69 pages • 2 hours read
Caleb Azumah NelsonOpen Water
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Explore the scenes in which the narrator plays or watches basketball. How is his experience of this physical practice related to the theme of The Liberating Power of Black Art and Community?
The narrator uses public transit throughout Open Water, often specifying what kind. How does this inform the landscape of the book? Use specific references to justify your ideas.
Consider the theme of The Failures of Language. How does the narrator’s references to using his voice act in counterpoint to this theme?
The narrator’s lover accuses him of being selfish and not considering how she feels. How does Caleb Azumah Nelson construct the lover’s individual experience of the events of Open Water?
Look up the paintings of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and/or Sola Olulode. How does Open Water represent their art?
Compare and contrast the narrator’s father and Leon. In what ways are they similar? In what ways are they different?
What role do the narrator’s friends play in the novel? How does Azumah Nelson characterize him through his interactions with his social circle?
Other than repetition, how does Azumah Nelson give his writing a musical rhythm? What is the effect of this?
Mutual aid is an important concept in struggles for liberation. Look up this term and find instances of it in Open Water. What is the significance of mutual aid in the novel?
What is the narrator’s relationship with maternal figures? Examine the scene between him and the woman’s mother as well as the references to his own mother to justify your answer.
