Questions pp. 11-50

1 When she has to say something serious, the are going to have a baby.
2 Fonny: 22
Tish: 19
3 Clementine Rivers Hunt
4 5
5 The Sahara Desert is the prison seen through the eyes of the pour blacks. The vultures are the white people and some black people who profit from the terrible situation of the pour blacks.
6 They look to you as you are a zebra, zebras are blacks in a dominate society.
7 They live in a society where nobody can be trusted anymore, so when you are in trouble, it means you’re completely alone.
8 In the streets of New York he lived across the street in a tailor street.
9 He was pulling on her and she hit him. Tish friend Geneva hated Fonny, she was fighting Fonny’s friend Daniel when Tish tried to separate the two. She had a fight with Daniel.
10 Frank & Alice, Sharon & Joseph.
11 She makes love with him and hopes he sees ‘the Light’.
12 This kind of religion worship is based on outward show and not on true feelings.
13 she has had another man, a drummer before, she’s past 40, she was a singer. At a bus station he went with her to New York. He can avoid the army.
14 No
15 She will help her and tell it to the rest of the family, she already knows her daughter is pregnant, she gives her a pep talk.
16 The baby will give him courage, it will put him trough
17 The prison Fonny’s in
18 It’s a naked man with one hand on his forehead and the other hand half hiding his sex. The legs are long and one foot seems planted. It was made of black wood. It expresses enormous torment.
19 He stole the wood from school he attended
20 He wasn’t fooling around with the needles or drinking cheap wine or mugging people or holding up stores. He started working he wasn’t using drugs, he didn’t mug people.
21 They were jealous.
22 You are always to serve the people (white) if you have a will of you one they will punish you.

Questions pp. 50-92
1 She was very vain and stood always in front of the mirror, she thought Tish was below her. She didn’t stand so long in front of the mirror, she got to be much nicer to Tish.
2 Because she worked at the perfume centre of a department store she was the only black girl and ladies smelt the back of her hand.
3 Off the love between Tish and Fonny , it will get the trough the difficulties.
4 The hunt family don’t care what happens to Fonny. The River Family wants Fonny out jail.
5 She is afraid he’ll say that he will get more money and she has to pay with her body.
6 He cannot speak and then he proposes a toast. She takes Tish in her arms and has tears in her eyes because Frank is on his ark.
7 They are richer
8 They grew up together and their love for each other is very strong.
9 He made a wood sculpture for Sharon.
10 She’s a bit frightened because she realized that people live their lives.
11 They symbolize good human qualities such as friendship, helpfulness and interest in other people.
12 Mrs. Hunt dressed something which wasn’t very stylish, feels superior. She was frightened in spite of the holy ghost. Mr. Hunt looked very tired, but still smiled, will get fonny out of prison, a good men.
Adrienne: sister of Fonny, hated Fonny, the oldest of the two, 27, too old for what she was wearing, feels superior.
Sheila: 24, too young for what she was wearing, feels superior, they try to be friendly but they are not really interested in other people.
13 There is no real interest or feelings in other people
14 Mr. Hunt tells Mrs. Hunt that she hasn’t done anything for Fonny. He is full of hate and he should put his trust in God.
15 only ones.
16 She says to Tish that’s is responsible for Fonny’s destruction. Mr. Hunt is happy that she has a demon in her. She feels superior.
17 She dears Mrs. Hunt to kick the child out of her belly.
18 She is angry and disappoint feel about what the Hunt family said to Tisch.
19 No. Mr. Hunt probably.

Questions pp. 92-140
1 No they don’t have a proper income.
2 It’s almost described as a ritual.
3 He’s going to ask Tisches dad for her hand. Mr. at first he seemed shocked after his talk with Fonny . he’s happy.
4 Seems generally interested and he wants to help them.
5 Mrs. Rogers disappeared, they have to find her.
6: Mrs. Rogers and officer Bell.
7 officer Bell forces Mrs. Rogers to say what he told her. He’s is a racist and has killed a boy. Daniel is arrested for stealing a car which he didn’t do.
8 he had been taken prisoner very quickly
9 Because she doesn’t thinks everything is going to be all right . she’s desperately because she thinks Fonny will never realest
10 She helps her to go further when she’s desperate and be strong and become a strong woman.
11 Because there was said that he stole a car, he had also had drugs on him. Life was hell for him.
12 Because they are together at a place where no one can reach them. It’s their own place and because they can make another person happy. (Daniel)
13. She sees it as an opportunity if there is not another solution, she considers selling her own body and will get Fonny out of prison.
14 because both are full of people (black people). The streets are dirty, the streets are full of prostitutes and young junkies. The train is compared with a slave ship because it’s full of people. Most people go to their job where they are exploited like slaves.
15 No, because he was at another place and he could not go so quick to Mrs. Roger. Highly unwilling because he couldn’t run from Orchard street to his home in Bank street In a few minutes without being noticed by the police.

