Transcript Blues Ain’t No Mocking Bird” by: Toni Cade Bambara

C. Edge
ECHS
English I
Quickwrite, p. 266
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The grown-ups in this story have plenty of
reasons to sing the blues. One of their
problems comes from a cameraman who wants
to take pictures of them. Jot down quickly
your feelings on the ways the media
sometimes interfere with people’s private lives
and private sufferings. Then, think about why
people like to watch other people’s troubles on
television.
Literary Elements
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Anecdote – a very brief account of an
incident
Example from the story
Literary Elements
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Conflict – struggle or clash between
opposing characters or opposing forces
Describe the conflict between Granny and
the film crew
Literary Elements
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Characters – persons in a story, poem, or play
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Flat character – one that has only one or two traits,
and these can be described in a few words.
Round character – a character that is like a real
person, having many different character traits,
which sometimes contradict one another
Literary Elements
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Dialect – way of speaking that is characteristic
of a particular region or a particular group of
people
Examples of dialect from the selection:
Literary Elements
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Generalization – a statement made from an
inference (a general principle, trend, etc.) of
particular facts, statistics, or the like; or from
only a few facts, examples, or the like.
Literary Elements
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Imagery – language that appeals to the senses
Identify two images that appeal to the five
senses in this story.
Literary Elements
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Point of view – the relationship of the narrator
to the story being told
What point of view is the story told from?
Literary Elements
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Symbol – person, place, thing, or event that
stands for itself and for something beyond
itself as well
What do the hawks symbolize in the story?
Literary Elements
Theme – the central idea of a story
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Read p. 264-5 in the literature book about theme.
NOT THE SAME THING AS THE SUBJECT!
What is a possible theme for this story?
Literary Elements
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Title – the name of the story; it reveals
something about the meaning of the story
What is the significance of the title of this
story?
Summary
Two insensitive filmmakers who are making a
documentary about the food stamp program invade the
privacy of Granny and Granddaddy Cain, a proud and
dignified older couple. The filmmakers have good
intentions, but they don’t treat the Cains with the proper
respect. Without asking for permission they pry into the
family’s personal life, filming their rural home and
disturbing their routine. The narrator and other children
watch as Granny and Granddaddy Cain repeatedly but
politely rebuff the filmmakers. When Granny Cain finally
tells her husband to make the men leave, he resolves the
conflict by removing the film from their camera.
Dialect, p. 268
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Identify all of the words in the first three
sentences that omit the final consonant g on –
ing forms.
This pattern marks the dialect that is used in
the story.
Making Generalizations, p. 268
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What details support the generalization that the
family has moved many times?
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The speaker talks about having lived in three
places: “the Judson’s woods,” “the Cooper
place,” and “the dairy.”
Dialect, p. 268
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Ain’t is used in place of standard English isn’t
or aren’t.
Which standard English word is replaced by
ain’t in this sentence?
aren’t
Conflict and Character, p. 268
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What conflict emerges between Granny and the film crew?
They want to use the Cain home in their film, but Granny doesn’t
want them on her property.
How can you tell that it never occurred to the filmmakers to ask
permission?
They just start shooting pictures, and even though one man seems
embarrassed, they don’t really understand why Granny is so annoyed.
What do Granny’s expressions, tone of voice, and words tell you
about how she feels? Use details from the story to support your
response.
She is upset with the filmmakers and wants them to realize they are
invading the family’s privacy. “that smile” and the way she interrupts
the filmmakers.
Making Generalizations, p. 268
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Why was the person with the camera saving some shots?
Why does Cathy say, “Of course”?
Somebody insensitive enough to shoot photographs in the
first place would save a few in order to capture the person’s
jump. Cathy is perceptive and understands Granny’s point.
How does Granny’s story connect with what is happening in
her yard?
The photographers on her property are equally insensitive.
What does she want to teach her grandchildren?
She wants them to understand that it is degrading and
insensitive to treat people as objects whose lives are of
meaning only as a way to excite or entertain others.
Making Generalizations, p. 270
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Think about what all of the events described
here have in common. Exactly what do people
do that disturbs Granny so much?
Granny is driven crazy by people’s
condescension, presumption, insensitivity, and
lack of respect for her family’s privacy.
Point of View, p. 270
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The story is narrated from the first-person
point of view, but this point of view is
enlivened and enriched by how the writer
makes use of several other characters’
observations. The twins make childish but
natural comments, often asking obvious
questions. Cathy makes sophisticated
comments that supplement the narrator’s own
fresh and humorous insights.
Descriptive Details, p. 270
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What vivid details in this paragraph help you see and
hear the action?
“the shiny black oilskin,”
“what little left there was of yellows, reds, oranges,”
“great white head,”
“the sound of twigs snapping overhead and
underfoot”
“tall and quiet and like a king”
“drippin red down the back of the oilskin”
The hammerin crackin through the eardrums”
Summarizing, p. 272
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How does Granddaddy Cain kill the male
hawk?
He throws the hammer and strikes the hawk in
the air.
Symbols, p. 273
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The scenes about the suffering hawks take up a
good part of the story. How can one or both of
the hawks be seen as symbols that stand for
some of the characters in the story?
