Bebe Moore Campbell, 72 Hour Hold
Directions: After reading the lecture, answer one of the main questions, which will appear in bold. This question is due no later than Thursday, Feb. 16. Following that will be other questions which you should read and think about--they may help you answer the main question. However, you are not required to answer these questions in writing.
Your responses to other students' answers are due by midnight on Sunday, Feb. 19. In order to get the full 20 points, you MUST respond to at least 2 other people's postings.
This set of discussion questions is worth a possible 20 points. Remember: late answers receive 0 points, so post early :)
We will be using the Canvas Discussion Board for this class. Click on the link below to get to the Canvas portal, sign in, and then click on the tab for this class. You will find the "Discussions" link on the left side of the screen:
Bebe Moore Campbell, 72 Hour Hold
In 72 Hour Hold Campbell uses the metaphor of slavery throughout the novel to describe mental illness. Some reviewers liked this; others did not.
Nancy Rawles of The Washington Post says, "Campbell's likening of the mind shackled by illness to the body shackled in slavery strikes a deep chord in African-American communities, where elders often compare contemporary scourges with the horrors of slavery and Jim Crow."
By contrast, Jeanne Hamming, of Scientific American, says, "Campbell exposes the woeful inadequacies of our current public health care system in treating such patients and introduces the novel's greatest value: its insight into the challenges faced by people who must care for such loved ones. Nevertheless, this noble effort is undermined when Campbell invokes slavery to convey the horrors of mental illness. Though poignant, the comparison seems forced, relying on overwrought passages about whipping posts and slave auctions. The metaphor clouds the novel's purpose, especially since the author seems to decide, by the end, that the best way to deal with a family member's brain disease is through acceptance rather than emancipation."
In your opinion, does the slavery metaphor strengthen the novel or weaken it?
1. Why does the novel begin with references to earthquakes and tracking dogs?
2. On page 9, Keri almost runs over Crazy Man. Why does the novelist draw attention to Crazy Man so early in the novel? Why is he important to the novel?
3. Keri has two groups of girlfriends: Marie, Nichelle and Brooke, and Mattie, Gloria, and Bethany. How are the two groups different? How do they highlight the conflicts in Keri's life?
4. In the novel, we see the progress of Adriana. What does this character contribute to the novel? What points and conflicts does this character help illustrate?
5. How are Clyde and Orlando different? How are they similar?
6. How are doctors and other mental health professionals portrayed in the novel? What points is the novel making about the problems in the mental health care system?
7. In the novel, we see the progress of Rona. What does this character contribute to the novel? What points and conflicts does this character help illustrate?
8. Why doesn't Keri want to talk to her mother? Why does she find it so hard to forgive her? How does her attitude toward her mother change by the end of the novel? Why?
9. On page 95, Keri buys bread from Monkey Bread Man. What does this passage contribute to the themes of the novel?
10. What is the symbolic significance of the spot that won't come out of the jacket?
11. At one point, PJ tells Keri he's gay. How does this help to support the themes of the novel?
12. What makes Keri accept Bethany's offer to go outside the system to get help for Trina?
13. Why does Keri decide to leave the "underground railroad" and go back to a more conventional route in getting help for Trina? Does being African-American have anything to do with her decision?
14. By the end of the novel, how has Keri changed? Has her attitude toward mental illness changed? Her ideas about what she expects of the future?
15. What do you think Campbell wanted her readers to learn from this book?
**All page numbers refer to the 2006 Anchor Books paperback edition.**