Pet

Consider the novel’s genre and audience. Why might Emezi have chosen the speculative genre to convey messages about justice and inequality?

How does the theme of appearance versus reality manifest throughout the novel? Consider the novel’s setting, tone, and characters and cite at least four examples from the text.

Consider the adult characters within the novel. In what ways do they represent stereotypical portrayals of femininity or masculinity? How to they stray from those stereotypes, and how does Emezi portray gender roles within a utopian society? Provide specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Examine the different ways that violence appears in the novel. How does Emezi portray these acts? Are they depicted as wholly good or wholly bad, and if so, what might that mean about Emezi’s portrayal of morality?

Chart the different ways that the revolution is mentioned in the novel. How does Emezi characterize the city of Lucille pre- and post-revolution? What allusions to present day events do they include in the text?

Close read the town of Lucille’s mantra taken from Gwendolyn Brooks’s ode to Paul Robeson: “We are each other’s harvest. We are each other’s business. We are each other’s magnitude and bond” (19). Why might have Emezi chosen to highlight these lines of Brooks’s poem? How do these lines relate to the larger themes in the novel?

How are feathers a recurring symbol in Pet? Begin with Emezi’s description of Pet’s metal gilded feathers. What might they represent? Cite at least three examples from the novel.

Pet includes references to several African and Caribbean cultures, as well as several Black female authors like Lucille Clifton, Gwendolyn Brooks, and N.K. Jemisin, and all of the citizens of Lucille are Black. How does Emezi characterize being Black in America before and after the novel’s revolution? Support your argument with textual evidence.