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Camera and Smilin?
Granny and Granddaddy?
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Character, p. 273
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What do you learn about Granddaddy Cain
here?
That even when he is exasperated with people
like the filmmakers, he can exercise selfcontrol and respond in a polite manner.
Character, p. 273
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What kind of character traits do Camera and
Smilin show?
They are rude, condescending, and
presumptuous; they are not sensitive to the
feelings of others; they are ignorant about how
other people feel.
Theme, p. 273
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Granddaddy Cain’s words suggest the major
theme of the story—a truth about how people
should treat each other. In your own words,
what is that theme?
People should have respect for the feelings and
property of others.
Selection Questions
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Who is around when the story begins?
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Cathy, Tyrone, Terry, and Granny.
Selection Questions
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What is Granny doing at the beginning of the
story?
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Pouring rum into the Christmas cakes.
Selection Questions
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What else has the ladle been used for?
Dripping maple syrup into the pails (Judsons’
woods), pouring cider into vats (the Cooper
place), and scooping buttermilk and soft
cheese (the dairy).
What does this tell us?
The family has moved a lot in order to find
work and make a living.
Selection Questions
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Who are Smilin’ and Camera?
Filmmakers from the the county making a
film about the welfare program.
Selection Questions
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What are the two men doing?
They are taking pictures of Granny and her
property without permission.
Who do they work for?
The county.
Selection Questions
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How does Granny feel about reporters?
She does not appreciate their disrespect and
invasion of their privacy.
What event made her feel this way?
She saw a man on a bridge about to commit
suicide. There was a cameraman there taking
pictures, but saving a few pictures for the
jump.
Selection Questions
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Who appears out of the woods?
Granddaddy Cain.
What does he have in his hands?
A bloody chicken hawk.
Selection Questions
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What amazing feat does Granddaddy Cain do?
He kills the chicken hawk’s mate by hitting it
with a hammer.
Selection Questions
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What is the only thing he says?
“Good day, gentlemen.”
“You standin in the missus’ flower bed.”
Discussion Question
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How effective is Bambara’s use of a first
person point of view? Do we get the whole
story? How would the story have been
different if the narrator would have been a
third person limited or omniscient?
p. 275, Question #1
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Which detail of the story was the most memorable for
you? Was it an image, a statement, a character, or
something else? Pair up with another student and
share your major memory from the story.
Possible answers: Granny’s telling the filmmakers to
turn off their camera. Granddaddy’ arrival home, his
killing of the second hawk, or his exploring the film.
p. 275, Question #2
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When Smilin and Camera return to the county office,
what do you think they tell their supervisor? How do
you think they portray the characters of Granny and
Granddaddy Cain?
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Camera and Smilin will most likely blame
Granddaddy and Granny for the ruined film. Since
they don’t recognize their own insensitivity, they will
probably portray Granny and Granddaddy as
eccentric and belligerent.
p. 275, Question #3
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Here you ever said one thing while thinking
something else? What do you imagine
Granddaddy Cain is thinking when he says,
“Good day, gentlemen”? What about when he
says, “You standing in the missus’ flower bed.
This is our own place”?
Possible answer: He is probably thinking about
how angry he is and how he would like to
throw the men off his property.
p. 275, Question #4
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Writers create powerful impressions with
concrete dramatic images. What do the
suffering hawks in the story suggest to you?
(Are they like any characters in the story?)
Possible answer: The hawks fight desperately,
suggesting courage and strength. They are like
Granddaddy and Granny Cain, who fight to
protect their family, property, and privacy.
p. 275, Question #5
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State the theme of the story in the form of a generalization about
our lives—that is, what does the story reveal to you about our need
for respect and sympathy and privacy? Consider these elements of
the story:
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The title
The anecdote, or little story, Granny tells about the man on the bridge
Cathy’s anecdote, or little story, about Goldilocks
Possible themes: People should respect the privacy and property of
others; people can get through troubles with strength and dignity.
The title says that the blues, unlike the mockingbird, do not suggest
self-pity or death. The anecdote about the man on the bridge reveals
Granny’s disgust with people who take advantage of the misfortunes
of others. Cathy’s version of Goldilocks shows an intruder having
no respect for the property or privacy of others.
p. 275, Question #6
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What did you learn about the first-person
narrator in this story? What else would you
know if Granny or her husband were narrating
the story?
The narrator is a young girl who lives with her
grandparents. If Granny of her husband told
the story, we would know about their inner
thoughts when they confront the filmmakers.
p. 275, Question #7
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A family’s privacy is invaded in this story. Invasion
of privacy has become commonplace in today’s
media. When have you felt that someone’s privacy
was invaded by TV cameras or reporters? What
would you do if you were in Granny’s situation? (Be
sure to refer to your Quickwrite notes.)
Students may mention public figures whose personal
lives have been made public. In Granny’s situation,
students might call the family inside and lock the
doors, call the police, or react much as Granny does.
Link to Other Resources
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http://go.hrw.com/hrw.nd/gohrw_rls1/pKeywor
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