Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands



Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands

Reading Guide

Chapters 1-5

I. Vocabulary: Define the following words.

1. Congealing-

2. Polio-

3. Abominable-

4. Guffaw-

5. Scrumptious-

II. Literary Terms: Define the following terms.

1. Dialect-

2. Flashback-

3. Allusion-

4. Biblical Allusion-

5. Mood-

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III. Characters: Describe each character by including physical appearance, age, personality, etc. Also include any other characteristic that makes each character stand out from the rest. (ex. Special relationships, attitude, and/or event)

1. Mary Louise (Reesa) McMahon-

2. Warren McMahon-

3. Miz Lizbeth-

4. Luther Cully-

5. Armetta Cully-

6. Marvin Cully-

7. Doto (Desoto)-

8. Emmett Casselton-

9. J.D. Bowman-

10. Miss Maybelle-

11. May Carol Garnett-

IV. Study Guide Questions—Write your answers on notebook paper.

1. Why does Luther wake up the McMahan’s early one spring morning?

2. What gruesome discovery do Luther and Warren find? How does this news affect both families and the community?

3. How did Doto get her name?

4. What are the “Quarters”?

5. Explain what happens when Doto takes her grandchildren out to lunch.

6. How did Marvin help Reesa to win the Bible Verse Contest during Palm Sunday?

V. Predictions

After reading Chapters 1-5 from Lay That Trumpet in our Hands, what do you predict will happen next with Reesa, Luther, Warren, or the people of their community? Explain

Lay That Trumpet in our Hands

Reading Guide

Chapters 6-10

I. Characters

1. Lucy Garnet-

2. Harry T. Moore-

3. Miz Sooky-

4. Opalakee Klan-

5. Ren-

6. Mitchell-

7. Jackie Robinson- famous African-American baseball player who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His team won the National pennant and he was voted MVP that same year. (1949)

8. J. Edgar Hoover-

9. Sal and Sophia Tomasini-

II. Study Guide Questions—Write answers on notebook paper.

1. Describe the similarities between the church services in Mayflower, Florida.

(ex. Marvin’s church and Reesa’s church)

2. Describe Reesa’s feelings about Marvin. Give at least two examples of her thoughts or flashbacks that she has during course of these chapters.

3. What does Luther want Warren to do for Armetta now that she has decided not to work for Mr. Reed Garnet?

4. What did Marvin say that the NAACP stands for to Reesa?

5. Describe the dream that Reesa has about Marvin. How is this an example of a biblical allusion? Be specific.

6. Explain why Miz Sooky has an all-white Easter garden.

7. What sign has Reesa never noticed before? How do the words make her feel?

8. What does Miz Lucy Garnet want with Armetta at the store?

9. What is Armetta’s response? Explain.

10. Describe Marvin’s love for baseball. Include his favorite player and team.

11. How was Marvin influential in helping Ren to understand his love about baseball?

III. Making the connection

Has there ever been a time in your life where you felt ostracized or as though “all eyes were on you?” Explain.

Lay that Trumpet in Our Hands

Reading Guide

Chapters 11-15

I. Characters

1. Thurgood Marshall-

2. Maryvale (Vaylie) Carollton-

3. Lt. Richard Randall Swann-

II. Study Guide Questions

1. Why did Harry T. Moore and Thurgood Marshall visit the MacMahon’s?

2. What information do Ren and Reesa give them about what happened in the restaurant with Doto?

3. What kinds of “signs” does Warren explain about to Mr. Marshall and Mr. Moore?

4. Why is Reesa relieved when she sees Maryvale (Vaylie)?

5. Why are Vaylie and her mom “on tour,” and what is wrong with Vaylie’s father?

6. What are the boys doing at Dry Sink?

7. What do Reesa and Vaylie find in the attic? How does this change Reesa view of Miss Maybelle?

8. What do we learn about Vaylie and her family from her letters?

9. Explain Vaylie’s letter and Reesa’s response (on pgs. 99-101). What questions does Reesa continue to have? What “answers” has she found, if any at all?

10. Briefly characterize J.D. Bowman based on his words and actions towards Roo at the store.

11. How does Reesa’s dream about Marvin change?

12. What is the “hell” that everyone is referring to?

Lay That Trumpet in our Hands

Reading Guide

Chapters 16-22

I. Literary Terms

Define each literary term and give an example of each from these chapters.

