Plot/Context
What real-world issues inspired Baldwin to write If Beale Street Could Talk?
Racism, wrongful imprisonment, and love in 1960s–70s America.
Who narrates the story and why is that significant?
Tish — it gives a young Black woman full control of her story.
Speak out and tell the truth.
What did Baldwin believe writers must do when they see injustice?
What does Baldwin humanize through his characters?
Politics and injustice — he shows how they affect real families.
What does Ernestine represent in the novel?
Baldwin’s truth-telling — she refuses to let others disrespect Tish’s family.
The Fire Next Time
What book did Baldwin write as a letter to his nephew about America's racism?
Why is knowing Baldwin’s background important to understanding the book?
Because his life and activism shaped the novel’s themes and tone.
What does Fonny’s mother symbolize?
The harm of respectability politics and religious hypocrisy.
Who did Baldwin debate at Cambridge University in 1965?
William F. Buckley Jr
What theme connects survival, family, and resistance in the novel?
Love as an act of resistance against racism.
How does Tish’s family embody Baldwin’s idea of love?
They stand together, showing that love means survival.
Who did Baldwin meet with to discuss civil rights in 1963?
Robert F. Kennedy
How does Baldwin’s intellectual identity shape the story?
His experiences with racial inequality and justice directly inform the plot and tone of the book.
What do the settings (Harlem, apartment, jail) represent?
Harlem = community, apartment = hope, jail = oppression.
Why did Baldwin leave America for France or Turkey?
To escape the oppressive nature of American society at the time.