

 

 

Faith and religion Slavery’s destruction of identity The nature of humanity The power and limits of language

SETTING Beloved is set during an appalling period in America’s history: the years before, during, and immediately after the Civil War. After the Civil War e nded, life was still dreadful for black people, whether slaves or freed. While the action of the the novel covers only a brief time, Morrison covers approximately 50 years through the use of flashbacks. flashbacks. Although other places are mentioned, the two major settings are Sweet Home in Kentucky and 124 Bluestone Road outside Cincinnati, Ohio.

124 Bluestone Road is located in C incinnati, Ohio, while flashbacks are set at Sweet Swe et Home plantation in Kentucky. A third setting that Paul D remembers is a prison in Alfred, Georgia. Flashback sequences include include the six slaves and Sethe at Sweet Home, along with the Garners and Sweet Home may have looked something like this. schoolteacher. The events described bring back painful painful memories to Sethe; it was the place where she obtained the scars on her back.

The novel encompasses an era where slavery was still in existence in many forms. Although by 1873 the Civil War was over and the Reconstruction era was underway, racism and sharecropping were still common, especially amongst the southern states. There were hundreds of laws that restricted African-Americans' rights, and the novel graphically displays the hurt that many ex-slaves experienced.

124 Bluestone Road: Most of the novel takes place at Sethe's home. Baby Suggs received it from the Bodwins Bodwins after she was freed and handed it down to Sethe. The ghost of her baby daughter haunts the house. It has two bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs. downstairs. There is a wood shed shed and bathroom outside the house. house. There are no houses that are extremely close by (no next-door neighbors by modern standards.) It used to be used as a stopping point for for other ex-slaves where they could could rest, eat, and leave messages. At the time of the novel, this history is long gone and it is an eerie place people avoid. Church/Work - After Paul D. leaves, he is shown talking to Stamp Paid on the steps of a church where he asked to stay with a family. Additionally, Paul D. talks to Stamp at his job to find out that Sethe killed Beloved.

124 Bluestone Road may have looked like this.

SYMBOLS The following is a list of symbols throughout the novel. This is not a complete list – list – you  you will find many more in your reading. Jot down your thoughts about the meanings of t he following symbols as you read on post-it notes or in your notes (make sure to keep track of page numbers!) Don’t forget to add what you learn through class through class discussion and lectures.  

  

Sethe’s milk Other liquids – liquids – water,  water, blood, etc. The chokecherry tree Paul D’s tobacco tin The rooster Mister





 

The scar on Beloved’s throat The colors mentioned throughout the book The hummingbirds The forest



 

The number of Sethe’s feet Stamp Paid’s red ribbon Animals

“BIG QUESTION” READING GUIDE 1. Read the first episode of Beloved  carefully,  carefully, and notes your reactions to it. What expectations does the opening scene raise for the work to follow? After you finish the first session's reading assignment, and then again after you complete the whole novel, return to this e pisode and read it again. How does it function in relation to book as a whole? 2. As you read the novel, think t hink about its complex structure. Why does Morrison choose this particular way of te lling Sethe's story? What does the way the story is told suggest about Morrison's view of the human mind and its workings? 3. What judgments does Toni Morrison make on Set he's killing of her daughter? How does Sethe's community judge her? How does Paul D. judge her? How does she judge herself? How do you judge her? 4. Slave narratives, such as Frederick Douglass's autobiography, are the starting point of the African-American literary tradition. One of the biggest themes in Fre derick Douglass's story is the question of his name, or his identity. How does

this issue relate to Beloved? If you are familiar with slave narratives, can you find ways that Morrison refers to, uses, or reworks the slave narrative tradition in Beloved ? 5. Morrison makes a point of including traditional, folkloric, non-literary African-American culture in Beloved,  some of which is derived from ancient African roots. What is the effect of this inclusion? 6. Among other things, Beloved  is  is a ghost story. What are the special problems for writer and reader in having a ghost featured as a main character? 7. Give some thought to the prese nce of (and commentary on) white people in the novel. Why does the author make the choices she does in her presentations pr esentations of whites? 8. Reflect on the detailed attention atte ntion that Morrison gives to experiences that will cer tainly claim your attention (and will probably shock and disturb you): Paul D. on the chain gang, locked in the box; Paul's experience of the bit; the milking of Sethe; School Teacher's recording of t he slaves' animal characteristics; Sixo's death. What is the e ffect of those experiences, on those who live t hem and on us as readers? 9. When you finish the book, note your re action to the last passage. How do you feel about the ending? Why do you suppose the book concludes (or doesn't conclude) in this way?

BIBLICAL ALLUSIONS IN BELOVED “So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”—St. Paul

According to the Bedford St. Mart in’s Glossary of Literary Terms, an allusion is: A brief reference to a person, place, thing, event, or idea in history or literature. Allusions conjure up biblical authority, scenes from Shakespeare's plays, historic figures, wars, great love stories, and anything else that might enrich an author's work. Allusions imply reading and cultural experiences shared by the writer and reader, functioning as a kind of shorthand whereby the re calling of something outside the work supplies an emotional or intellectual context, such as a poem about current racial struggles calling up the memory o f Abraham Lincoln. Throughout Beloved , Toni Morison uses allusions to develop her characters, ideas, and themes. The following list of allusions is not in chronological order, nor is it a comprehensive list, but it should help give you an idea of t he impact of allusions on the meaning of a text.

As you read: 1. Mark these allusions in your annotations and consider how they add to the meaning of the text. 2. Find at least two more Biblical allusions and discuss them in your Reader Response Journal. Write down the specific allusion and page number from Beloved  that  that corresponds to these references. Consider the following questions: How does the use of the Bible as literature impact the meaning of the text? What do you gain as a reader by knowing the reference? 3. Don’t be afraid to use Google. I f you don’t “get” a reference, refe rence, look it up! It won’t make sense until you do.

