Response Question: Advice from the Master (182-end)

In the last few pages of the novel, Jefferson gives Sally several distinct pieces of advice. Choose ONE of his statements and analyze what he was saying.
-What was the true message of his advice?
-Do you think he really believed this statement?
-Do you think Sally will follow this piece of advice, or choose to go against it?

Jefferson in Paris

When Jefferson traveled to Paris (before he became president), he took Sally Hemings and other slaves with him. While Hemings could have conceivably stayed in France as a free woman, she chose to return to Monticello with Jefferson and remain a slave.

These events were fictionalized and turned into a film called "Jefferson in Paris," made in 1995. (Pictured are Nick Nolte as Jefferson and Thandie Newton as Sally Hemings.)

Read more about the film here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113463/

Response Question: "not one scrap of paper" (183-end)

Before he leaves, Beverly shares with Harriet that Jefferson keeps no written record of his supposed children -- only in the lists with his other slaves. Why is this relevant to the siblings?

What is the effect of keeping a written record of things? What are some of the ways that you and/or your family write things down?

Response Question: Hemings' "dream world" (182-end)

On page 193, Harriet describes that, for her mother Sally, there is a line "drawn between her dream world and the real one... I don't understand how she can keep them separate. But I think she knows she must or she will go mad."

What does Sally Hemings' "dream world" look like? Give a specific details about what her dream looks like. Do you think her maintaining this dream is a good or bad thing?

Response Question: White Women, Nigra Women (125-182)

When she first meets her potential suitor, Thad, Harriet gets into an argument about who has more freedom, white women or slave women. Who does Harriet think is better off? Explain why YOU think she has this viewpoint. When Thad says that "they [Harriet's mother and grandmother] made the best of the world they were given," what does he mean?

Response Question: Three Brothers (125-182)

In this section of the book, Harriet has discussions with each of her three brothers -- Beverly, Eston, and Madison -- about her decision to pass for white and leave Monticello. Each brother has a different opinion about the matter. Which brother do you agree with the most? What specifically did they say that you agree with?

Response Question: Facts about home (125-182)

On pages 179-181, Harriet lists several little facts and details about life at Monticello. Choose one of these facts she shares. What does this little memory show you about her life as a slave? What do you think will happen to these facts and figures if she goes to Washington City?

More about passing

While it is no longer legal to discriminate on the basis of race, people who can "pass" for white often face difficulties and prejudice when people automatically assume they are Caucasian. They often struggle with their family legacies, where their parents or grandparents had to hide their true identities in order to get good work (or suffer discrimination by choosing not to pass.)

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:



Although Barbara Douglass never told anyone she was white, people see her porcelain skin and her silky hair and assume she is.

But Douglass, who lives in Wilkinsburg, is a 53-year-old black woman. She could pass for white but she has never tried, she said.

"Growing up, I knew of people who did, and I was even instructed not to say, at that time, that they were colored. In order to get their jobs, they had to say they were white."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/lifestyle/20031026stain1026fnp2.asp

Have you ever been mistaken for belonging to a different race? Have you ever assumed somebody you met belonged to a particular racial or ethnic group, only to find out later that your assumption was wrong? What have you learned from these experiences?

Response Question: Forgetting home (62-125)

When Harriet presents her dilemma to her mother, we learn that Sally Hemings has heard from Harriet's brother Tom, but never told anyone. Why do you think Sally Hemings chose to keep her son's letters to herself? (Why might a slave choose to "forget" a family member who has passed for white?) Give specific reasons.

Harriet worries that she will also be "forgotten" like Tom if she leaves Monticello. Do you think this will happen if she does leave? Why or why not?

Response Question: Passing (62-125)

After the altercation with Bankhead, Mister Randolph suggests to Harriet that she should consider "passing" for white. Randolph explains the many reasons he thinks Harriet should do it, but Harriet has her concerns.

Name one specific advantage Harriet will have if she does this, and one disadvantage. Based on their conversation, what do you think Harriet will choose to do? What would you do in her place?

Response Question: Mister Charles Randolph (62-125)

In the second part of the novel, we learn more about Charles Bankhead, the husband of Jefferson's granddaughter Anne. Explain what happened between Bankhead and Harriet in the house, and how Mister Randolph (Jefferson's son, and Anne's father) reacts. Then answer the following questions:

Why doesn't Mister Randolph kill or banish Bankhead, even though he wants to?

And:

Do you think Mister Randolph's reaction to the situation is realistic? Meaning, do you think it is realistic for a slave owner to defend one of his slaves -- or does it just make for a good scene in the book? Why or why not?