1) Analyze the role of family in each of the four stories from this first unit: “Everyday Use”, “A Good Man is Hard to Find”, “The Rocking Horse Winner”, and “Sonny’s Blues”. Is there a common thread between them with their message about family? What are the defining points of each?
The Rocking Horse Winner
1) What is the mother (and the father) most fixated on? Is this all bad or is there any positive sides to it?
2) What is happening within the house because of the parents’ mentality? How does this affect their children, more specifically Paul.
3) Why doesn’t Paul want his mother to know about his ability? What happens when she finds out about it?
Sonny’s Blues
1) What do we understand about the brothers’ relationship in the beginning? How does the narrator feel about Sonny?
2) What things divided the brothers? What do you think about both sides?
3) What happens at the jazz club at the end? How do you see the brothers’ relationship going from here on?
