1a. Early in the play, what does Mama tell Sojourner and Pete to do if they are ever beaten or cruelly treated?
2a. What does Bob do to make Mr. Catlin angry?
3a. How do Isaac and Maria Van Wagener help Sojourner?
4a. What happens when Chip and Sojourner go to court?
1b. Why do you think Mama tells them this at this time?
2b. Why would Mr. Catlin care about that?
3b. Why do the Van Wageners do this? What does Sojourner learn from them?
4b. Why does Pete react the way he does in court?
5a. What does Sojourner dream about for most of the play?
5b. How does Sojourner change through the course of the play?
6a. In what ways does Sojourner favorably impress Squire Chip? How effective are these ways in influencing him?
6b. Think of a situation in which you tried to influence someone to change his or her mind about something. Did you exaggerate the truth or try to trick the person into changing? Did you clearly state your honest thoughts about the matter? How could that be more powerful?
Dialogue. Think about the dialogues you found in this play. How do you know where they begin and end?
Stage Directions. How would the play be confusing without stage directions?
1. Write a name for yourself that describes something about you. Provide a reason for your choice.
2. Imagine you are Isaac or Maria Van Wagener, running a farm with no outside help. Write out a schedule of chores you need to accomplish daily. Include start times for each task.
3. Write an epitaph for Sojourner's tombstone, using words that describe her impact on U.S. history and culture.
Pronouns and Antecedents. Review the Language Arts Survey 3.42, "Getting Pronouns and Antecedents to Agree." Then rewrite the following sentences in the space provided, correcting any problems.
Example
Incorrect: When a person calls for information, transfer them to the correct department.
Correct: When a person calls for information, transfer him or her to the correct department.
1. When the man returned the jacket, they asked for a refund.
2. The kitten and the dog shared its toys.
3. When the mother looked again, he realized the children were asleep.
4. Brett stacked the blocks and then knocked it down.
5. If a client calls, tell them I will be back in ten minutes.
6. When I saw the flower, she made me feel happy.
7. My dog Willie loves to have his ears scratched and its fur brushed.
8. The bird's mother broke its wing, so she couldn't fly.
9. They boy put its hat on and then left.
10. The girl was happy to find its missing necklace.
Antonyms. An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word. Find an antonym (or near antonym) for each of the following words from A Woman Called Truth. Use a dictionary or a thesaurus to check your answers or to help lead you to the answers.
Example common rare
1. accustomed
2. default
3. defiance
4. disdainful
5. emphatic
6. prominent
7. rant
8. smug
9. spite
10. tenacity
Researching Spirituals: Using the Internet and materials from your school’s media center, research several African-American spirituals to uncover their meanings and any coded messages. For example, the song titled “Many Thousand Go” (found in the play you’ve just read) includes the phrases “peck o’ corn” and “pint of salt.” These phrases refer to slaves’ rations. That same spiritual was sung in secret to avoid detection during the anti-slavery rebellion. To start your search, use the key words “Negro+Spirituals.” Research Log. Use this log to keep track of the sources you use, the information you find, and your reactions to what you learn.
Internet sources:
Books and print sources:
Notes:
Writing an Article. Imagine you work at one of the main newspapers in Akron, Ohio, in 1851. Sojourner has just delivered her famous speech "Ain't I a Woman?" at the Women's Convention there, and your job is to get the news out. Write an article, including quotations from the speech, for your readers. You may want to review rules for the punctuation of direct quotations in the Language Arts Survey 3.82, "Quotation Marks." Use the space provided to write your article.
