Agenda
- Attendance Quiz
- Discuss "The Conscience of the Court" and "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" in small groups
- Discuss Assignment 2
- Meet in groups to set up group roles and discuss story preferences. Agenda for that meeting is available here.
- Draw for and select presentation date/story
- What do you think of Laura Lee's loyalty and dedication to Celestine? Is it deserved? Why or why not? Should Laura Lee taken the chance to leave one of the three times she could? If so, which time and why? If not, why?
- When the court offers Laura Lee a lawyer, she declines. Re-reading the two paragraphs at the bottom of page 683 and continuing on the top of page 684 (start with "There was a pause..."), what do you think Hurston means by these paragraphs? How did she "cover a lot of ground"? Why does the judge flush and think about law school?
- Does Laura Lee telling her own story in her own voice help the story? Or does her rambling slow down the action in the courtroom? Why do you think Hurston chose to include her testimony?
- How do you feel about the verdict in Laura Lee's trial? Is it hopeful? Or does it paint an unrealistic picture of how the legal system treated black defendants?
- What does this story show us about relationships and conflict across races less than 60 years ago?
- What conflicts does Laura Lee face in this story? Which one do you think is the most difficult for her to face?
- What does manhood seem to mean to Dave? How does he define being a man?
- What are the effect of dialogue, limited point of view, dialect, and setting? What about the switches between dialect throughout (especially in the contrast between an external narrator and Dave's perspective)?
- Re-read the final section of the story, starting at the break on page 1617. What do you notice in Wright's diction and syntax here? Based on the final few paragraphs, what do you expect in his future?
- What conflicts does Dave face in the story? How does he handle the conflicts?
- How does the tradition of gun ownership factor into the story? What about Dave's situation seems to support his desire for a gun? Why do you think Dave wants a gun so much?
- Read "The Conversion of the Jews" and "Angel Levine"
- Blog in response to one of the discussion questions
- Consider which story your group will choose for your presentation and complete any other action items described by your group
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