The Color Purple #6: Discussion Questions – Entire Novel #3 (Spoilers!)

Directions:  If you would like to respond to this prompt as one of your blog posts, you need to give a detailed, text-oriented response to at least three of the questions below.  Be sure to number them.  Remember, you may also respond and build on others’ comments.

1.      Explain the character of Shug Avery. What does Celie learn from her?

2.      Why does the plot end as a comedy?

3.      What roles do women occupy in the novel, both black and white? What measure of freedom do women enjoy in these roles?

4.      Consider the epistolary (letter) form of the novel. What benefits derive from this form for the telling of the story? What drawbacks does it have?

5.       List, analyze, and evaluate the various gender crossings in the novel.

6.      Explain the reunions that take place at the end of the novel. Is there anything that is not reconciled or re-united? Explain your answer.

7.      The main subplot revolves around Nettie in Africa. How does this relate to and impact the main plot of Celie?

The Color Purple #5: Discussion Questions – Entire Novel #2 (Spoilers!)

The Color Purple #5: Discussion Questions – Entire Novel #2 (Spoilers!)

Directions:  If you would like to respond to this prompt as one of your blog posts, you need to give a detailed, text-oriented response to at least three of the questions below.  Be sure to number them.  Remember, you may also respond and build on others’ comments.

1. Trace the development of Albert's character. How does he change and why?
2. Fully explain what has caused Celie's low self-esteem in the first half of the novel?
3. How does Celie succeed in overcoming her low self-esteem?
4. Fully describe the relationship between Nettie and Celie, making sure to explain how the relationship ends in happiness.
5. What are some instances of racism in the novel?
6. Fully explain the role of sex in the novel.
7. Why is this a feminist novel?

The Color Purple #4: Discussion Questions – Entire Novel #1 (Spoilers!)

Directions:  If you would like to respond to this prompt as one of your blog posts, you need to give a detailed, text-oriented response to at least three of the questions below.  Be sure to number them.  Remember, you may also respond and build on others’ comments.

1. Was the book what you expected it to be?  What did you expect?
2. Are there any parts of the book that moved or inspired you?  Which ones stood out in your mind?  Why?
3. What is the significance of the title?  Why do you think the author chose to use this title?  What is so special about the color purple?
4. What does it take for Celie to finally reach her boiling point and reject oppression?
5. What is Celie’s opinion of Grady and his haze of addiction?
6. Why is it difficult for Shug to commit to the people who love her?  In what ways does Shug bring both pleasure and heartache to them?
7. Nettie’s life with Corrine and Samuel gives her the first semblance of a healthy family life she has ever known, but Corrine’s jealousy taints this.  Only the memory of that crucial early scene, when Celie lays eyes on her daughter at the store, absolves Nettie just before Corrine dies.  Do you think Corrine truly forgave Nettie and believed her story?  Why or why not?
8. This novel brims with intricate turns of plot.  List the seemingly minor scenes that turn out to be pivotal in the lives of the characters.

Discussion Questions: Pages 103-199

Directions:  If you would like to respond to this prompt as one of your blog posts, you need to give a detailed, text-oriented response to at least three of the questions below.  Be sure to number them.  Remember, you may also respond and build on others’ comments.

1. How would you describe the relationship between Mr. ______ and his father, and the relationship between Harpo and Mr. ______?
2. Why do the Olinka not identify with Samuel, Corrine, and Nettie on the basis of race?
3. Do Celie’s letters to God and her letters to Nettie have a different feel to them or do they seem the same?  What do you think of Celie’s habit of ending her letters to Nettie with “Amen”?
4. What role do you think Sofia plays in the novel? Describe her character and how she contributes to the themes in the book.
5. Why do you think Celie’s husband hid Nettie’s letters rather than destroying them?  Does this choice say anything about who he is as a person?
6. Is the story believable to you?  Why or why not?  Does believability matter to you in a “real-life” type of book?
7. Has there been a part of the book that haunts you?  Which part(s)?  Why?

Discussion Questions: Pages 1-102

Directions:  If you would like to respond to this prompt as one of your blog posts, you need to give a detailed, text-oriented response to at least three of the questions below.  Be sure to number them.  Remember, you may also respond and build on others’ comments.

1. Was the book what you expected it to be?  Why or why not?  What did you expect?
2. In Celie’s first letter to God, she asks for a sign to let her know what is happening to her.  Discuss the way confusion and deception become powerful tools for those characters who want to take advantage of Celie.
3. Unravel the layer of lies that are told throughout the novel so far.  Compare the lies that Celie is expected to believe with the actual truth about her world.  These lies can be concrete (her impression that Pa is poor) or abstract (the assertion that she is unintelligent).
4. What is the effect of not knowing Albert’s last name? In early novels, it was not uncommon for authors to use a blank in place of a character’s name, to create the illusion that the character was someone the reader might know—someone whose identity had to be kept secret. What does it mean that Celie must call her husband Mr. _____?  Do you think she will ever call him by his real first or last name?
5. Describe your first impressions of two of the following characters: Celie, Pa (Alphonso), Nettie, Shug Avery, Harpo, Mr. _______.
6. In your opinion, with examples from the text, which character treats Celie the worst?  Why do you think they treat her in that manner?
7. How does Shug Avery’s life differ from Celie’s?  Are these different paths in life due to their own actions, the situations they were born into, or their own personalities?  Explain.
8. What does the way the community reacts to Shug Avery’s illness say about the status of women?
9. Choose one main character, and explain why you like/dislike them, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and make a prediction about what you think will happen to them.

Censorship Reflection

Directions:  If you would like to respond to this prompt as one of your blog posts, you need to answer all questions below.

1. List ten books you have read.  If you can’t think of ten, list books you have either heard about or seen the movie version.
2. Look at your list of ten books.  Write down any reason you think people might want to ban or censor each work.  Reasons could include (but are not limited to) social, political, or religious content, profanity, sexual situations or identities, or violence.
3. Are there any authors you can think of that have never had their books banned?  Explain your reasoning (hint:  you have all read something by this author in school).
4. How would life be different if there were no books? Would things be better or worse? Why? Would life be easier or harder? Why? Would your life change? How?  Respond in 5-7 thoughtful sentences.