Brother, I'm Dying

The author offers insight into the political history of Haiti. Examine ways in which the political situation in the country has shaped the lives of the Dantica family.

One of the main symbols in this memoir is voice. Find three relevant examples of how having a voice influences events and analyze them through close reading of the text.

Explore the character of Marie Micheline. In which ways do her life and death help illustrate the main themes of the memoir?

Compare and contrast the life choices made by Uncle Joseph and his brother, Mira, through examples from the text.

“The dispassionate letters were his way of avoiding a minefield, one he could have set off from a distance without being able to comfort the victims” (19). This is how adult Edwidge interprets her own emotions regarding her father’s rare and formal letters. Write a diary entry by the young Edwidge, exploring her feelings.

Edwidge recalls Granmè Melina telling several folk tales. Reading them closely, investigate to what extent they reflect or illuminate the events in the memoir. Give examples. 

“The macoutes had a synchronized look, a coarse veneer that made the thin ones seem stout, the short ones seem tall. In the end they were all equally intimidating because they represented the government” (73). Starting from the quoted example, analyze different things that lend a sense of power to various characters in the memoir.

Analyze the complex political situation in modern Haiti from examples offered in the memoir.