Book - THE YELLOW HOUSE - Discussion Board #3--Broom, The Yellow House, pp. 1-192; Map; Movement I: The World Before Me, all sections; Movement II: The Grieving House, all sections

THIS WEEKS QUESTIONS:

1. Much of this weeks reading in THE YELLOW HOUSE sets the scene for the rest of the book, introduces important people in the authors family, and immerses us in the history of New Orleans. In these readings, what is the most compelling and important element of literaturethe setting? Characterization? Character development? Something else? Why? How is your chosen element established and developed in these sections? Use specific examples and quotes as evidence for your answer.

2. In the historical passages about New Orleans, Broom discusses the various ways that greed, racism, myopic thinking, and other factors led to the events of Hurricane Betsy (and, eventually, to Katrina). Do these sections suggest that abstractions like climate change and racism manifest in specifically violent ways, usually against already marginalized people? Why or why not? Use specific textual evidence and clear explanations to support your answer.

3. In this weeks readings, the Yellow House itself becomes a kind of character. How does Broom characterize the house? How does the house relate to the other characters in the bookBroom herself, her mother, any of her siblings, the neighbors? What can we learn from how she characterizes a place? Use specific textual evidence and clear explanations to support your answer.

4. Pick one major social issue that Broom explores in Movement II. How does she establish that this issue exists? How does she characterize the issue and the people affected by it? Why do you think this is the most interesting/important issue to discuss? Use specific textual evidence and clear explanations to support your answer.

5. What passage in this weeks readings seems to you the most important/interesting/confusing? Quote the passage, and then explain why youve chosen it.