59 pages • 1-hour read
Swing Time
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Essay Topics
Why does Smith never name her narrator? What impact does the absence of her name have on the development of plot, theme, and characterization?
What role does the history of Black entertainment play in the novel? Why does Smith title her novel Swing Time?
A major theme in this novel is the idea that people seek meaning from life, not freedom. Identify and analyze at least three instances in which characters pursue meaning over freedom.
What role does the narrator’s race play in her personal development? Why?
Why is the narrator so attracted to Tracey? What does the novel say about the ways in which women relate to one another?
How does the novel portray motherhood? Are there differences between mothers in the narrator’s generation versus those in her mother’s generation?
What effect does her time in Gambia have on the narrator? Use at least three pieces of textual evidence to support your answer.
How does Smith use male characters to both complicate female characters? How do men affect women’s relationships with each other? Why are men only secondary characters in this novel?
Describe the narrator’s relationship with her family history. What is the role of the past on our present?
Why does the narrator dedicate a decade of her life to Aimee? What does this reveal about power dynamics? What light does this shed on the narrator’s sense of self?
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