1. The novel opens with the following following inscription: I will call them my people, Which were not my people;  And her beloved, beloved, Which was not beloved. -- Romans 9:25 This reference comes from the Epistle to the Romans, a book of the New Testament written by Paul. As he prepares to visit Rome, he sends a letter stating his beliefs. He discusses the nature of God’s relationship with humanity humanity and focuses 5

on the sovereignty of God. He also raises the problem of the justice of God, power mixed with mercy, even if it leads to problems. This chapter, despite its examination of the evils on earth, ends on a note note of reconciliation. The following verse reads as follows, “ And it shall shall come to pass, pass, that in the place where it was was said unto thee, Ye are not not my people; people; also Romans 1:22, 23. there shall they be called the children of the living God”  (Romans 9:26). See also

2. Loaves and Fishes This line is used to describe Baby Suggs’ feast for the others in the community. This allusion comes from Matthew 1515, Mark 6, and Luke 9. They all mention the miracle of Jesus feeding the thousands thousands with five loaves of bread and two fish. 3. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse When Schoolteacher comes to get Sethe, Morrison describes describes the group as “four horsemen.” The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in Revelations 6. The chapter tells of a scroll in God’s right hand that is sealed with seven seals. When the first four of these seals seals are opened, four horsemen appear.  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and and he that sat on him had a bow; and and a crown was was given unto unto him: and he went forth conquering and to conquer.  And when he had opened the the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and and see.  And there went went out another another horse that was red: and power power was given given him that sat thereon to take peace  from the earth, earth, and that they should kill one another: another: and there was given unto unto him a great great sword.  And when he had opened the the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and and see. And And I beheld, and and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the  four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures measures of barley for for a penny; and see thou hurt hurt not the oil and the wine.  And when he had opened the the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell Hell followed with him. And  power was given given unto them them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with with sword, and with hunger, hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Revelations 6: 2—8 See also Revelations 7, in which which the four angels appear. appear. Specifically, 7:17.

4. Lot’s Wife When Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, L ot’s wife was warned not to look back. When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Arise, take your wife and your two daughters dau ghters who are here, lest you be consumed in the  punishment of the city.’ But he lingered; lingered; so the men men seized him him and his wife, wife, and his two daughters daughters by the hand, hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him him forth and set him outside the city. And when they had brought them forth, forth, they said, ’Flee for your life; do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley; flee to the hills lest you be consumed.” Genesis 19:15-17. Lot’s wife behind him looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:26. 5. Pride Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.   Proverbs 16:18 6. The Spirit is Willing Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41 7. Sufficient Unto The Day Take therefore no thought for the morrow: morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6: 34

8. Don’t Study War No More 6

 And they shall shall beat their swords into into plowshares, and their spears spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Isaiah 2: 4

A Final Thought: Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage courage to  –St. Augustine see that they do not remain the way they are. –St. How can this quote relate to the novel? To Morrison’s purpose in writing the novel?

BELOVED ANNOTATION QUESTIONS How to use this document:  You do not have to answer each question, nor should you necessarily try to. However, these questions can serve as an excellent g uide for your reading and can help jump start your personal annotations. We will also use these questions in class discussion, and they can help guide small group Socratic Seminars. I recommend that you read over the questions before you begin reading that section and refer back to them after you read. You are welcome to highlight or mark questions you want to discuss in class.

Part I, First Chapter, pages 3-23 1. Elie Wiesel has said that nothing compares to t he Holocaust from World War II and has r ejected any comparisons. In her dedication, Toni Morrison is drawing drawing a clear parallel to the Holocaust. Holocaust. Is this a valid comparison? If so, why? If not, why not? 2. What is 124? 3. Why are the sideboard moving, the house pitching, and the dog thrown across the room? 4. Who dies on page 5? 5. Why does Sethe want “Dearly Beloved” engraved on the tombstone? 6. Why does she have only “Beloved” engraved? engrav ed? 7. What do you understand from “The picture of the men coming to nurse her”? (p. 6) 8. Do the nephews rape Sethe in addition to taking her milk? 9. Who is Paul D, and what kind of person is he? 10. Why do the male slaves on Sweet Home let Sethe decide which man she wants? 11. Why does Mr. Garner say, “Neither would I”? (p. 12) 12. Why does Sethe choose Halle? 13. Why are so many of the slaves named “Paul”? 14. What details are you given about Swee t Home? 15. On page 13, Denver says the the baby is “rebuked.” What is the the connotation of this word? 16. Why is there a tree on Sethe’s back? 17. What is the significance of its being a chokecherry tree? 18. What is a tobacco tin? 19. What does Paul D do to the ghost? 20. What is Denver’s attitude toward the ghost? 21. Why does Beloved’s spirit stay stay on earth? Why doesn’t it go to Heaven Heaven or to Hell? Part I, Second Chapter, pp. 24-33 1. What motivates Sixo? 2. What happens to Baby Suggs’ other children? 3. How do Sethe and Paul D feel after they make love? Part I, Third Chapter, pp. 34-51 1. Why does Denver like the bower bowe r behind 124? 7

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Who is in the white dress dre ss kneeling down next to Sethe with its sleeve around her waist? What is the significance of the ante lope metaphor on page 36-7? Why does Denver love the part about Amy the best? Why does Sethe lie about her name to Amy? Why does Amy message Sethe’s feet? What is the significance of the co lors described on pages 41?

Part I, Fourth Chapter, pp. 52-59 1. What is the effect on the reader of having the three shadows holding hands? 2. What is the importance of the dying roses? Part I, Fifth Chapter, pp. 60-67 1. Who appears in front of 124? 2. Why is she wearing new shoes? 3. Why is her skin soft and smooth? 4. How does Denver react to Beloved’s arrival? 5. Why does Beloved like sugar so m uch? 6. Why does Denver contradict what Paul D says at the end of the chapter? Part I, Sixth Chapter, pp. 68-75 1. Why does Mrs. Garner give Sethe the earrings? 2. What are Sethe’s memories of her own mother? 3. Why does her mother have a brand under her breast? 4. What is the meaning of a circle with a cross in it? 5. Why does Sethe’s mother throw away all the other babies she had? Part I, Seventh Chapter, pp. 76-85 1. Why is Beloved shining, and how does Paul D feel about it? 2. What is Sethe’s reaction when she learns that Halle witnessed the incident in the barn when schoolteacher’s nephews took her milk? 3. Why was Halle “sitting by the churn *with+ butter all over his face”? (p. 82) 4. Why couldn’t Paul D help Halle then? 5. What is a bit? 6. Why does Paul D have such affection and admiration for the rooster, Mister? Part I, Eighth Chapter, pp. 86-99 1. What does Denver see when Beloved lets her head fall back? 2. What place is Beloved describing on page 88? 3. Who does Denver think Beloved is at this point in the story? 4. Is Beloved using Denver, or does she genuinely care for her? Part I, Ninth Chapter, pp. 100-124 1. What does Sethe want to lay down? 2. What purpose does the Clearing ser ve during Baby Suggs’ days? 3. Why does Sethe go to it now? 4. Why does the word “holy” follow Baby Suggs’ name on page 89 and elsewhere? 5. What does the word “grace” mean in religious terms? 6. What is the significance of the name “Stamp Paid”? 7. Why does Baby Suggs say not to clean the baby’s eyes until she gets the mother’s urine? 8. Why is Sethe’s older daughter called the “crawling“crawling-already? girl”? 9. Why is Beloved given name never me ntioned? 8

10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

Who is trying to strangle Sethe in the Clearing? Why is Sethe bothered by the kiss? What are Beloved’s feelings toward Paul D in this chapter? Why does Denver accuse Beloved of choking Sethe? Why does Morrison include Lady Jones in the story? Why is Denver deaf for two years? What is the answer Denver cannot bear to hear? Why does Denver feel so possessive about Be loved? What is the importance of the turtle? Why does Denver want Beloved’s forgiveness?