Questions pp. 140-185
1 it was easier for her to say that Fonny did it then to reline the whole thing again.
2 they will have to prove that the only witness of the stake, Mr. Bell is unreliable. The words about the fool point to the members of the jury who will arrive at the wrong verdict.
3 He has murdered an 12 year old black boy.
4 she will have to be there for baby whatever will happen.
5 they are approaching so, Frank is lighter, Joseph has a darker skin. The discussion is about how to get money, Joseph suggest they will have to steel it.
6 he preservers in helping Fonny , keeps on helping, even though he knows that it might harm his legal career.
7Ernestine works at a private secretary to a very rich address. Joseph steels from the docks and Frank from the garment centre.
8 a suburb in which poor people live in abominable/a very bad condition.
9 Fonny has always been incorrigible and worthless probably because they don’t want to be held responsible for his behavior.
10 he’s the man from who they rented the loft . he’s a kind man and even offers Tish the rest.
11. A boy blocked Tish her wall gripped her arm, she spat in the boys face and the Fonny knocked the boy. An Italian junkie harassed Tish in mostly white shopping centre when Fonny was away buying some cigarettes. Fonny returned and knocked the boy down. Officer Bell wanted to arrest Fonny but the Italian lady who ran the sore told the policeman that Fonny had the right to detent the lady.
12. because white people like bell can’t accept that they lose fare especially because a white lady helps a black men.
13 At that time she thought that a baby would be the perfect result of their love.
14. he decides to help her wherever he can and look after her.
15 she’s looking for piedro Alvarez. He might arrange a meeting with Sharon and his wife. She wants him to show a picture of Fonny and Tish to his wife but he refuses because his wife has been trough some shit.

Questions pp.185-228
1 they both want to get out.
2 they belong together the baby has something to say and Tish must learn to listen.
3 if she doesn’t stop working she loses the baby when that happens, Fonny doesn’t want to live anymore.
4 it is one big garbage dump, crolling with children,
5 very thin and frightened, she doesn’t want to meet people.
6 we are both mothers, they’re in common. She tells that she’s a prostitute, she picked out Fonny from the liner.
7 he’s a very cruel man, he wants to rape Tish.
8 first he saw some man rape a boy. Later he was raped himself.
9 he’s not only punished in prison but also mentally because he doesn’t have his wood and chisels and can’t use his creativity.
10. she’s a part-time prostitute. Fonny was the only black man in the line-up.
11 Fonny goes back into the hell, his cell. Tish returns to the outside world full of discrimination.
12 Mrs. Rogers is a witness and through the miscarriage she will never be seen again. Fonny his trial might be postponed.
13 Mrs. Rogers isn’t a reliable witness. Fonny was the only black person at the line up.
14 because they have to steal to get the money.
15 He no longer depends on his hope to be released soon.
16 She is anxious about her father because she hasn’t seen him for two days and calls Tish. After her father disappeared she’s very upset and wants to find him.
17 He commits suicide by suffocating himself with exhaust fumes. He was desperate.
18 She stole from a actress
19 Tish her baby is born.


General Questions
- First person (Tish)
Third person narrator
- Discrimination, love
- The title ‘if beale street could talk’ would cry out.
Troubled out my soul: they should not run away from their suffering.
- Zion: means the promise land. And this is ironic because America is not the promise land for the blacks.
- Motto: the baby Jesus was a symbol of hope and for Tish and Fonny that baby is also a symbol of hope
- Society: discrimination. New York: discrimination
- Legal system: it’s about money and not about justice
- Sahara: the society
- Vultures: layers
- He’s born and bred in New York.