37 pages • 1 hour read
James BaldwinThe Amen Corner
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1954A 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
How do Ida’s and Margaret’s experiences with loss parallel one another? How do their similarities, and their differences, accentuate the themes in the play?
What does the title The Amen Corner mean on a literal and symbolic level?
In The Amen Corner, what role does the church play in the family unit? Why do congregation members call one another “Brother” and “Sister”? How does the conception of the church as a family inflect on literal family structures?
What role does music serve throughout the play? How does Baldwin utilize hymns?
Read Baldwin’s play Blues for Mister Charlie (1964) and compare it to The Amen Corner. How do both plays offer social commentary and examine themes such as race and family?
Read Baldwin’s nonfiction book The Fire Next Time (1963). How do both works examine religion? How does the literary style of each work impact the conveyance of key messages?
How do the stage notes convey the themes of The Amen Corner, such as with their descriptions of setting and props?
What is Baldwin trying to say about what is most important in life, according to The Amen Corner?
Compare and contrast the characters of Odessa and Sister Moore. How do their respective opinions on the roles of men and women contribute to the themes of the play?
Who is the intended audience for this play? Who is the play critiquing?
Related Titles
By James Baldwin
