Have students independently read Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Drenched in Light.” Then hold a class discussion using the following questions:

• Who are the central characters in the story and what words best describe them?
• Why does Hurston use vernacular for dialogue between members of the Black family?
• What are the key conflicts in the story? How do they get resolved?
• What is the attitude of the three White characters toward Isie and her grandmother? Select the sentences that best express their attitude.
• In the scene where Helen intervenes with Grandma on Isie’s behalf, why does Grandma suddenly change her attitude? 
• How does this change inform us about race relations at the time?
• What ideas is Hurston trying to convey in her story?
• How does the title fit the author’s intentions?
• To what extent does this story show that the Harlem Renaissance was a political–and not just a cultural–movement?