Beloved Lit Circle Meeting #1:

Objective #1: Discuss the following concerning the first reading: Character Development,
Setting, Plot Development, Miscellaneous Literary Features of the Text

Discussion Questions:

1. It is known that the main characters used to work at Sweet Home; what
does the connotation of the name suggest? Is this ironic? (setting)
2. What is significant about the description of Sethe as being iron?
(character development)
3. Is it ironic that Paul D is smoking tobacco? Why? What is the symbolism
of his action? (character development)
4. Describe the relationship between Paul D and Sethe. (character
development/ plot development)
5. What does Sethe mean when she discusses the “tree” in her back? What
is the symbolism? Is this character marked (for “greatness”)?
(plot/character development)
6. What does the literal smashing of the kitchen foreshadow that Sethe
says? What is significant about this?
7. When Denver establishes that she no longer sleeps in the room where
her brother’s slept, what does this say about her character? What does it
say about her relationship with her brothers? How does this relationship
exemplify to the reader the broken relationships found throughout the first
reading? (character development)
8. What is significant about the ​white​ images (staircase, dresses, snow) that
keep being referred to throughout the first reading? (setting)
9. Sethe discusses how men will “run her children out and tear up the
house” (Morrison 26). What is the significance of this statement? (Plot
development)
10. What is significant about the contrast between the way that Sweet Home
is described and the horrible things that take place there? (Setting
development/Plot development)
11. What is the importance of the way that Sethe describes her house as
haunted by her baby? What could the baby possibly symbolize? (Setting
development/Plot development)
12. What is the significance and symbolism of the place where Denver goes
to find refuge? How does the way that its use change over time indicate
her maturity? (Character development)
13. Amy talks about going to Boston and focuses on the velvet that she is
expecting to see when she gets there. What do Boston and velvet have to
do with each other? What is symbolic about this? (plot development/
setting development)
 14. How has Sethe’s circumstances and trials throughout her life shaped her
into the unfeeling, numb, fearful to live life person? (plot development/
character development)

Objective #2: Examine the Close Reading Samples Provided by the Producer

Excerpts:

1. Top of page 11 ~ light versus dark imagery

2. Page 35-36 ~ religious imagery
3. Poems on page 48 ~ connecting the literary development of the poem to
the context of the book

Objective #3: Discuss Thematic Development Concerning Parallels Between the Close Reading
and the Entire Reading

Themes:

We will first discuss emerging themes within in the excerpts, and then we will
switch over to connecting the emerging themes from the excerpts to the text as a
whole.

Here we will brainstorm a list of emerging themes

1. Lack of human connections

2. Family dynamics
3. Family secrets
4. Haunting past experiences
5. Difficult life choices
6. Isolation
7. Slavery
8. Immorality
9. Harshness of life
10. Grief
11. Reminders of the past
12. Perseverance
13. Hope
14. Moving forward from the past
15. Miracles and the beauty of life