Part I, Tenth Chapter, pp. 125-133 1. Make a quick sketch of the ditch and boxes where Paul D and the rest of the chain gang are kept. 2. Why is Paul D trembling? 3. How do the guards demean the prisoners? 4. Who is Hi Man? 5. The Bible tells the Flood story in the book of Genesis. How does the story of the rains on the chain gang reflect the Flood story? 6. How do the men escape? 7. What disease do the Cherokees have? 8. Why does the chain gang stay near the Cherokees? 9. What is the significance of the t rail of flowers that Paul D is told to follow? Part I, Eleventh Chapter, pp. 134-138 1. Does Beloved consider Paul D a t hreat? 2. Why does Paul D decide to move m ove out of 124? 3. What is the “confusion Beloved’s shining *causes+ him”? (p. 135) 4. What are “house“house-fits”? 5. What is the meaning of the reference to Lot’s wife? 6. Why does Paul D call Beloved by her name? 7. What happens to his tobacco tin? 8. Why does he say, “Red heart” over and over again? Part I, Twelfth Chapter, pp. 139-146 1. Why does Sethe ask Beloved about her mother? 2. Why does Denver believe that Beloved is the baby incarnate but Sethe doesn’t see it yet? 3. Why does beloved always have a “licking fire that seemed always to burn in her”? (p. 141) 4. What is the “original hunger” that Denver feels? (p. 143) 5. Why does Beloved play a cat-and-mouse game with Denver in the cold house? 6. What is Denver’s reaction to Beloved’s disappearance from the cold house? 7. Whose face does Beloved see? Part I, Thirteenth Chapter, pp. 147-156 1. Why does Paul D feel unable to control his own actions around Beloved? 2. Why doesn’t Paul D want to ask Sethe for help? 3. Why does Paul D want Sethe to have his baby? 4. Why does Sethe say, “Mercy.” (p. 152) 5. Why is Beloved feeling malicious? Part I, Fourteenth Chapter, pp. 157-158 1. Why is Beloved afraid that her body m ight be falling apart? 9

2. Why is Beloved crying? Part I, Fifteenth Chapter, pp. 159-173 1. Why does Stamp Paid gather berries ber ries and bring them to Baby Suggs? 2. Why does Morrison include the reference to loaves and fishes? 3. Why is the rest of the community community “offended by *the+ excess”? (p. 163) 4. What is Baby Suggs’ perspective o n her other seven children? 5. Why doesn’t Mr. Garner call Baby S uggs by her real name? 6. What mixed feelings does Baby Suggs have towar d Mr. Garner at the end of the chapter? Part I, Sixteenth Chapter, pp. 174-180 1. Why does Morrison use a Biblical allusion in the description of the fo ur men coming to take Sethe back? 2. What is Sethe doing with her children in the shed? 3. What is schoolteacher’s reaction to what Sethe does? 4. What is Baby Suggs’ reaction? reaction? Part I, Seventeenth Chapter, pp. 181-186 1. Why does Stamp Paid decide to show Paul D the newspaper clipping? 2. What is Paul D’s reaction to it? 3. Why does Baby Suggs look at the stream and miss the arrival of the four horsemen? 4. Why doesn’t the community warn them? warn them? 5. How does Sethe justify killing her own child? Part I, Eighteenth Chapter, pp. 187-195 1. Why does Paul D show Sethe the clipping? 2. What is the importance of the hummingbirds? Part II, First Chapter, pp. 199-235 1. Why does Sethe refuse to attend the service for Baby Suggs? 2. Why does Morrison include include the Biblical verse, “Pride goeth before a fall”? (p. 202) 3. What are the voices that stamp Paid hears as he approaches 124? 4. Why can’t he knock on the t he door? 5. Why does Morrison include the biblical reference, “Spirit willing, flesh weak”? (p. 203) 6. Why does Sethe decide that the three of them will go ice-skating? 7. Why does Sethe say, “You finished finished with your eyes?” (p. 206) 8. When Sethe finally accepts who Beloved is, w hat is her reaction? 9. Why does Morrison use repeated repeated references to locked boxes? (p. 207) 10. What is the importance of the red ribbon that Stamp finds? 11. What is the “roaring” on page 213? 12. Why don’t they open the door w hen Stamp knocks? 13. Why does he change his name from Joshua? 14. Why does Paul D stay in town and sleep in the church cellar? 15. Why does Sixo say, “Improving “Improving your property, sir.” (p. 224) 16. Why does Sethe tell the particular stories she does on pages 226-234? 17. What are the “black and angry dead” that Stamp Paid thinks of on page 234? Part II, Second Chapter, pp. 236-241 1. Page 236 starts a series of four chapters that are markedly different in point of view and style from the earlier ones. Why are they different? 2. The point of view is Sethe’s, done in first person. What is the effect of this shift of perspective? perspective? 3. What does Sethe reflect upon in this chapter? 10

Part II, Third Chapter, pp. 242-247 1. This chapter is spoken in first person by Denver. What is the effect of this perspective? perspective? 2. What does Denver reflect upon in this chapter? 3. Why does Denver say, “She’s mine, Beloved. Beloved. She’s mine.” Who’s the “she”? (p. 247) Part II, Fourth Chapter, pp. 248-252 1. This chapter is spoken in first person by Beloved. Beloved. What is the effect of this perspective? 2. Morrison chooses a stream of consciousness style for this chapter. chapter. How does this affect the reader? Page 248 3. Who is taking flowers away from leaves? 4. What pictures is Beloved thinking of? 5. Why does Beloved say, “*H+er face is my own”? 6. What is the “hot thing” Beloved r efers to? 7. Why are they crouching? 8. Why is the man on her face dead? 9. What does it mean when the “men without skin bring *them+ their morning water t o drink”? What does Beloved mean by “*W+e are all trying to leave leave our bodies behind”? behind”? Page 249 10. Why is the man’s body “a small bird”? 11. Why is the bread “seacolored”? 12. What “little hill of dead people” is she referring to? 13. Why are the dead people being pushed through with poles? 14. What is the circle around the woman’s neck? 15. Why is the woman with Beloved’s face in the sea? 16. What is the shining in the woman’s woma n’s ears? 17. Why are the clouds in the way? Page 250 18. Why does she like his “pretty little teeth”? 19. Why does the woman go in? in? Where is she going? 20. Why is it Beloved’s “dark face that is going to smile at *her+”? 21. Why is Beloved not taken? 22. Where is the bridge that Beloved describes? Page 251 23. Why does Beloved go in the w ater? 24. Why is the woman chewing and swallowing? 25. Why does Beloved say, “Sethe’s is the face that left me.” Part II, Fifth Chapter, pp. 248-256 1. Why does this chapter start with w ith the same words as the previous one? 2. What sea does Beloved describe when she says, “Sethe went into the sea”. sea”. (p. 253) 3. Why does Beloved associate Sethe with the place where they crouched? (p. 253) 4. What gunsmoke does Beloved refer to? 5. Part of this chapter is written in poetic form. What is the effect of this technique? 6. Sethe uses the word “rememory,” but Beloved answers, “Yes. I remember you.” Why is this Sethe’s word alone?

