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James BaldwinA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
As the church service continues, the perspective switches to Gabriel, and John’s abusive father remembers his own childhood. He recalls his mother on her deathbed, recalling how her eyes seemed to disapprove of his drunken ways. Shortly after, he experienced a spiritual rebirth. In his early twenties, he was returning to his house after a night of heavy drinking when he felt a sudden need to become a preacher and to share his love of God with the world. He began a new life at this time, guided by his newfound spiritualism. As he spent more time with Deborah, he developed a reputation as a powerful preacher. His passionate sermons quickly made him famous. Gabriel believes that God came to him in a dream and told him that his descendants would bear God’s seal. Believing that he must father a new blessed generation and a “royal line” (63), Gabriel decided to marry Deborah, even though no other man would marry her after a group of white men brutally raped her. He decides that marrying the woman who is marked by “dishonor” will be a demonstration of his faith and his purity (63). She cried when she accepted his proposal.
By James Baldwin
Another Country
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A Talk to Teachers
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Blues for Mister Charlie
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Giovanni's Room
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Going To Meet The Man
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I Am Not Your Negro
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If Beale Street Could Talk
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If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?
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Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son
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No Name in the Street
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Notes of a Native Son
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Sonny's Blues
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Stranger in the Village
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The Amen Corner
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The Fire Next Time
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The Rockpile
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