"Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves"

Performance DBQs:

1.  What emotions is Cher attributing to major parts of the narrative?

2.  How did the narrator grow up? What kinds of hardships did she experience?

3.  What do you notice about the narrator's adult life in the final three verses? How did it compare to her life as a child?

Article DBQs:

1.  How does the author characterize the "gypsy aesthetic" stereotype?

2.  How have stereotypes about Romani women affected them historically and currently?

3.  In reference to "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves," how is Cher portraying the narrator and the other women in the song that perpetuates the stereotypes discussed in the article about Romani women?

Report DBQs:

1.  What are your three major takeaways from this report? Cite evidence from the report to support your findings.

2.  Based off of the report's data, how do children experience poverty differently from adults?

3.  How does the report's findings relate to the story of the girl's life in "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves?"

Comedy Skit DBQs:

1.  What does Sonny call the fortune teller, portrayed by Cher? What stereotypical depictions of Romani women are being reinforced by Cher's portrayal? 

2.  Sonny claimed that the fortune teller "gypped" him. Using the context clues of the skit, how is this term used, and what does it mean?

3. Comparing how Romani women are described to live and work in "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" and the comedy skit, what harmful narrative is inadvertently being constructed about Romani women and their ways of life?