11

7. On page 255, the point of view becomes more complex. Identify who is speaking each line on this page and the next, and explain why Morrison uses this intermingling of perspectives. 8. “I will take care of you.” (p. 256) Who is “I”? Who is “you”? 9. Why does the chapter end with “You are mine” repeated three times? Part II, Sixth Chapter, pp. 257-270 1. What doubts does Paul D have of his own manhood? 2. What is the shining that lights the Thirty -Mile Woman? 3. Why does Sixo sing? 4. What does Sixo mean when he shouts, “Seven-O! “Seven-O! Seven-O!” Seven-O!” (p. 270) 5. Why is Sixo laughing when he dies? Part II, Seventh Chapter, pp. 271-277 1. What is the tone of t he conversation between Stamp and the man w ho asks about Judy? 2. Where does Stamp think Beloved comes from? 3. What is the tone of the last last sentence: “Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?” (p. 277) Part III, First Chapter, pp. 281-309 1. Why is Denver worried? 2. In what ways have Sethe and Beloved traded places? 3. Why is Beloved becoming tyrannical and vindictive? 4. Why is Beloved’s stomach getting larger? 5. Why does the community rally in response to Denver’s request for work and work and the obvious problems at 124? 6. What accounts for Beloved’s behavior? 7. Why is Sethe getting smaller as Beloved gets bigger? 8. Why does Janey say, “I guess there’s a God after all.”? (p. 299) 9. Why do the Bodwins have a statue of a black boy that says, “At Yo Service”? (p. 300) 10. Why does Ella change her mind about Set he and organize the other women to rescue her? 11. How does the singing of the women at the end of the book parallel to Paul D’s description of the escape of the chain gang? 12. In what ways does the group gr oup of neighborhood women serve the same function as the chorus in Greek tragedy? 13. What is the meaning of the Biblical reference, “Sufficient “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof”? (p. 302) 14. Why do the women decide to drive out Beloved? 15. Why does Sethe think that Mr. Bodwin is schoolteacher? 16. What is Beloved’s reaction to Set he’s running toward the women? Part III, Second Chapter, pp. 310-322 1. Why does Beloved disappear? 2. Why do some people say she exploded? 3. Why are Stamp and Paul D finally able to laugh? 4. Why does Denver change her attitude toward Paul D? 5. Why does Paul D go to 124? 1 24? 6. In what ways is Beloved’s departure in this chapter similar to and different from her death at the beginning? Part III, Third Chapter, pp. 323-324 1. Why does the memory of Beloved disappear? 2. If this is not a story to pass on, why does Toni Morrison write it and “pass it on”?

12

BELOVED SUMMARIES AND TARGET PASSAGES How to use this packet:  This packet is a guide and re source to help clarify your understanding of the novel. It is NOT a replacement for reading the novel, and w ill not be enough to pass assessments over your reading. I recommend reading the summaries after you have read the original text, then re-reading the target passages and annotating them thoroughly. Remember to go back to the annotation questions in your guide if you have have trouble.

Chapter 1: The novel opens with an introduction to a house: "124 was spiteful. Full of a baby's venom." The house belongs to Sethe, an ex-slave ex -slave who had run away from the place of her enslavement, "Sweet Home," 18 years ago. The house is spiteful because it is haunted by the spirit of Sethe's one-year-old baby, who died 18 years ago (buried under a tombstone reading the single word "BELOVED"). Besides Sethe and the ghost, there is only Sethe's youngest daughter, Denver, living in 124. We learn, however, that there were two sons, Howard and Buglar, both of whom fled at from t he house when they were thirteen. S ethe's mother-in-law, Baby Suggs, also lived with them until e ight years ago, when she died. Sethe's husband, Halle, is presumably dead, having not been seen since Se the left Sweet Home. The main action of the first chapter revolves around the visit of Paul D Garner, the "last of the Sweet Home men." From him, we learn a bit of Sethe's past. The Garners, owners of S weet Home, treated their slaves decently, but at Mr. Garner's death, an evil man referred to as "schoolteacher" arrived. At the time of Sethe's flight from Sweet Home, she had already sent the two boys and a just-born, unnamed baby to live with Baby Suggs in Cincinnati. However, before she could run away herself, two white men cornered her and took her milk (which she was saving for Beloved). When she told Mrs. Garner about the abuse, the schoolteacher had her whipped. In the present time, Sethe has a "chokecherry tree" of scars upon her back as a result of that beating. In her kitchen, Paul D. touches her scars and her breasts and makes her feel beautiful again, but before they continue their romantic encounter the ghost causes the house to go crazy, shaking it and sending a table flying at P aul D. He screams back at the angry ghost and basically beats it away, telling it to leave Sethe alone because she already had “enough” without it. Denver finds herself left out by the "twosome" of Sethe and Paul D, who share the same past. "I can't live here," she pronounces, crying. "I don't know where to g o or what to do, but I can't live here. Nobody speaks to us. Nobody comes by. Boys don't like me. Girls don't either." Denver's only solace, it seems, is the company of the ghost. g host. At the end of the chapter, however, the ghost is scared off by Paul D.

Important Concepts: Sethe is the main character; she used to be a slave.  

She had four children: Howard and Buglar, an unnamed baby who died, and Denver.



The dead baby’s ghost haunts their house, 124 Bluestone Road. The baby died violently, having her throat cut.



Baby Suggs is Sethe’s mother-inmother-in-law law and Denver’s grandmother grandmother –  – she is NOT a ghost . She died eight years before Paul D. arrives, but Sethe and Denver remember her throughout the chapter.

