It is Celie’s perseverance and unwavering hope in the goodness of the strong women around her that allows her to survive even the most devastating personal failures by those she loves. Eventually, Celie finds happiness, talent, and her own inner strength. The novel gives a powerful voice to African American women, and explores themes such as identity, overcoming adversity, true loyalty, defining happiness, and connecting with the spirit.
The blood disease referenced often in the novel is actually sickle-cell anemia, called so because of the crescent-shaped appearance that carriers with both copies of the hbb gene have in their blood cells. Sickle-cell anemia actually creates a protection against malaria, but if a child has two parents with the hbb gene, he or she may suffer with many complications. According to the Mayo Clinic, complications of sickle cell anemia include:
While there are many medications used to treat the symptoms of sickle-cell anemia, the only real cure is through a bone marrow transplant.
Have students read more on this disease, and its connection to yam farming and malaria here:
Monrovia is the capital of Liberia. Liberia was originally settled by former slaves through the American Colonization Society, which was established to help free African Americans resettle in Africa. Liberia means “Land of the Free” in Latin. From 1820-1838, about 20,000 people resettled in or near Monrovia. In 1847, Liberia declared its independence, although it was not recognized by the United States until 1862. Even then, its existence was ignored and denied throughout the years of the Civil War. Liberia soon became a major player in world affairs, including as one of the founding members of the United Nations. For many African Americans who visited Monrovia, Liberia, as Nettie does in her travels to work with the Olinka, it is a bittersweet moment: it is a land where blacks are leaders, but it is also a reminder of the Blacks who sold their fellow brothers and sisters into slavery. Have students learn more about Monrovia, Liberia’s rich history at the following sites:
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Storyboard That is the perfect tool for novel lesson plans and activities because it's so easy to use and extremely versatile. With Storyboard That, you can create a wide variety of storyboards such as the story from the main character's perspective, or any other character's point of view.
You can also use Storyboard That to create a summary of the book, a movie poster, or analyze themes and events. Plus, our printable worksheets make it easy to take the fun offline.
Storyboarding is an incredibly powerful tool for educators because it helps students process and understand the information in a deep, meaningful way. When students storyboard, they are actively engaged in the learning process and can make connections between the text and their own lives.
Storyboards also promote higher-level thinking by encouraging students to synthesize information and think critically about what they have read. Finally, storyboards are a great way to assess student understanding because they provide a visual representation of student learning.
