Ernestine Flashcards
Who is Ernestine?
17 year old black girl struggling with the loss of her mom and her own dreams whilst also trying to be a good daughter.
What are Ernestine’s goals?
To graduate high school and escape Brooklyn.
Who/what is Ernestine influenced by?
Godfrey
Lily
White standards and segregation
How does Ernestine narrate the events of the play?
She is poetic, insightful, and imaginative. She seems to be narrating from an older, wiser perspective.
She steps in and out of the action and, for the first part of the play at least, functions mainly as a narrator as Godfrey and Lily provide most of the action.
What symbols are linked to Ernestine? Why?
The movies. She often dreans of becoming a movie star.
The radio. It represents the free, white world that she is denied.
The graduation dress. This is a metaphor of Ernestine’s dreams to finish her studies.
Ever since _______ _______ on, [F_______ D_______] stands _______ __ and our _________.
Ever since Mommy passed on, [Father Divine] stands between us and our enjoyment.
We ____ and ______ to ____ the _____ _______
We sit and listen to all the white laughter.
D_______ A________
Darling Angel
____ is also ________ in a ________ _______ _______
She is also dressed in a pristine white pinafore
She ______
I ______ ______ you _____
She white
I don’t want you here
_______ _____ from the ____ and ______ her _____ to _____ a _____ white _______ _____
Gerte rises from the table and sheds her dress to reveal a slinky white cocktail dress
I ________ so ____ on this _____
I worked so hard on this dress.