Chapter 2-4: Chapter 2 begins with Paul D and Sethe rushing upstairs to have sex, but "it was over before they could get their clothes off" and they both seem to regret it; the things that seemed beautiful about Sethe (like her scars) now seem ugly to Paul D. Instead of enjoying their romance, the past rushes over them and both are caught in flashbacks of Sweet Home. Sethe recalls recalls how Baby Suggs lost all her children to slavery and how Halle sold himself for his mother’s freedom "when it didn't mean a thing” because by t hen she was too old to have much of a life left outside of slavery. She also remembers her “wedding” – she – she wanted wanted to actually marry Halle, but because they wer e slaves they weren’t expected or allowed to have a real ceremony. She remembers how she stole scraps of fabric to sew herself a “bedding dress” and then remembers her wedding we dding night; she and Halle went out to out to the cornfield thinking it would be private, but all the men on the plantation can see the stalks waving. 13

Chapter 3 opens with a description of the place Denver goes to be alone; as she’s returning to the house, she sees Sethe kneeling in prayer and sees the ghostly figure of a white dress wrapped around her mother in an embrace. This sets off a series of flashbacks regarding Denver's birth – birth  – Denver  Denver has heard Sethe tell the story of her birth so many times she knows it by heart, and she tells the tale of how a "whitegirl" named Amy discovered S ethe, six-months pregnant and running from Sweet Home. An unlikely savior, Amy managed to c oax a fallen Sethe back onto her hands and feet and to a nearby lean-to, where she gives birth to Denver prematurely. Sethe continues thinking about "schoolteacher," and we learn that he had two nephews with "pretty manners" whom he also brought with him to Sweet Home. She mentions how he went around asking the slaves questions and writing down what they said and how this questioning que stioning seemed to “tear up” one of the Sweet Home men, Sixo. Denver tells Sethe about the white dress and claims that the baby “has plans, ” which prompts Sethe to think about her own plans. She says that “The one set of plans she had made – getting – getting away from Sweet Home – Home – went  went awry so completely she never dared life by making more.” However, as she and Paul D. continue to share their pasts, she begins to think that maybe, finally, it might be ok for her to think of the future. Paul D promises to be there for Sethe, and she re luctantly agrees to let him take hold of her life. Under Paul D's urging, Sethe and Denver go with w ith him to a carnival on Colored Thursday, where exc itement and cheerfulness abounds. Many Negroes smile at the two women for the first time, and Denver is delighted. Her feelings about Paul D begin to change, and Sethe sees their shadows holding hands, which in her mind serves as a positive sign for the future.

Important Concepts/Passages: Page 43: Sethe speaks about the concept of time and place, and how places where evil things happen always  retain that evil – evil – she and Denver agree that “nothing “ nothing ever dies.” Page 54: Theme of ‘dangerous love’  Page 57: Shadows holding hands 

Chapter 5-7: Chapter 5 opens with the disturbing image o f a woman, 19 or 20 years old, coming out of the marsh water fully dressed. She is tired and thirsty, but her shoes and clothes are new and her skin is flawless except for three scratches on her forehead. It takes her more than two days to drag herself to 124, where she arrives just as Sethe, Denver, and Paul D come back from the carnival. When they see her, Sethe is struck by a powerful urge to urinate and her lack of control reminds her of how “there was no stopping water breaking from a breaking womb.” With a harsh voice, the mysterious woman pronounces that her name is "Beloved." Paul D. assumes that she is “drifting from ruin” like so many freed slaves with nowhere left to go, but wonders about her odd appearance. appearance. Sethe feels “especially kindly towards her” because of her name, and Denver immediately becomes obsessed with her. It takes weeks for Beloved to build up strength, and in the mean time Denver cares for her. Paul P aul D. becomes suspicious of her when he sees sees her lift heavy rocking chair e ffortlessly, as if she’s curious about ordinary objects, despite the fact that she seems to be barely able to walk. Even though it’s Denver that is taking care of her, Beloved Be loved begins to show a devotion towards Sethe. She begins inquiring about Sethe's past, asking questions that trigger old memories. "Where your diamonds?" Beloved asks, and Sethe reveals that at one point in her life she had been given cr ystal earrings by Mrs. Garner as a wedding gift. At another point, Beloved asks about Sethe's mother. Sethe remembers how her mother showed her a brand on her body so that she could identify who her mother was, and then she remembers seeing her mother’s dead body hanging in a mass murdering of slaves. Sethe remembers being told told by an elder woman – woman  – possibly  possibly her grandmother – grandmother – that  that she was the only baby whom her mother had kept from the slave ship, because she was born out of love and not rape. Denver hate s when they talk about the past t hat doesn’t include her, and wonders how Beloved could have possibly known about her mother’s earrings. Despite Sethe's and Denver's affections for the girl, Paul D begins to grow suspicious of Beloved. He beg ins to question her about her past, but Beloved evades his questions and grows angry with him for asking. He notes that before her 14

arrival Sethe, Denver, and him were just beginning to build a future, but that their progress has been interrupted by Beloved’s presence. In an argument over Beloved, Paul D tells Sethe that Halle never followed her her to freedom because he had seen schoolteacher's two nephews drink up her milk and the sight of his wife being brutally abused “broke him like a twig.” Sethe is hurt and furious at this news; she can’t understand how Halle could have seen and let the boys “keep breathing air,” but Paul D. defends Halle, saying that the sight drove him insane. In his last memory of Halle, Paul D. saw him raving like a lunatic, smearing half-churned butter on his face because he was unable to forget what happened to Sethe and her milk. He reveals that he wanted to help Halle but couldn’t even say anything to him because he had a “bit in his mouth” and was being led away from Sweet Home as part of a chain gang. This sets off a sto rm of memory and emotions for Sethe and Paul D . as they struggle to come to terms with the past. As chapter c hapter 7 ends, Paul D. tells Sethe that he remembers seeing an ugly, scraggly rooster named Mister as he was being led off, and thinking that that rooster was allowed to have more freedom and dignity than he was allowed to have. They stop talking because “Saying more might push them both to a place they couldn’t get back from.”

Important Concepts/Passages: Page 60-62: 60-62: Beloved’s description  Page 72-74: Sethe’s mother’s fate  Page 83: Pain of Sethe’s memories  Page 85: Dehumanizing effect of Paul D.’s experience 

Chapters 8-9: Up in Denver's room, Denver reveals to Beloved that she knows Beloved was the ghost of 124, and asks why she came back alive. Beloved replies that she came for Sethe, that Sethe "is the one I need." Hungry for stories about Sethe, she asks about Denver's birth, and Denver continues the tale. At the edge of the Ohio River, the "water broke loose" in Sethe and the baby began to come. With Amy's help, the baby was born and Sethe had named it after the whitegirl, Miss Amy Denver. Amy then leaves Sethe, and hours later Sethe stumbles across Stamp Paid and his sons fishing by the river. Stamp Paid, a former slave himself, ferries her across, where she is taken to Baby S uggs and 124. 124 eighteen years ago was nothing like it is now. Then, it was a waystation for colored folks, run by Baby Suggs who "had nothing left to make a living with but her heart." In those days, Baby Suggs would lead all the Negroes to a clearing clear ing in the forest and Call to them about love. In need of advice, a present -day Sethe walks down to "the Clearing" to think things through. There, she feels fingers upon her nec k, first caressing her and then st rangling her. She is saved by the arrival of Denver and Beloved, the latter of which strokes the newfound bruises and comforts S ethe. Walking back home, Sethe realizes something t hat Denver secretly knows: that those hands were not Baby Suggs's, but the ghost's. However, this thought does not bother her; she has decided to start a life with Paul D, opening back up t he past they share. Back at the house, she makes love to them, secretly watched by an angered Beloved. Meanwhile, Denver reminisces about her own past. Apparently she was not always alone, and used to go to school with other colored children. However, one day a boy asked her a question: "Didn't your mother get locked away for murder? Wasn't you in there with her when she went?" After that Denver never went back.