1. Tone-

2. Mood-

3. Author’s bias-

4. Symbolism-

II. Study Guide Questions

1. Why should the Tomasinis be worried about the Klan?

2. In Chapter 16, what do Roo and her family see instead of a wedding from the noise coming from the road?

3. What important piece of information does Roo recognize during the course of the chase?

4. What is Luther’s CIA? Explain how his CIA works.

5. Describe the recent Klan activities from Chapter 17.

6. Why does Miss Maybelle want help immediately? Who helps her and what did that person do?

7. Discuss what happens at the baseball game. How would have Marvin thought of this as being heaven on Earth?

8. What did Mr. Harry T. Moore say that he had hidden in his car?

9. Discuss what happens in Chapter 20 about the two defendants and Sheriff McCall.

10. What present does Doto give to Roo and her family for Christmas?

11. Explain what happens to Mr. Moore in Chapter 22. Be specific.

12. What are the Tomasini’s forced to do? Why?

13. What happened to the Carver Village Housing Project in Miami?

Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands

Reading Guide

Chapters 23-30

I. Study Guide Questions: Write answers on notebook paper.

1. Why does Reesa’s daddy have dynamite? What do they find out when he tries to purchase a new fuse?

2. Why do Agents Odom and Elwood from the FBI come to see Warren? What are they investigating?

3. What is the Jacksonville Declaration? List its terms.

4. Summarize Vaylie’s letter and Reesa’s response on p. 166-169.

5. Explain what happens at May Carol’s pool party.

6. Who is Mr. James Jameson and what does he want Warren and Luther to do for the FBI? Why?

7. What do Luther and Warren plan to do exactly?

8. In the beginning of Chapter 27, Roo talks about an anniversary. Whose anniversary is it? How does she feel?

9. Explain what shocking event takes place involving Ren in Chapter 28. How does everyone react?

10. Jameson comes over to talk with Warren. What do they talk about and what plan is developed?

11. In Chapter 30, Luther, Robert, and Warren are involved in a plan. Explain the details and what actually happens to each.

12. What are the fundamental risks that each character is taking now? Explain.

Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands

Reading Guide Ch. 31-40

Write answers on notebook paper.

1. On page 211, Luther prays aloud for their safety. How does this prayer relate to the title of our book? Do you think it is appropriate? Explain.

2. How are the ladies reacting at the end of Chapter 31?

3. Describe what happened to the men on their secret mission to the fish camp.

4. What shocking revelation does Armetta discover in the back of one of the Klan journals?

5. Why does Warren say “we need to be laying low.” What does he mean by that statement? What did Ren do that might jeopardize their family?

6. What happens when Reed Garnet testifies? What does Miz Lucy do?

7. Summarize the article on p. 238-239.

8. What are Klavaliers? What does this mean for Warren and his family?

9. What advice does Luther give Warren for protecting himself?

10. What good news does Reesa read about in the Miami Herald? What crime were the men charged with?

11. What “close call” does Warren and his family have in Ch. 38? Describe what happens in detail.

12. Explain Warren’s meeting with Emmett Casselton. What is Warren’s proposition?

13. What does Warren and his family do? What happens after the explosion?

Themes and Connections

The following are critical thinking questions that involve discussing your opinions and making connections between the novel and your life. Answer each question with three to five sentences. Use details and quotes from the novel as necessary.

1. Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands opens with an evocative description of Florida as the "baby sister to the Belles." What do these initial paragraphs indicate about the state's economic and social history?

2. Before reading the novel, were you aware of the Ku Klux Klan's activities in Florida during the first half of the twentieth century? Do you believe that race relations evolved differently in Florida than in the rest of the South?

3. In what ways do the McMahons embody Florida's contradictions?

4. What characteristics does a young narrator impart to a tale as wrenching as Reesa's? Which traits make her a particularly appropriate guide for us? How might the story have changed if told from her brother Ren's point of view?

5. Do Reesa's role models—her mother and father, Doto, Luther, and Armetta—provide her with contradictory or consistent messages about human nature? What are some examples?

6. In chapter nine, May Carol's mother begs Armetta to return to her job in their household. What does this scene reveal about the balance of power between adults and children in Mayflower, and between blacks and whites? Were you surprised that Mr. Garnet made no effort to hide his KKK robe from Armetta?

7. Discuss the author's many references to baseball. How does baseball enhance the novel's plot and tone?

8. Religion figures prominently in Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands, from the Marvin's lessons in Bible study to the horrific Klan bombings of Catholic and Jewish citizens. How do these myriad experiences shape Reesa's understanding of God? How does her faith change throughout the book?

9. The Red Scare is an important historical backdrop for the novel. In what way did the Klan align itself with those who feared a Communist insurgency?

10. Whose "hands" are implied by the title, in your opinion? Who are their contemporary equivalents?

11. What does the correspondence between Reesa and Vaylie teach both girls about life outside their own families? What do the letters convey to us that isn't disclosed in the main storyline?

12. Two background characters, Maybelle Mason and Lucy Garnet, add an interesting perspective to the role of women in Mayflower. In what way does each woman's tragedy affect your understanding of this town?

13. The women of Luther's "C.I.A." were crucial to a courtroom victory. How do they compare to the novel's other female characters?

14. The Florida landscape makes an intriguing backdrop for this novel, complete with a swimming hole restored at the book's conclusion. Discuss the influence of setting on your imagination as you read Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands.

15. In her author's note, Susan Carol McCarthy emphasizes the fact that the characters Reed Garnet, J.D. Bowman, and their families are completely fictional: "The real Klansmen who roamed the back roads and groves of our area, including those who were indicted by the federal grand jury, have their own stories. Which, of course, are theirs to tell." What do you imagine those stories might say? What motivated this novel's antagonists?

16. How did the civil rights movement affect your community?

17. Susan Carol McCarthy began writing this novel as a gift for her father, whose heroism in Florida inspired the character of Warren McMahon. Who are the Warrens and Luthers in your life?

Figurative Language Exploration

Directions: Using your questions and your novels, find at least fifteen (15) examples of figurative language that McCarthy uses in Trumpet. Write the page number, the example of figurative language (quote the actual line from the novel), an explanation of the quote, and the context (what was going on in the chapter). Create a chart like the one shown below.

|Page # |Example of Fig. Language |Explanation of Example |Context |

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Write your answers on notebook paper.

Write your answers on notebook paper.

Write your answers on notebook paper.

Write your answers on notebook paper.

Write your answers on notebook paper.

Write your answers on notebook paper.

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