1. BELOVED: The Novel and Film Presented by: Shannon Sprentall and Joanna Pierson Shannon Sprentall and Joanna Pierson Edited By: Laura Pratt and Dr. Kay Picart

2. Margaret Garner: Inspiration for the novel

3. Characters Sethe: Sethe: Denver: Denver: Beloved: Beloved: Halle: Halle: Paul D.: Paul D.: Baby Suggs (Grandma Baby): Baby Suggs (Grandma Baby):

4. Map of Free and Slave States, before Civil War http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&q=map+of+slavery+states+&btnG=Search http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&q=map+of+slavery+states+&btnG=Search

5. http://images.google.com/images?q=map+of+ohio+&hl=en&btnG=Google+Se arch

6. Morrison, on her novel: The novel is not, she said, about slavery. “Slavery is very predictable,” she said. “There it is, and there’s some stuff about how it is, and then you get out of it or you don’t. It cant be driven by slavery. It has to be the interior life of some people, a small group of people, and everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but they are also people.” The novel is not, she said, about slavery. “Slavery is very predictable,” she said. “There it is, and there’s some stuff about how it is, and then you get out of it or you don’t. It cant be driven by slavery. It has to be the interior life of some people, a small group of people, and everything that they do is impacted on by the horror of slavery, but they are also people.”

7. Themes we would like address: _________________ _________________

8. Magical Realism _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________

9. Back to us: To be able to delve into this narrative, one must first get past a non-belief in the supernatural. To be able to delve into this narrative, one must first get past a non-belief in the supernatural. A ghost present seems normal to all the characters A ghost present seems normal to all the characters

10. Discussion Question: Why do you think Morrison uses this “unbelievable” supernatural to explain a past that is true?

11. Motherhood/Womanhood “One of the nice things that women do,” she said, “is nurture and love something other than themselves- they do that rather nicely. Instinctively, perhaps, but the are certainly taught to do it, socialized to do it, or genetically predisposed to do it- whatever it is, its something that I think the majority of women feel strongly about. But mother love is also a killer.” NY Times (1987) “One of the nice things that women do,” she said, “is nurture and love something other than themselves- they do that rather nicely. Instinctively, perhaps, but the are certainly taught to do it, socialized to do it, or genetically predisposed to do it- whatever it is, its something that I think the majority of women feel strongly about. But mother love is also a killer.” NY Times (1987)

12. Whoa

13. The “Sermons” of Baby Suggs: nothing left to give but her heart. “Preached” in a clearing in the woods. A tree stump was her pulpit. “Preached” in a clearing in the woods. A tree stump was her pulpit. “It started that way: laughing children, dancing men, crying women and then it got mixed up. Women stopped crying and danced; men sat down and cried; children danced, women laughed, children cried until, exhausted and riven, all and each lay about the Clearing damp and gasping for breath. In the silence that followed, Baby Suggs, holy, offered up to them her great big heart” (88). “It started that way: laughing children, dancing men, crying women and then it got mixed up. Women stopped crying and danced; men sat down and cried; children danced, women laughed, children cried until, exhausted and riven, all and each lay about the Clearing damp and gasping for breath. In the silence that followed, Baby Suggs, holy, offered up to them her great big heart” (88).

14. The Body _____________________________________ ____________________________________ _____________________________________ ____________________________________

15. The Bodily Reminders of the Past: SCARS- _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _______________________ SCARS- _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _______________________

16. scars __________________________ __________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________

17. Parallel Opposites Using Magical realism to explain the truths about the past (slavery) Using Magical realism to explain the truths about the past (slavery) Ghost as a human form. Beloved died as an infant, comes back in an 18-year old body, the mind of a 2 year old Ghost as a human form. Beloved died as an infant, comes back in an 18-year old body, the mind of a 2 year old Sethe’s body is free, her memory still in chains (shown by the constant flashbacks in text and film) Sethe’s body is free, her memory still in chains (shown by the constant flashbacks in text and film) Morrison creates the male characters as psychologically weaker Morrison creates the male characters as psychologically weaker

18. Last thoughts: What do you think? Did Sethe do what she had to do? Should she have killed her child?

19. Works Cited: Beloved. Dir. Demme, Jonathan. Winfrey, Oprah and Glover, Danny. 1998. Beloved. Dir. Demme, Jonathan. Winfrey, Oprah and Glover, Danny. 1998. DuBois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. New York: Norton & Co., reissued date, 1999 (Eds. Gates, Jr., Henry and Oliver, Terri. Harvard University). DuBois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. New York: Norton & Co., reissued date, 1999 (Eds. Gates, Jr., Henry and Oliver, Terri. Harvard University). Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: A Plume Book, 1988. Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: A Plume Book, 1988. Rios, Alberto, “Magical Realism: Definitions,”http://www.public.asu.edu/~aarios/resou rcebank/definitions/ Rios, Alberto, “Magical Realism: Definitions,”http://www.public.asu.edu/~aarios/resou rcebank/definitions/http://www.public.asu.edu/~aarios/resou rcebank/definitions/http://www.public.asu.edu/~aarios/resou rcebank/definitions/