Girl In Hyacinth Blue

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.

“Adding a Chapter to Girl in Hyacinth Blue”

In this activity, students will write an additional chapter that focuses on the movement of the painting between people.

While the novel traces the origins of the painting to its creation, there are some ambiguities between the vignettes as to how the painting passes from owner to owner. For this Activity, write an additional chapter for the novel that clarifies the movement of the painting between two parties. In your piece, be sure to use the already existing chapters to guide your narrative’s style, character, and plot choices, while focusing on the movement of the painting.

After drafting your chapter, share an excerpt in a writing critique circle. Explain your rationale for choosing the chapter you did and point out the ways the surrounding characterizations and events drove your decisions as a writer. Consider and discuss the different ways in which your classmates’ chapters focus on the themes of The Different Facets of Love, The Power of Art, and Discovering the Meaning of Life in Its Moments.

Teaching Suggestion: It may be helpful for writers to more thoroughly research the time period in which their chapter is set before writing. Brainstorming and outlining might serve as methods for beginning the writing of the chapter; Masterclass has tips for writing historical fiction, and Writer’s Digest offers advice on what to avoid in “Entertaining With the Past: How To Write Engaging Historical Fiction.” Students might consider the role of auction houses,  galleries, and shops in revealing how the painting traveled.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who benefit from additional structure in creative activities, a more specific assigned task might be helpful: Write a chapter to be added to the beginning of the book that reveals the whereabouts of the painting today. Using Chapter 1 as the initial point of plot, write a creative addition to the novel in which you determine what Cornelius decides to do with the painting, who the new owner is, and how this person or group came to discover and own the painting.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. In the book, the author speaks about the role of art and the meaning of life.

• Does the novel suggest that the way art impacts life is more significant than the way life influences art, or vice versa?
• Defend your topic sentence by analyzing and discussing at least three examples from the novel. Use a variety of chapters for your examples and incorporate details and direct quotes to support your stance.
• In your concluding sentences, evaluate the effectiveness of the structure of the novel in its messaging about life and art.  

2. Throughout the novel, many characters begin to question aspects of their personal life as they come into contact with the painting. Choose one character in the novel for whom this is true.

• How does the painting cause this character to reassess, question, or think more deeply about some aspect of their life? (topic sentence)
• Trace this character’s arc throughout their chapter, discussing and analyzing in clear points the moments in which the painting provides clarity or conflict.
• In your conclusion, summarize the ways in which this character’s relationship to the painting helps to develop the theme of Discovering the Meaning of Life in Its Moments.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Several of the characters choose (or are compelled) to relocate before, during, or after their time with the painting. How do characters’ movements to and from new homes sometimes parallel the movement of the painting? In a 3- or 5-paragraph essay, explain the message the novel conveys about origins and displacement through the characters’ movements. To what extent does choice or fate play a role, and how might this question also connect with the painting’s journey?

2. Consider the part that gender plays in the novel. How do gender roles change as the narrative proceeds? How are these gender roles affected by the presence of the painting? How does the gender of the painting’s subject relate to the way that the characters view their own and/or their loved ones’ place in society? In a 3-or 5-paragraph essay, explore how gender roles are revealed throughout the novel and how they interconnect with the painting’s journey and the painting itself. Use a variety of examples from the novel to support your thesis and points.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following words best describes the political orientation of Otto Engelbrecht?

A) Nazi

B) Communist

C) Pacifist

D) Republican

2. Which of the following sentences best describes the sentiment that Hannah feels with the subject of the painting?

A) She abhors the girl’s work.

B) She respects the girl’s thoughtfulness.

C) She despises the girl’s expression.

D) She understands the girl’s sorrow.

3. How do Hannah’s elders regard Hannah’s personality?

A) They are pleased she is forthright.

B) They are concerned that she is dispirited.

C) They are shocked that she is pious.

D) They are delighted that she is strong-willed.

4. In Chapter 2, Hannah prepares for the Sabbath: “With everything nearly ready for the holiday at sundown, it seemed to Hannah that the rooms breathed expectation, as before a death, or a birth.” Which of the following literary terms is used in this observation?

A) Alliteration

B) Paradox

C) Personification

D) Simile

5. In Chapter 3, Laurens reflects upon his daughter’s imminent marriage:  “Everything about the couple ahead bore the conspicuous marks of euphoria. Too soon blooming, he thought, too soon coming in to seed. They had not suffered long winter evenings of soulful contemplation, but were careening ahead as if it were already tulip time.” Which of the following sentiments is conveyed by referencing the weather?

A) Anxiety over the impending farming duties

B) Concern at the pace of their relationship

C) Admiration at the nature of their love

D) Acknowledgement of the passage of time

6. What type of phrases does Digna incorporate into her art?

A) Adages

B) Euphemisms

C) Hyperboles

D) Litotes

7. Which of the following motifs is referred to consistently throughout the novel?

A) Pigeons

B) Delftware

C) Nazis

D) Embroidery

8. Which of the following phrases best describes how Claudine feels about the Dutch?

A) She admires them.

B) She accepts them.

C) She adores them.

D) She abhors them.

9. How does Claudine affect the future of the painting?

A) She researches its authenticity.

B) She brings about its illegitimacy.

C) She alters the facial expression.

D) She popularizes its existence.

10. Which of the following is true about Saskia’s socioeconomic circumstances?

A) She married into a wealthy family.

B) She strongly adheres to the minimalist lifestyle.

C) She longs for the comforts of her parents’ and grandparents’ home.

D) She relishes in the delicacies of her French husband.

11. Which color is referenced frequently throughout the novel?

A) Purple

B) Red

C) Orange

D) Blue

12. In Chapter 5, on their day trip to Groningen, Saskia enters a shop with her children: “Marta and Piet were beside themselves, demanding in whispers that the other one look at each new thing—books, brocade cushions, carvings from the East Indies[...]” Given the time period of Saskia’s chapter, which of the following best explains the reference to the East Indies?

A) It refers to the trading relationship with Indian tribes in China.

B) It refers to the colonies of the Dutch Empire in Asia.

C) It refers to the industrialization of the subcontinent India.

D) It refers to the wealth of art produced during the Dutch Golden Age.

13. Which of the following words best describes how Aletta reacts upon seeing the painting?

A) Enraged

B) Jubilant

C) Noxious

D) Nostalgic

14. Which famous philosopher does Adriaan reference several times?

A) Socrates

B) Descartes

C) Marx

D) Nietzsche

15. Which of the following words best describes how Jan feels when he is with his paintings?

A) Apprehensive

B) Delusional

C) Intimate

D) Lethargic

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Explain the narration structure of the story. How does the narration structure and perspective work to build a central plot with cohesive themes? Use examples in your response.

2. How can the painting symbolize both permanence and fluidity? Cite 2-3 examples from a variety of chapters in your response.