Week 7 discussion questions
Sweat,” by Zora Neale Hurston,
Questions About Marriage
Why do you think Delia stays with Sykes for 15 years?
Do you think Delia is a good wife?
Was it easy or hard to get a divorce in the 1920s? Do you think this has something to do with Delia staying with Sykes?
Can we find any redeeming qualities in Sykes as a husband?
Questions About Society & Class
Judging by the characters presented, are the most of the towns folk lower class? Why or why not?
Why do you think Hurston focuses on Delia, a working woman?
How are whites viewed in the context of the story?
How are African American men viewed in “Sweat”? More specifically, how is Sykes seen by his peers?
Questions About Men & Masculinity
Why do none of the men (minus Joe Clarke) seem employed?
Why does Sykes stay with Delia if he seems to like Bertha better?
Compare and contrast the way Sykes treats Delia and how he treats Bertha.
How do the rest of the men view Sykes?
Questions About Suffering & Struggle
Why does Delia continue to suffer with Sykes? Why not let him go?
How could Delia ease her suffering besides divorcing Sykes?
Do you think Delia would suffer more or less as a single woman?
What other characters demonstrate suffering and struggle, if any?
Questions About Religion
How would the marriage of Sykes and Delia be considered in the church?
Do you think Delia stays with Sykes out of a sense of religious duty?
What comfort does Delia get from God? Mention quotes from the text.
Is Delia’s faith a help or an excuse for why she is still with Sykes?
Questions About Gender
Why do you think the only woman with dialogue in “Sweat” is Delia Jones? What effect does that have on you as a reader?
How would you categorize or describe Bertha? What sort of women is she?
What do the men do in “Sweat”?
Do you think Delia Jones is an exceptional woman, given the historical context (1920’s rural American south) of the story?
A ROSE FOR EMILY QUESTIONS
What is important about the title of the short story, “A Rose for Emily”? What are the multiple meanings for the “rose”?
What are the conflicts in “A Rose for Emily”? What types of conflict (physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional) do you see in this story?
How does William Faulkner reveal character in “A Rose for Emily”?
What are some themes in the story? How do they relate to the plot and characters?
What are some symbols in “A Rose for Emily”? How do they relate to the plot and characters?
Do you find the characters likable? Would you want to meet the characters?
What is significant about the gray hair at the end of the short story?
What is the central/primary purpose of the story? Is the purpose important or meaningful?
How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else?
What is the role of women in the text? What about single/independent women? What about the role of wife and mother?
What Does The William Faulkner Quote “The Only Thing Worth Writing About Is The Human Heart In Conflict With Itself” Mean?