• Anticipated Answer 1
"Judgmental comes from the word 'judgment'. It means deciding something is bad before you really understand it, or acting superior."
• Anticipated Answer 2
"The words 'lustful', 'demon', and 'destruction' are highly charged and judgmental because they paint Tish as something evil and dangerous rather than human."
• Anticipated Answer 3
"By making Mrs. Hunt use words like 'Holy Ghost' and 'God' right next to cursing an unborn baby, Baldwin shows that her religious beliefs have been corrupted by her judgment of others."
Key Classroom Cue
Ensure students call out the "Charged Diction" feature from their MRS. HUNT reference guide.
Page 2
Circulation Objectives (Lap 4-5):
Common Misconceptions:
"Students may confuse religious diction with genuine goodness. Remind them that Baldwin juxtaposes holy vocabulary with hateful actions to expose Mrs. Hunt's inner cruelty."
Question 1: Device and Theme
Through the juxtaposition of Mrs. Hunt's self-righteous religious beliefs and her cruel actions, Baldwin demonstrates that judgment of others destroys family and communal bonds.
Question 2: Humanizing Diction
"My God", "Holy Ghost", "My prayers"
Question 3: Dehumanizing Diction
"demon", "lustful", "shrivel", " womb"
Question 4: Zoom In Template
James Baldwin juxtaposes the Holy Ghost and a demon / shriveling child to emphasize the profound contradiction between Mrs. Hunt’s professed godliness and her actual cruelty.
Question 5: Verbatim Exemplar Response (Synthesis)
In If Beale Street Could Talk, James Baldwin uses juxtaposition to show how self-righteous, judgmental attitudes destroy families. This is clear when Mrs. Hunt tells Tish that "the Holy Ghost will cause that child to shrivel in your womb." Baldwin juxtaposes religious terms like "Holy Ghost" with the dehumanizing image of a "shrivel[ing]" child to emphasize the hypocrisy of her holy judgment.
Challenge Zoom Out Exemplar
Ultimately, Baldwin’s exposure of Mrs. Hunt's spiritual decay serves to show how systemic suffering in Harlem is compounded when victims turn their judgments on one another rather than offering healing and solidarity.
Page 2 Key
Directions
Read the critical excerpt below, then complete questions 1–6 in full sentences.
Annotated Excerpt: Mrs. Hunt's Speech James Baldwin, *If Beale Street Could Talk* (p. 4)
"I guess you call your lustful action love […]. I don’t. I always knew that you would be the destruction of my son. You have a demon in you—I always knew it. My God caused me to know it many a year ago. The Holy Ghost will cause that child to shrivel in your womb. But my son will be forgiven. My prayers will save him."
1
Identify the primary literary device and name a theme Baldwin explores here.
Through the juxtaposition of Mrs. Hunt's self-righteous religious beliefs and her cruel behavior, Baldwin demonstrates that self-righteous judgment of others corrupts familial and communal love.
2
Write 1-2 words showing humanizing diction:
"Holy Ghost", "My God", "My prayers"
3
Write 1-2 words showing dehumanizing diction:
"demon", "lustful", "shrivel", "destruction"
4
Write a "Zoom In" sentence using the template below:
James Baldwin juxtaposes "the Holy Ghost / God" and "a demon / shrivel" to emphasize the hypocritical gap between Mrs. Hunt's religious words and her harsh, unloving actions.
5
Synthesize your analysis: Combine #1 (argument), the quote (with context), and your Zoom In sentence into a 3-sentence analytical paragraph.
In If Beale Street Could Talk, Baldwin uses juxtaposition to show how judgmental self-righteousness destroys human bonds. This is clear when Mrs. Hunt condemns Tish, warning her that "the Holy Ghost will cause that child to shrivel in your womb."
Baldwin juxtaposes divine concepts like the "Holy Ghost" with the dehumanizing threat of a "shrivel[ing]" baby to highlight the fundamental cruelty and hypocrisy nested inside Mrs. Hunt’s judgment.
6
Challenge Zoom Out Exemplar Advanced Level
By exposing the poison of self-righteous judgment, Baldwin suggests that for the community in Harlem to survive systemic racism, they must support each other with compassion and love, rather than adopting the cruel, condemning judgments of the oppressive outer world.
