To Da-Duh, In Memoriam

The narrator describes Da-duh as a “monarch.” What does this word imply? How are Da-duh’s queenly aspects emphasized throughout “To Da-duh, in Memoriam”?

Da-duh shows the narrator many fruit trees and remarks disparagingly of the chestnut tree outside the latter’s home, “Nothing can bear [fruit] there” (101). What role does the abundance of Barbados play in the story?

How does the narrator’s adult point of view color or shape her reflections on this childhood event?

How would the story be different if it were written from Da-duh’s perspective?

Bearing in mind the symbol’s broader associations, choose two moments where sugar or sugarcane features in the story and discuss their significance—for example, the narrator telling Da-duh that she is not “allowed to eat a lot of sugar” (101), or the residents of Barbados hiding in the sugarcane field during the flyover.

How is Da-duh similar to other women in Paule Marshall’s stories, like Mrs. Thompson in Brown Girl, Brownstones, Aunt Vi in “Reena,” or Medford in “British Guiana”?

To what extent is New York City also a setting in “To Da-duh, in Memoriam”? How is it represented throughout the story?

What is the significance of the title “To Da-duh, in Memoriam”?