1. Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird by: Toni Cade Bambara

2. Vocabulary Lassoed Fetid Formality Impassive Pallid Disconsolately
Vanquished Unrequited
Page 569

3. Toni Cade Bambara
American writer, civil rights activist and teacher
Grew up in Harlem
Graduated from Queens College and studied acting in Europe

4. Her stories are set in the rural South and the urban North
Uses black street dialect
Gorilla, My Love and The Salt Eaters are two collections of her short stories

5. Background
Dialect is a way of speaking and writing that is common to people in a particular region or group; it adds color, liveliness and realism
Examples?

6. Characters/setting/plot
Cathy, Tyrone & Terry, Granny, Granddaddy Cain, Camera & Smilin, and the narrator
South, the Cain residence, Christmas time
The Cain residence is intruded by cameramen to shoot a food stamps commercial (privacy and family dignity)

7. Literary Analysis
Characterization refers to the way a writer reveals a character’s personality traits
Direct characterization – writers directly state a character’s personality traits
Indirect characterization – writers use a character’s actions, thoughts and feelings to suggest a character’s traits

8. Examples of characterization
“Father was driving with a reckless and exhilarating skill-”
 Indirect
“Miss Golden, crisp, fragrant, punctual, shut the door-”
 Direct

9. Narrators
First person narrator – a character within the story tells the story
Third person narrator – a character not within the story tells the story
What kind of narrator does this story have?

10. What do we know about the narrator of the story?
The narrator is a female. This is because the man addresses the group as “ladies”. The narrator is Granny Cain’s granddaughter.

11. How is Granny characterized?
Granny is outspoken and gets her point across through words.
The children respect Granny. Specifically, Cathy admires her, Terry & Tyrone fear and respect her

12. How is Granddaddy Cain characterized?
He is quiet and let his actions speak for him. He has a regal appearance and people resent him for it

13. How are Camera and Smilin characterized?
Frightened and very intrusive
Indirectly
They are scared of the hawk, they don’t ask for permission to be there

14. Activities Review and assess on page 576
Good worksheets for review