Black Beauty and the other horses in the novel are often confused by human behaviors and practices. These behaviors include consuming alcohol, conforming to arbitrary norms of “fashion,” hunting for sport, and going to war. How does Sewell use the bewilderment expressed by horses to criticize these practices? How does the reaction of the horses to these practices relate to the theme of the Inherent Goodness of Animals? Teaching Suggestion: This prompt highlights the role of animals as objective observers who can sometimes assess situations more accurately than humans can. Consider connecting this notion of detached observation to historical progression: What are some practices and behaviors that were once normalized and taken for granted but now seem bizarre or hard to understand? What current practices and norms would seem strange or confusing if an animal or alien observed them in a completely detached way? Differentiation Suggestion: For visual or English language learners this prompt could be converted to a visual activity in which students create 2 side-by-side illustrations of an activity—one from a human viewpoint and one from an animal viewpoint. A human perspective of a hunting scene might focus on the excitement and suspense while an animal’s viewpoint might depict the same event as violent and frightening.

Genres

Action & Adventure

Health & Wellness

Addiction

Natural World

Animals in Literature

Society

Class

Social Issues

Contemporary Books on Social Justice

History: World

European History

Juvenile Literature

Popular Study Guides

Poverty & Homelessness

Humanities

Religion & Spirituality

School Book List Titles

Sexual Harassment & Violence

Literary Area of Study

Victorian Literature

Literary Movement

Victorian Literature / Period

Anna Sewell

Middle grade

Novel

Fiction

Guide

Study Guide

Teaching Guide

Book Brief

Explore Black Beauty reviews, reading age recommendations, and essential genre and thematic details before you start reading.

About Black Beauty

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Overview

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Black Beauty Summary and Study Guide

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-10

Black Beauty Part 1, Chapters 1-10 Summary & Analysis

Part 1, Chapters 11-21

Black Beauty Part 1, Chapters 11-21 Summary & Analysis

Part 2, Chapters 22-31

Black Beauty Part 2, Chapters 22-31 Summary & Analysis

Part 3, Chapters 32-41

Black Beauty Part 3, Chapters 32-41 Summary & Analysis

Part 3, Chapters 42-45 & Part 4, Chapters 46-49

Black Beauty Part 3, Chapters 42-45 & Part 4, Chapters 46-49 Summary & Analysis

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Character Analysis

Black Beauty Character Analysis

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Themes

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Important Quotes

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Essay Topics

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Introduction

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Before Reading

Reading Context

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During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

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Black Beauty Reading Questions Answer Key

After Reading

Discussion/Analysis Prompt

Black Beauty Discussion/Analysis Prompt

Activities

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Essay Questions

Black Beauty Essay Questions

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Black Beauty Exam Answer Key

Black Beauty

Discussion/Analysis Prompt

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