Go Tell It on the Mountain

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Creative Writing Activity: Go Tell It on the Mountain, Part 4”

In this activity, students will write a chapter from the perspective of one of the other characters in the novel.

While Baldwin’s novel is comprised of flashbacks, the central narrative follows John and his immediate family at a church service on the weekend of his 14th birthday. Baldwin selects three of John’s family members to receive their own narratives, where each character reflects on the past to explain their present circumstances. Select one of the characters in the novel who does not have a chapter and write a reflection from the person’s own experience. The narrative style should both mirror Baldwin’s style of writing, as well as maintain the accuracy of the character based on text details. Use the following questions to guide your writing process:

• What is this person’s relationship to the Grimes family?
• How is this person religiously oriented?
• In which ways do the themes of Religious Piety and Hypocrisy, Sexuality and Shame, and Racism and Generational Trauma shape this character’s narrative and perspective?

After writing your chapter, share your work with the class. Consider how other students have woven the novel’s themes in their respective characters’ chapters.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity combines reading and thematic comprehension in the context of a creative writing exercise. Each student should select a different character from the novel (depending on the class size, this could mean that some students write about the same character) and mirror Baldwin’s writing style using a third-person perspective with limited insight into the character’s thinking. Assess the students’ responses based on their creativity, the accuracy of character development based on text details, and the incorporation of the novel’s themes into their chapters.