28 pages 56 minutes read

Toni Cade Bambara

Blues Ain't No Mockingbird

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1971

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Essay Topics

1.

Bambara is often referred to as a feminist author. How is and how isn’t this story an example of Bambara’s feminism?

2.

How would the story change if it were told from a third-person perspective? Rewrite a passage using this perspective, observing what changes and what doesn’t. What does it illustrate about why Bambara chose a child’s perspective?

3.

Granny acts impulsively, but she is also high-minded and perseverant. Write about the importance of this dichotomy and how it relates to Bambara’s aim of showing Black humanity.