Important Concepts/Passages: Pg. 88: “In the dark my name is Beloved…she is the one that I have to have.”  Pg. 103: “She did not tell them to clean up their lives…twenty-eight lives…twenty-eight days after her daughter-in-law daughter-in-law arrived.” 

Chapters 10-15: Chapter 10 begins the tale of how Paul D came to 124. We learn that schoolteacher sold him to another master, and that Paul D attempted to murder that master. We learn that he and roughly fifty other Negroes were 15

imprisoned in cages in the ground, tied to e ach other by "a thousand feet of chain." As a part of the chain gang, Paul D. experiences and witnesses extreme cruelty and has trouble holding himself together. together. He describes feeling a “trembling” that he can’t control. After years of mining, there is a flood and all the Negroes escape, led by the “Hi man” They come across a Cherokee concentration camp, and the Cherokee free them from the chains. Paul D heads North.

Chapter 11: In the present day, Paul D is on his feet again; he is being moved out of the house. First he can no longer fall asleep in the bed with Sethe, and then he is moved out of the rocker, then Baby Suggs's bed, then the storeroom, and finally he must go outside to the cold house to rest. He believes it's Beloved's doing, and one night she visits him in the cold house and seduces him with the cryptic "I want you to touch me on the inside part and call me my name." He does not want anything to do with her, but she has a mysterious control over him. She goes to him nightly.

Chapter 12: Denver continues to be obsessed with Beloved and asks her more about her past, which Beloved does not seem to remember. Taking care of Beloved has changed Denver’s character; character; whereas before she was kind of lazy, now she is industrious and is always thinking up chores and ways to keep Beloved occupied so that she can spend more time with her. Sethe believes that Beloved had been held as a sex slave, “locked up by some whiteman whiteman for his own purposes and never let out the door,” because Beloved’s story reminds her of her friend Ella, who had experienced something similar. At the end of the chapter, Denver and Beloved are playing in the cold house, and Beloved disappears in the complete complete darkness. Denver panics because she thinks Beloved went back to the magical place she came c ame from, “eaten alive by the dark,” but after a few moments Beloved reappears, “standing where before there was nobody when Denver looked.” Beloved emphasizes again that “this is the place” she wants to be, and implies that she has to focus on Sethe to remain there. Chapter 13: Paul D, concerned about Beloved's control over him, is determined to enlist Sethe's aid against her and tries to tell her what Be loved is doing to him. However, all he manages to say to her is "I want you pregnant pregnant,, Sethe." In a way, this does save him from Beloved's spell because Set he requests that he stop moving around and slee p with her. However, Sethe has decided that she does not want any more children. Meanwhile, (Chapter 14) Beloved is upset at Sethe's Set he's choice to sleep with Paul D. Her uneasiness manifests itself in the kitchen, where she manages to pull out one of her wisdom teeth, noting that "it is difficult keeping her head on her neck, her legs attached to her hips when she is by herself." eve nts, beginning with Baby Sugg's introduction as a slave to Swee t Home. After ten Chapter 15 is a narrative of past events, years there, Halle bought her free dom and she moved to 124, where she set up the waystation and began preaching about love to whoever would listen. Years later, Howard, Buglar, and their sister (Beloved) showed up, then finally Sethe with Denver. Twenty days after Sethe's arrival, Baby Suggs hosted a party like had never before been seen, and amidst the laughter of 90 Negroes was the scent of disapproval, because "she had given t oo much, offended them by excess."

Important Concepts/Passages: Pg. 128: Work songs of the chain gang   Pg. 137-138: 137-138: Beloved’s “seduction” of Paul D. Pg. 144-5: 144-5: Beloved’s disappearance  Pg. 148: Paul D.’s perception of manhood  Pg. 161: Baby Suggs’ party – allusion to biblical “loaves and fishes” 

Chapters 16-18: Chapter 16 continues the narrat ion of chapter 15. The morning after the party, schoolteacher and a nephew arrive at 124 with a slave catcher and sheriff. They search for Sethe and her children in order to take them back to Sweet Home, and discover her in the darkness of the shed. She is found attempting to smash Denver against the w alls 16

of the shed, but Stamp Paid grabs the girl from her. Upon the floor are Howard and Buglar, covered in blood. Against Sethe's breasts is the unnamed child (Beloved), dead. Schoolteacher pronounces Sethe unfit to be a slave anymore. He, his nephew, and the slave catc her leave, and the sheriff takes Sethe, now nursing Denver, to jail. In the present day, St amp Paid calls Paul D aside at work to show him an old newspaper clipping. It has a sketch of Sethe on it, and describes the murder of her baby girl. Paul D, however, refuses to believe Stamp Paid, claiming that the article can't possibly be about Sethe because "that ain't her mouth" in the picture. Despite this, Paul D takes the newspaper clipping back home with him, presumably to get confirmation of the e rror from Sethe. Instead, Sethe Se the retells the story of chapter 16 to him, arguing that "I took and put my babies where t hey'd be safe." Protesting that "there co uld have been . . . some other way" and that telling Sethe she has "two feet…not four," Paul D leaves the house.

Important Concepts/Passages: Pg. 175: “Inside, two boys bled…the cannibal life they preferred.”  Pg. 184: “Stamp Paid looked at him…a pretty little slavegirl had recognized a hat, and split to the woodshed to  kill her children.” Pg. 192: “No. No. Nono. Nononono….I took and put my babies where they’d be safe.”  Pg. 193: “This here Sethe was new….You got two feet, Sethe, not four.” 

