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How does the narrative structure of Sing, Unburied, Sing, contribute to the overall meaning of the novel?

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How does the narrative structure of Sing, Unburied, Sing, contribute to the overall meaning of the novel?

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The multiple narrative perspectives used in Jesmyn Ward's novel Sing, Unburied, Sing reveal how trauma is passed down from generation to generation. From the viewpoints of Richie, Leonie, and Jojo, readers learn about River's suffering at Parchman prison in the mid-1900s. However, the trauma the family patriarch endured haunts not only himself but also his daughter, Leonie, and grandson, Jojo. The shifting points of view prove that the hardships of older generations significantly impact the younger generations, as traumas are passed down through storytelling and collected in memories.

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How does the portrayal of racial inequality contribute to the novel's narrative?

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How does the portrayal of racial inequality contribute to the novel's narrative?

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The racial inequality portrayed in Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward continues throughout generations starting with Given and Pop and continuing with Jojo. During Pop's childhood he was taken away to prison unjustly when his brother was arrested, due to his race and lack of power. Pop was innocent and was wrongly arrested because his relation to his brother. Additionally, despite Given's promising future, he was unjustly murdered because of his race. Later in the novel, when Jojo is riding back home with his mom, Misty and Micheal, the police officer chose to point the gun at him even though he was not posing a threat. This incident shows that racism continued to be in effect almost 60 years later.

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How does Pop's experience at Parchman influence his relationships with his grandkids?

In Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward portrays Pop as a father figure to anyone who comes close to him. Pop lived many years in Parchman, and he took on the role as one of his fellow inmate's, Richie's, "caretakers". Richie looked up to Pop when he was in troubled times, asking for advice and guidance. Because of Richie's death, which was taken by Pop, Pop tries his best to keep anyone else in his life from facing a similar fate. This also reasons how Pop closes off his feelings and memories of his past to his grandkids, specifically Jojo, unable to face the shame.

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How does the author's personal history reflect in experience of the characters. 

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How does the author's personal history reflect in experience of the characters. 

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Jesmyn Ward grew up as a black woman in Rual Mississippi, providing her many experiences that influenced her writing in Sing, Unburied, Sing. For example, the scene where Jojo was unjustly held at gunpoint by the white cop while the family was driving back from Parchman. In the late 2010s to early 2020s the rise of reported police brutality in the States rose. The author most likely had a perspective and experience in living black in the south.

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How does the being confined to a lower social class influence the characters' decisions and consequences? 

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How does the being confined to a lower social class influence the characters' decisions and consequences? 

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Due to the characters' being in a lower social class, they are limited in the decisions they are able to make about their life. One instance of their limitation is when Leonie chooses to go back to Michael despite him being non-beneficial to her. This decisions of Leonie's results in her having to swallow a bag of meth whole. Pop is faced with the consequences of being in a lower social class by being forced to go to prison after mistakenly being accused of a crime he did not commit. To conclude, the characters in Sing Unbried, Sing are unfairly judged by their lower social class.

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How does the novel challenge the common archetype that children follow in their parents footsteps?

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How does the novel challenge the common archetype that children follow in their parents footsteps?

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Throughout the Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward Leonie displays selfish and harmful actions that leads to detrimental effects on the family' dynamic. In many occasions throughout literature children tend follow the example lead for them whether it be beneficial or harmful. However JoJo contradicts this archetype by directly diverting from the path set by Leonie. Despite JoJo's young age, he is able to dictate his own course of actions that go against his own mother's.

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How does the novel Sing, Unburied, Sing criticize the effect of Western colonization on rural black families?

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How does the novel Sing, Unburied, Sing criticize the effect of Western colonization on rural black families?

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The Parchman prison and law enforcement symbolize the endless cycle of imprisonment and disenfranchisement of rural black families. The only father figures that Jojo knew were imprisoned at some point in their life. The family has experienced white people as the oppressive figure, while white people in their society view black people as dangerous. In Parchman, Pop is oppressed by people who see him as less than and he begins to distrust them. These transferred to Jojo, who looks up to Pop. A view of prejudice has passed through generations. We can see that even in Michael's family, prejudice affects love and relationships.