Day of Tears

With which character do you empathize the most? With which character do you empathize the least? Explain your reasoning using examples from the text. 

What role does artifice play in the novel? What role does truth? How are these ideas related to the themes and symbols found within the book?

Describe the juxtaposition between light and dark within the novel. In what way do these relate to the juxtaposition between Blackness and whiteness? Explain your answer using evidence from the text. 

The book, referred to as “a novel in dialogue,” is not regarded as a play. Why do you think Lester decided to write the novel as a dialogue instead of writing the work as a play? How are these two genres different from each other? How does the novel’s structure relate to the subject matter at hand?

The author argues that the reason he decided to write this book was because he wanted to “make real those who did not have the opportunity to tell their stories for themselves” (176). Do you think he was successful in this venture? Why or why not?

Compare the role that freedom plays in the characters of Emma, Jeffrey, and Sampson. How is freedom the same for these individuals? How is it different? Do these characters’ ideas of freedom change over the course of the narrative? If so, how? If not, why not?

What purpose do the Interludes serve in terms of the narrative? How might the narrative be different if they were not included? Why do you think the author chose to write the story in this manner, instead of chronologically?

Describe the importance of positionality, both in terms of physical location and social status. How do these two ideas interact with each other? Explain your answer using textual examples.