Book Two Chapter 19 opens with the words "124 was loud." It is this loudness, but also a coldness that chases Stamp Paid away when tries to visit. We learn of Stamp Paid's history-that he changed his name the day he was forced to give his wife up to his master's son to have sex with him. On that day he'd decided that all his obligations, whatever t hey were, were paid, and began to help runaway slaves to freedom. In the present day, Stamp Paid's spirit is broken because he has found a piece of ribbon attached to a piece of scalp from a young black girl. Finally understanding what made B aby Suggs give up Calling in the woods, Stamp decides to visit 124 to t alk to Sethe, but nobody answers the doo r. However, when he looks through the windows, he catches sight of Beloved. Stamp visits John and Ella, two other Negroes who help runaway slaves in an effort to find out who the girl is he had seen in the window. They have no answer for him, but Stamp does learn t hat Paul D is sleeping in the cellars at a church. He is angered that Ella knew about this but didn't do anything. Ella admits she didn't want to help Paul D because he'd associated with Sethe. Meanwhile, Sethe finally discovers who Beloved is when, one night by the fire, Beloved begins to hum a song that Sethe had made up long ago: "nobody knows that song but me and my children," she says. Sethe takes Beloved's return as a signal that she has been forgiven and freed from the past. With the words "I don't have to remember nothing," she decides not to worry anymore about the o utside world, but to turn her focus towards her family. Consequently, she begins to show up late to wor k and daydreams while there.

Chapters 20-23: Chapters 20 to 22 are a series of stream of consciousness pieces from the points of view of Sethe, Denver, and finally Beloved. Sethe's stream of consciousness reveals her possessiveness over Beloved, which manifests in the refrain "Beloved, she my daughter. She mine." In her mind, she assures Beloved that she will be a good mother . She attempts to justify the murder as an act of love. Threaded t hrough the writing are also hints of the past: we learn that Sethe's back was o pened

17

because schoolteacher wanted to study her. We learn that Sethe doesn't understand why she was separated from her mother. Finally, there is a thread of hate for Paul D in the stream, for he attempted to make Beloved leave. Denver's stream of consciousness reveals a fear of Sethe-that she might kill her too. Denver believes that her father is alive and is convinced that Beloved came back to wait with her for their father. Like Sethe, she is possessive of Be loved, and like Sethe, she also harbors a hate for Paul D, because she feels he violates her father. We also g et a hint of a warning with regards to Beloved, from a time when Baby Suggs told Denver that the ghost "was after Ma'am." Beloved's stream is crafted in disjunct phrases and images, as fit for a one-year-old child who has known death and rebirth. She describes a place where "there will never be a time when I am not crouching and watching others who are crouching too." In that place there is no water, but only rats and death. Beloved describes her own birth, her ex istence at Sweet Home, her murder, and her rebirth with images of clouds and water. "Sethe's is the face that left me . . . her smiling face is the place for m e it is the face I lost she is my face smiling at me."

Chapter 23, also called the "Chorus," is a sort of joining of the three voices, as they interact in a sort of surreal dialogue. At the center of o f this chorus are the words "You are mine / You are mine / You are mine.” Chapters 24-25: In Chapter 24, Paul D is found brooding upon the steps of the church, thinking both about how life could have been with Sethe, and also about the loss of his manhood through Beloved. The thoughts make him question what constitutes a man, and his mind floods with images of Swee t Home. In his mind, Paul D recounts the day Sixo returned from a neighboring farm w ith news that two men would be coming down to take slaves North. However, while trying t o flee, he and Sixo had bee n caught. Sixo had been burned alive, singing and laughing, and Paul D had been collared. On his way to find Sethe, Halle had been caught by schoolteacher, and somehow that day Sethe ended up locked in the barn and her milk taken from her while Halle watched, helplessly. Only her children managed to escape unharmed. In Chapter 25, Stamp Paid comes to try to convince Paul D to move out of the preacher’s cellar, ce llar, claiming that the people in the community will support him, even if “Pride…bothers em a bit.” Stamp Paid talks about his wife, and the pain he felt from being forced to give her up to his owner’s son. Stamp Paid defends Set he to he to Paul D, saying that she loved her children and was just trying to “out“out -hurt the hurter,” but Paul D refuses to relent, saying that he is scared of Sethe and disturbed by Beloved. Stamp Paid notices that besides him and Paul D, no one outside of 124 has ever seen Beloved. He wonders if she was the same girl gir l who was “locked up in the house with a w hite man” in a neighboring town. Apparently, that girl had been locked up with him “since she was a pup,” but had disappeared last summer after the white man died. died. Talking about Beloved triggers more painful memories for Paul D, and he wonders “How much is a n----r n----r supposed to take?” to which Stamp Paid replies, “All he can.”

Important Concepts/Passages: Page 203: "While Stamp paid...that's the way it was." •

•

Page 206-208: "When the click came...the peace of winter stars seemed permanent."

•

Page 209-212: Baby Suggs' sadness

•

Page 216-217: "I don't have to remember nothing...how bad is the scar?"

•

Discuss: what was schoolteacher's role at Sweet home? (224-231)

•

Page 234-235: "The day Stamp Paid...unspoken."

•

Chapters 20-23: look at the similarities in the openings

•

Page 260: “For years Paul P aul D believed schoolteacher broke into children what Garner had raised to men…just to stay alive in a place w here a moon he had no right to was nevertheless there.”

•

Page 277: “A shudder ran through Paul D…Why?” 18

Part Three "124 was quiet," begins the third sect ion of the novel. It is quiet because its inhabitants are tired and hungry. Sethe has been fired from work, and has put all her energies and life savings into making Beloved happy. However, Beloved is never satisfied: "Sethe was trying to make up for the handsaw; Beloved was making her pay for it." As food and money become scarce, Sethe attempts to reason with Beloved; she tries to explain what she has suffered and why she had to kill her. Beloved, however, retorts that Sethe was never there for her, and becomes violent as she becomes fat off of the sweets: "Beloved ate up [Sethe's] life, took it, swelled up with it, grew taller on it. And the older woman yielded it up without a murmur." Fearing for her mother's life, Denver decides for the first time in eighteen years to leave the house to ask for food. She goes to Lady Jones, her old o ld schoolteacher, who is delighted to help. Word spreads throughout the town, all of whose inhabitants remember Baby Suggs and the days 124 w as a waystation. The townspeople leave baskets of food in the yard, and Denver returns the baskets, slowly becoming acquainted with the people there. One day, Denver decides to get g et a job, and finds one at the Bodwins'. There, she tells the servant, Janey, about Beloved. Rumors quickly spread around the town, and Ella decides to lead a rescue to 124. On the day of the rescue, thirty women walk to 124, singing and praying. Simultaneously, Mr. Bodwin sets out for 1 24 to pick Denver up to work. wor k. With Denver on the porch waiting for him and the women in the front yard, Sethe and a seemingly pregnant Beloved emerg e. Through the rumors of the townspeople we ge t bits and pieces of what happened that day at 124. Sethe had spied Mr. Bodwin and had run out to kill him with the ice pick. Denver had wrestled her down. Mr. Bodwin had been so intent on staring at the naked Beloved on t he porch he hadn't noticed a thing. The thirty women had rushed to pin Sethe down, and when they looked back up Beloved had vanished. Meanwhile, Denver has gotten a second job at a shirt factory, and on her way to work she meets Paul D on the road and smiles to him, inviting him back to 124. A few days later, Paul D walks in and finds Sethe on Baby Suggs's bed. Paul D promises to take care of her, whispering that "You your best thing, Sethe." The novel’s end is ambiguous, leaving readers to construct meaning out of Beloved’s presence in the novel.

