57 pages 1 hour read

Julie Dash

Daughters of the Dust

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1997

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Essay Topics

1.

How does Daughters of the Dust portray the effects of generational trauma in the lives of the Gullah-Geechee people? How do different characters approach the burden of this trauma? Compare and contrast the actions of at least three people.

2.

How does Dash examine the nature of change in Daughters of the Dust? Is change presented as a positive, negative, or neutral force? Use specific examples from the text to prove your point.

3.

The term “code-switching” refers to the practice of alternating between two or more languages or language varieties, depending upon the demands of specific social contexts. Which characters in Daughters of the Dust practice code-switching? In what contexts do they practice it?