Cora Unashamed

How do setting and imagery contribute to the reading experience and the development of the story’s themes? In what ways might the story’s message and effect be different if it were set in a bustling city? In the Deep South?

Describe the story’s tone. How do the narrator’s voice and reliability contribute to the tone, and what do they suggest about the author’s views toward society? Provide specific examples from the text to support your response.

Is Cora a realistic character? Why or why not? Consider craft elements of character, such as her complexity, flaws, motivation, dialogue, etc. Are her characterization and portrayal effective? Why or why not?

What type of antagonist is Mrs. Studevant? Is she evil or merely a product of her culture? Based on the society depicted in the text, what social or personal influences might have shaped her into this character?

What connection does the story make between shame and hypocrisy? Between shame and motherhood? How would you analyze the theme of shame from a feminist lens? In what ways would an analysis from a psychoanalytic lens differ?

Mrs. Studevant’s “campaign of purity” includes closing Pa Jenkins’s favorite bootlegger, which she thinks will please Cora (15). Why does Cora respond to this the way she does? How does this interaction between Cora and Mrs. Studevant relate to the story’s themes? What does the interaction reveal about each of the two women?

Langston Hughes has been described as a humanist who did not identify as a religious believer. His approach to social issues was “nontheistic.” What role, if any, does religion play in this story? Compare Hughes’s writing to James Baldwin’s, in which religion features prominently. Identify at least one similarity and one difference in how the two writers portray religion or spirituality and discuss the impact on mood and tone.

“Cora Unashamed” was written and published during the Great Depression. Identify elements of the story that reflect the country’s economic situation at the time. Describe how the Great Depression might have affected other cultural phenomena portrayed in the story, such as race relations or family dynamics. Connect your response to specific aspects of the text.