Important Concepts/Passages: Pg. 285-6: 285-6: “She was not like them…go ask somebody for help.”  Pgs. 294-5: 294-5: “As Denver’s outside life improved…yielded it up w ithout a murmur.”  Pgs. 307-315: Beloved's exorcism  Pgs. 322-323: 322-323: “There is a loneliness that cannot be rocked…Beloved.” 

19

VOCABULARY Directions for Vocabulary Work:  You will be responsible for maintaining your vocabulary journal (10 words per week). 25 words from this list will be o n your final assessment. WORDS AND SAMPLE SENTENCES/PHRASES SENTENCES/PHR ASES

DEFINITIONS DEFINITION S

1

Fugitive She is on the FBI’s list of most want fugitives.

Someone who flees from an unpleasant situation -especially fleeing law enforcement officers

2

Benevolent A benevolent contributor

Kind, generous, or charitable

3

Indifferent About a third are in favor of t he change, a third are opposed, and a third are indifferent.

Without interest -- in various senses such as: Unconcerned  Unsympathetic  Impartial  Not of good quality (which may imply average  or poor quality depending upon context)

4

Indolent -- as in: he is naturally indolent She never recovered from the indolence of her youth.

Lazy; disinclined to work

5

Scrutiny He scrutinized his likeness in the mirror

Careful examination of something

6

Deliberate -- as in: deliberate insult A deliberate decision

To do something intentionally

7

Agitate Agitate public opinion

To stir up -- emotionally (such as anxiety) or physically (such as shaking)

8

Futile A futile effort doomed form the start

Effort that is pointless because it is unproductive or unsuccessful

9

Discriminate -- as in: discriminating taste A discriminating interior designer

To recognize or perceive differences -- especially fine distinctions

10

Render -- as in: graph rendered from the data The pianist rendered the Beethoven sonata beautifully

Give an interpretation -- possibly giving something form or translating it into another form or: to extract from

11

Obliged He obliged her by listening attentively.

Indebted or grateful -- as in "I`m obliged to you." Or: required (obligated) to do something -- as in "I`m obliged to do the job." Or: granted a favor for someone -- as in "She asked for help and we obliged her."

12

Perfunctory She gave us menus and a perfunctory smile.

Done without much interest or effort -- especially as when dispensing with a formality

13

Tentative -- as in: a tentative plan Just a tentative schedule

With an expectation that there may be changes

20

14

Cajole She is working to convince, cajole, and pressure other Representatives to vote for the bill.

Gently persuade

15

Rebuke She was stung by the rebuke.

Criticize severely; or such criticism

16

Divert I tried to divert her attention.

To change the direction of something; or to distract someone`s attention or more rarely: to change the purpose for which something is used -- such as an army or funds

17

Profound -- as in: profound sadness The differences are profound

Of greatest intensity or emotional depth

18

Resolve He resolved never to drink again

To solve or definitely decide

19

Appropriate -- as in: it is appropriate These clothes aren`t appropriate for work.

Suitable (fitting) for a particular situation

20

Luminous A sky luminous with stars

Glowing or shining

21

Skeptical I am skeptical about her plan.

Doubting the truth of something or given to doubting in general

22

Circumvent The President circumvented Congress by appointing the U.N. Ambassador after the Senate adjourned for the summer.

Avoid or work around something

23

Devious -- as in: a devious plan She is devious and will do anything to win.

Deceitful (not honest and straightforward) -- often in a complicated, clever manner

24

Malicious Malicious gossip

Wanting to see others suffer; or threatening evil

25

Insistent The bluejay`s insistent cry

Persistent or continuing or firm -- e specially in maintaining a view or demanding something

26

Sedition The sedition law signed by John Adams proved unpopular and was soon allowed to expire.

Illegal acts encouraging resistance to government authority -- especially overthrow of the government

27

To unbury a corpse -- typically for medical investigation Exhume Investigators want to exhume the body for analysis, but the or reburial elsewhere family is objecting.

28

Vex A vexing problem

To cause annoyance

29

Sullen She changed from outgoing child to sullen teenager .

Showing a gloomy or bad mood -- often by not interacting with others in a friendly way

30

Present in great quantity Abundant She made it abundantly clear that she doesn`t want to gout with him. 21

31

Mockery I will not permit the defendant de fendant to make a mockery of this trial.

Ridicule (to make fun of) or: something so inadequate it is ridiculous (silly)

32

Emerge China`s emergence as a world power ...

To come out of, or to appear

33

Calamity The whole country was affected by the calamity of 9/11.

A disastrous event; or the distress resulting from it

34

Desolate The desolate surface of the moon

Empty, providing no shelter or sustenance or: feeling very sad and alone

35

Melancholy She`s been in a melancholy mood.

A feeling of thoughtful sadness; or sad in manner

36

Anxiety More than the usual pre-test anxiety

Nervousness or worry

37

Simulate A computer model is used to simulate the effects of wind.

Make an imitation or representation of

38

Congregate The crowds congregated in front of the Vatican on Christmas Eve

Come together, usually for a purpose

39

Impregnable -- as in: the fort was impregnable An impregnable fortress

Able to withstand attack

40

Provoke Her remarks provoked a public outcry.

To cause a reaction -- typically t ypically an emotional reaction such as anger; and often caused intentionally

41

Apparent The effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields.

Clear or obvious; or appearing as such but not necessarily so

42

Wither The grapes withered on the vine.

To shrivel (wrinkle and contract -- usually from lack of water) or: to become weaker; or feel humiliated

43

Confront You must confront your problems.

To deal directly with an unpleasant situation or person or: to challenge someone -- often by presenting evidence

44

Noisome The noisome atmosphere of the Nairobi slum

Causing or able to cause nausea -- especially from odor or: 22

harmful

45

Compliance In compliance with the law

To conform to rules or the wishes of others

46

Intricate An intricate plan

Complicated -- having many complexly arranged elements

47

Compassion She looked on without compassion.

Sympathy for another`s suffering and wanting to help

48

Antagonism The inherent antagonism of capitalism and socialism

Hostility or opposition or: the relation between opposing principles, forces, or factors

49

Solemn He took a solemn oath.

Serious, dignified and sincere in manner

50

Accustomed In the United States we`re accustomed to forming our own opinion about the promises of advertisements and politicians.

Psychologically or physically used to something

This novel guide was created by D. Miller and adapted/compiled in part from the following resources: Stanford Study Guide for Beloved Beloved: A Homework Online Study Guide Verbal Workout: Beloved 124 Bluestone Road Wiki

23