Reading Log Questions #1

1) What is the meaning of the Good Lord Bird? What does it represent? How does it connect to the title of the book?

The Good Lord Bird symbolizes having understanding and thus being at peace while simultaneously representing the liberation that accompanies this new understanding of the world. Most commonly, birds are used to depict ideas of freedom, and the Good Lord Bird is no exception. Since its feathers are believed to give understanding to the troubled people who need it, it can also be said that the feathers give people a chance to be free, like it is, from stress, worry, and doubt. On page 33, Frederick, who is unable to convey his thoughts clearly, says that gaining the "understanding that'll last your whole life" comes from the "memories and things" that are illustrated more clearly with the help of the Good Lord Bird's feather (McBride 33). The "memories and things" are synonymous with the experience a person gets from living life, which, when applied, can "last your whole life." The concept of the Good Lord Bird relates to the overall theme of the novel and its title by acting as a metaphor for the clarification each of the characters need in each of their own situations. Because lying is a major theme of The Good Lord Bird, this need for understanding is crucial and the Good Lord Bird provides that new, broader perspective that the characters need when confronting their blurry lives.



2) What is Henry's nickname? How did he earn it?

Henry got his nickname, Little Onion, from Old John Brown as a way of thanking Henry for reminding him what God values in a man. Although Henry acted on a misunderstanding, Old John Brown took Henry biting into his onion charm to mean that Old Man should not hold materialistic items with such value and should do away with such objects just as Henry metaphorically showed him by eating his onion charm. Old John Brown compares the act to "Jesus Christ [who] munched on the sins of the world so that [Henry and he] might live" (McBride 24). Because Old John Brown is so religious, it was easy for him to turn a teaching from the Bible into something he was experiencing in the moment, and having learned a lesson, presented Henry, the person who enlightened him, with a special nickname.



3) What was Henry's rationale for continuing to live a lie? Was it justifiable?

Throughout the beginning of The Good Lord Bird, Henry is obsessed with the idea that he is helpless as Old John Brown's prisoner. Henry takes this to another level when he continues to lie about his gender because he believes that it will protect him from the evil nature of Old John Brown, a man who tells Henry, "You just as free as the birds run" (McBride 29). Because Old John Brown tells Henry that he has rescued him from slavery, his actions are not justifiable and are just an excuse to avoid the confrontations he might have to make, like fighting or providing labor, should he transition back into male.

Permissible Lies Response

Depending on the time period, the people involved, and the consequences, it can be permissible to lie. To society, lying is an unethical act that can be avoided at all costs; however, this polarized way of thinking is not always applicable and it should be known that there are always exceptions to societal rules. During times of inequality, it was common for people to employ a technique called “passing” to get away with being a person of another race or gender. Although it was considered unfair to others to lie in this way about an identity, during times of adversity, it would be understandable to implement this survival tactic. In regards to when it is admissible to lie, context is everything. If a person is faced with obstacles, irrational people, and a society that will take no excuses, it is, in hindsight at least, acceptable to either lie by omission or lie outright. In The Good Lord Bird, Henry Shackleford and his father kept quiet about Henry’s actual gender to avoid additional hardships that would naturally come for a black male during this time period. Today, it is still common to lie by omission to avoid harsher punishments; because African-Americans are often targeted by police, they try to come off to others with a “caucasian” demeanor. Although on a smaller scale, the argument on when it is okay to lie is still applicable here and could result in a lesser punishment by officials. To entirely prohibit the act of lying, without gaining any understanding of the situation, is unfair in itself and could cost someone their well-being in extreme situations.