Study Questions, The Invention of Wings

Multiple choice and matching questions will be pulled from the following:

1. Where and when is novel set at its beginning? Fully analyze the first line: “There was a time in Africa the people could fly.” Who said this? To whom? What themes in the story does the statement introduce?

2. What were the signs that Sarah’s family had elite status? What happened to the slave, Rosetta? How was Sarah affected by this? What made her 11th birthday unforgettable? Explain the importance of the certificate of manumission.

3. Describe the church service at St. Philip’s in regard to seating arrangements and the message of the sermon. Why did Sarah get into trouble in the Colored Sunday School? Were Reverend Hall and the other white church members good Christians? Fully explain.

4. What did Mauma teach Handful about the quilts and the spirit tree? What kind of colors and shapes did Mauma favor in her quilt-making? Why did she steal the bolt of green cloth from her mistress? What resulted?

5. How did Mr. Grimké find out that Sarah was teaching Hetty to read? Describe the punishment that each received. How did Charlotte soon take advantage of Hetty’s ability to write?

6. Describe the importance in Charlotte of the Work House and the City Guard. What made the whites of Charleston feel so insecure?

7. Why had Sarah moved north by 1821? What attracted her to the Quakers? What were the signs that Sarah’s younger sister, Nina, was also a rebel? What experiences eventually inspired Nina to join Sarah in Philadelphia? How did Sarah and Nina soon get in trouble in the Quaker meetinghouse?

8. Why was a letter that Nina wrote to a newspaper so problematic? What was this newspaper and what did people think of it back in Charleston? How did Sarah and Nina now begin to serve the abolitionist movement? What made their contributions so valuable?

9. Why did were the Grimké sisters soon called “female incendiaries?” What nickname did their enemies give Nina?

10. Why does Sarah ultimately have to help Handful and Sky escape? How did they manage to do this successfully? Why was there a big silver button on the collar of Sarah’s dress?

11. Be able to identify the following characters: Aunt-Sister, Tomfry, Charlotte, Missus, Mary, Thomas, Burke Williams, Israel Morris, Goodis, Lucretia Mott, Sky, Sarah Mapps, Hector, Theodore Weld

Everyone will write the following short essay on their quiz that will be worth 5 points and can be answered in 3 or 4 good sentences:

1. Quilts and blackbirds are powerful symbols through this novel. What important roles do both play in its very last pages? Research a song entitled “Blackbird” written by Paul McCartney of the Beatles and discuss its relevance to The Invention of Wings.

Of the following 20-point essay choices, two of the three will appear on your quiz. So, if you prepare a good detailed answer of 12 to 14 sentences for any two of them, you’ll be ready once you open your quiz. Be ready to cite one page from the novel in your answer in order to get credit.

1. How does the novel introduce us to Denmark Vesey? What were the objectives and results of the slave revolt he planned? State the importance of Gullah Jack, Tom the Blacksmith, and “1884” to this part of the story. What role did Handful play in the plot? What do we learn about Vesey’s execution? Who or what is our source for the details of his death?

2. The escaped slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass notably observed in his autobiography how he saw “the brutalizing effects of slavery upon both slave and slaveholder.” Give a good example from this novel of the terrible effects of slavery on both a white and black character. Which episode in this book stands out to you as the most devastating example of the slavery’s sheer cruelty? Give full details to support your choices.

3. Give several good examples from the novel of the importance of books and reading. What revelations did Handful gain from reading the account book in master Grimké’s library? Why was the The Sacred Biography of Jeanne d’Arc so precious a title to Sarah? (You will need to do some basic research on the life of Joan of Arc—Jeanne d’Arc—and incorporate some of this content into your answer.)