Beloved
WebQuest
Created by:
Melanie Z., Megan R., Valerie V.
5-24-00
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Graphic from: http://www.afroam.org/history/slavery/main.html
INTRODUCTION:
"No more driver call for me,
No more driver call;
No more driver call for me,
Many a thousand die!
No more peck of corn for me,
No more peck of corn;
No more peck of corn for me,
Many a thousand die!
No more hundred lash for me,
No more hundred lash;
No more hundred lash for me,
Many a thousand die!"
Such slave songs represent the pain and misery
that slaves endured. In this website, you, the reader, will experience
some of the events through which slaves suffered, and will in turn learn
how slavery affected the souls of the slaves and what history inspired
Toni Morrison to write novels like Beloved.
TASK 1: To answer questions
on slave resistance and the slave trade and to write a poem/passage about
the slave trade
Resources:
Process: Look at the websites
listed. In the site called "Black Resistance:Slavery in America," look
at the passage on the side of the page under the heading "Slavery was a
hard time, not a happy time." Using the passage, answer the following questions
about the slave trade:
-
What ironies does the author see in the actions of
the traders and the treatment of the slaves?
-
What effect does the personification of the slave
trade have on the readers?
-
What is the importance of the slaves lacking last
names?
-
What words aptly describe the captain of the slave
ship?
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What effects do you think these conditions have on
the lives of the slaves?
Look at the website called "Black resistance: Banner."
This will take you to an image of a banner describing slave resistance.
Read the banner and answer the following questions:
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What does this banner say about the will of the slaves?
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Explain how some of this will affected Sethe and caused
her to do what she did in Beloved.
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What is meant by the statement "They lost but they
won?"
-
What might be some symbolism involved in the statement
"And some master was always hunting for them?"
Then, using the knowledge you have gained through
answering the questions, write a short poem (5-10 lines) describing the
reality of the slave trade or describing a slave revolt, factual or fictional.
Evaluation: The students must
answer the questions correctly to receive credit for the first part. The
answers are:
-
The ironies are: the fact that the slave trader prayed
and held religious service while at the same time trading the lives of
human beings, the fact that the bishop stood in the harbor baptizing slaves
that would be allowed no souls of their own, and the fact that the captain
is described as a "kind" man who forced his slaves either to eat or break
their teeth.
-
By personifying the slave trade as an evil man, the
readers are more apt to look at the trade as a man with no heart who has
no respect for the lives of other human beings.
-
The lack of last names suggests that the slaves have
no real importance to anyone around them, particularly whites, and that
when they die or escape, there is really no record of their existence at
all. They have no identity.
-
The captain, though described as kind and pious, is
in actuality a heartless man with no consideration for the health and well-being
of other human beings.
-
These conditions make the slaves unhappy and generally
live lives filled with misery and the thought that no one cares for them.
-
The will of the slaves is very great, and led them
to pursue freedom through revolts and escapes.
-
Sethe escaped Sweet Home, and, in an attempt to prevent
her children from suffering the same fate of slavery as she, killed her
daughter when the master returned to take Sethe back to slavery.
-
Though many slaves died or suffered in their attempts
to gain freedom, ultimately, the slaves won because they were freed.
-
Though the slaves may have escaped, their pasts, like
Sethe’s, continue to follow them throughout the rest of their lives.
Rubric for poem:
|
Accomplished
(3 pts)
|
Developing
(2 pts)
|
Beginning
(1 pt)
|
Score |
| Subject relevance |
Deals directly and efficiently
with trade or revolt |
Mentions or attempts to
relate trade to poem |
Poem is written but does
not deal with subject |
|
| Length |
7-10 lines
|
4-6 lines
|
1-3 lines
|
|
| Effect |
Gives reader a clear idea
of slave trade; brings in ideas from website |
Gives reader some idea
of slave trade or revolt |
Reader is unclear about
slave trade, but trade is mentioned |
|
| Detail |
Greatly detailed, words
from passages used, poem is fresh and interesting |
Somewhat detailed, poem
describes slave trade but leaves reader without resolution or lacking satisfaction |
No detail at all, poem
is dry and dull |
|
| |
|
|
|
TOTAL: |
TASK 2: Reflections of Slavery
Resources:
Process:
-
Write a one-page journal in which you describe your
life as a slave. Use the above websites for suggestions
-
Pretend that you are a child standing on the auction
block as you’re about to be sold and separated from your mother and the
rest of your family indefinitely. How do you feel? Use the above websites
for ideas. #21 in excerpts from slave narratives may be especially
helpful. Your answer should be as long as you deem necessary
-
Once again, reference #21 from excerpts from slave
narratives, how many children does Clarke’s mother have?
-
How many of her children (using the info from the
above question) get sold to the same master as herself?
Evaluation:
-
Will be judged upon length, quality and incorporation
of the websites. Some events that could be included is the daily hardships,
the cruel punishments, or perhaps nice masters. Also students may mention
the difficulty of being separated from family, and even just dealing with
everyday family life in the context of slavery.
-
Quality is more important than quantity. Once again,
the question will be judged on how the student incorporated the websites
and based on the quality of writing. To be creative, the student could
write in slave dialect for added affect.
-
Clarke’s mother had nine children
-
She ends up being sold and doesn’t end up with any
of her children. She begs for her new master to please buy at least one
of her children, but he cruelly denies her this wish.
TASK 3: The
student is to go to the webpages provided about Toni Morrison and her Pulitzer
Prize winning novel Beloved. They are to find the answers to various
questions amongst the passages shown.
Resources:
Process: Journey to
the websites given above. Read through them and try to answer the following
questions regarding the life of Toni Morrison, author of Beloved.
Then respond to the creative writing questions.
Short Answer
-
What was Toni Morrison’s name given to her at birth?
-
Where and on what date was Morrison born?
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Who did Toni Morrison say gave her "the inspiration?"
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Name 3 novels written by Morrison other than Beloved?
-
Name 2 awards that Morrison received to honor her
writing?
Creative Writing
1. Pretend that you are Toni Morrison, and you
have just been honored as the first black female to receive the Nobel Prize
for literature. Write a one paragraph response describing how you feel.
2. You have just received your Nobel Prize, now
write a brief acceptance speech for the ceremony.
Evaluation:
Short Answers
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Chloe Anthony Wofford
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Feb. 18, 1931; Lorain, Ohio
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Her Father
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Tar Baby, The Bluest Eye, Song of
Solomon, others can be accepted
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Nobel Prize for Literature, Pulitzer Prize
Creative Writing
For both short essays, the student must write a
detailed essay that is rich with emotional vernacular. He/she must use
words that convey a sense of pride, joy, and excitement. The student must
also show that he/she used the websites provided, by simulating how
Toni Morrison felt.
CONCLUSION: Hopefully, from completing the above
tasks, one will have come out with a better understanding of the novel.
The tasks are intended to enforce the basic themes of Beloved.
Return to Mr.
Miller's Webquests
