If Beale Street Could Talk

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Discuss the significance of Black art to the characters.

• How does Fonny’s practice of art allow him to survive? (topic sentence)
• Identify one example in the novel where Fonny expresses the practice of his art as essential to his survival.
• In which ways does Fonny’s love of his art connect with the mission of The Black Arts Movement?

2. Consider the different kinds of music that appear in the novel and what they each could represent.

• Which types of music are referenced within the novel? (topic sentence)
• Select one reference to music from the novel and analyze its role regarding the scene’s characterization and/or setting.
• How does this music contribute to the theme of African American Music as a Representation of African American Culture and Identity?

3. Compare and contrast the Hunt and Rivers families.

• How does the function or dysfunction of each family impact the characters in the novel? (topic sentence)
• Select one family and provide three examples to substantiate your point.
• In which ways does Baldwin’s characterization of each family speak to the larger theme of The Nature of Black Love?

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. In your opinion, is the novel still relevant to contemporary discussions of policing, race, and white supremacy? What has changed since the publication of the novel in 1974? What has not?

2. As Tish and Fonny grow in their love, they also grow together as adults. Examine this passage into adulthood for the two characters. What evidence is offered for their respective coming-of-age experiences? How does their surrounding community support and/or undermine their maturation as adults?

3. Baldwin writes the novel from the perspective of Tish, a female protagonist. What is the effect of this choice of gender? How would the novel have changed if Baldwin wrote from the perspective of Fonny as protagonist? Do you believe his decision to write from a female perspective is problematic? Why or why not? How might the novel be different with the perspective of a male protagonist?