46 pages • 1 hour read
James McBrideThe Good Lord Bird
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2013A 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
Why do you believe the author chose to frame the book with the discovery of the old documents in the burned church? Was this effective? Discuss.
What is the significance of the Good Lord Bird?
How did your views of John Brown change throughout the novel? How did your views of Brown or Douglass change from your prior historical knowledge
Do you consider John Brown to be a hero? Give your reasons.
Why do you believe that the author chooses to highlight negative aspects of Frederick Douglass’s personality?
Many critics have placed The Good Lord Bird in the same company as Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Do you agree? How are the novels alike? How are they different?
Discuss the role of religion in the novel.
Does Henry make the right choice in leaving Annie and returning to Harpers Ferry? Why or why not?
When is Henry’s posing as a girl an advantage for him? When does it work against him? What does this suggest about duplicitousness?
Why do you think that Henry does not express more remorse over his father’s death?
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