Song Yet Sung

Does this novel believe there is something fundamental and universal about human nature? Choose two characters of different races, different classes, different genders, or different in some other big way. Do their backgrounds define them in complete opposition to each other, or are there underlying similarities to their shared humanity? Why or why not?

Discuss the social stratification that exists in the story. What are the effects of class and geography on the characters?

The institution of slavery in America was dehumanizing. Discuss this idea in the context of characters in this story, giving several examples. How do characters experience dehumanization? How do they fight against it or submit to it?

In what ways do female characters in the novel deviate from traditional female roles of the time, and how do they follow the rules laid out for women? Do they actively fight against the strictures on women’s behavior or accept them? Why or why not? Compare and contrast two female characters in your answer.

How are the personalities and characterizations of Denwood Long and Patty Cannon similar? In what ways are they different? What situations in their lives shaped their similarities and differences?

Amber tells Denwood that if someone must capture Liz, he prefers it be Denwood. How do Amber and Denwood’s personality traits and personal histories account for this sentiment?

In the novel’s epilogue, newly free Amber is planning to raise the Woolman’s son as his own. What should Amber tell the boy about his birth father to explain his origins? Should he tell the boy about his destiny and the future Dreamer? Why or why not? Use the novel as textual evidence to speculate on the effects of revealing the future to an unsuspecting character.

The unpleasant dreams that Liz sees of the future take place after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Why is it important that the miserable situations Liz sees in her dreams take place after the hopeful message of freedom? Does this bolster or deflate the hopeful tone of the novel?