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Discussion
Questions
1. List the main characters in the
first part of this book. Describe each of their motivations
or the circumstances that led to their involvement
in the slave trade, whether as traders, laborers,
slaves, or "bystanders." How many of these motivations
seem financial? How many seem emotional or personal?
Who does the slave trade benefit, and how? Who does
it exploit, and how? What connections can you find
between seemingly disparate groups of people?
2. Early in the book, we see that Erasmus is a bad
actor. (Note: What play are Erasmus and his friends
rehearsing?) In what other ways do we see Erasmus's
inability to "act"? What does this unwavering straightforwardness
say about Erasmus? How does it help and hinder him
throughout the novel?
3. What does this book say about the objectivity of
law, government, science, and religion? Think of instances
in the book when the author calls these institutions
into question. How would you characterize Paris's
views of law, religion, and science? How do they differ
from Erasmus's views?
4. Describe the tactics that Delblanc, the founding
father of the settlement, used to create a community?
How did he use elements of political revolution and
religious resurrection to form the settlement? Why,
for example, was it essential that the settlers kill
the slave traders who had kidnapped the Indians?
5. What ways had the settlement developed to maintain
a community? What were some of the essential ground
rules that were established? What were the roles of
storytelling and myth?
6. Think about the way the "pidgin" language is used
around the settlement. Why is this important? When
some characters would slip into standard English,
how would this affect relationships? Can you think
of examples when the actual language and words used
to discuss issues and problems affect these problems?
7. In more than one instance, Paris is accused of
thinking too "generally" (with Nadri) or not seeing
the "real world" (with Kireku). What do you think
of the ideas that Paris is stating in these conversations?
Is it futile to establish general laws of humanity?
8. Consider the various notions of justice in the
book: Erasmus's ideas of justice as vengeance; Thurso's
shipboard justice; Paris and Delblanc's visions; the
mock trial in the London jail. How do these definitions
of justice differ? How do some of them break down?
9. Think about the aphorism "Power corrupts; absolute
power corrupts absolutely." What does Unsworth say
about the nature of power? Does Unsworth believe that
there are some people who "naturally" are powerful
and some people who are by nature weak? Delblanc paints
a portrait of a man in power. What does Delblanc's
portrait indicate about Unsworth's notions of the
effects of power?
10. Consider the relationship between race and power
in Sacred Hunger. How did Thurso and the shipmates
attempt to maintain control over the slaves that they
took, even when they were vastly outnumbered? How
are Unsworth's visions of power and control as they
relate to race relevant today?
11. During his time on the ship, Paris is translating
a scientific work about the circulatory system of
the human body. Think about ways in which the author
uses this biological metaphor to illuminate other
systems at play in the novel. How is the slave trade,
and the economic and social factors involved, depicted
as a kind of circulatory system? What are the channels
of this system? Who is being served or fed by this
system? What is the author saying about the nature
of human connectivity with this metaphor?
12. What is the "sacred hunger" of the title? Why
does the author use religious overtones to describe
this hunger? Who has the "sacred hunger"? Is everyone
capable of it? In what ways do you see the "sacred
hunger" manifest itself throughout the book?
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