The Bluest Eye and Black Beauty
“It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes that held the pictures, and knew the sights—if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different.”
What role has beauty, materialism, and whiteness played in Black History? In today’s world, what symbolizes beauty? Is the African American ideal of beauty different that White Americans? Use personal and classroom examples respond.
Good Fortune and Education
The consequences of learning to read were severe for slaves. Stories of a slave's tongue or fingers getting cut off haunted me from time to time. Surely I had a right to learn! I could hide, but was it really worth the risk? I didn't know. But these lessons served as an advantage to me, and I took that seriously. I would store in my head every word that slipped out of their "innocent" little mouths, to go over in my mind in the fields.
My secret churned in my heart. I was getting educated!
How has education affected the plight of African Americans historically? Is education valued as much as it once was by African Americans? Use examples from class and personal experience to answer the questions.
The Color Purple and the Role of Women
“Harpo say, I love you, Squeak. He kneel down and try to put his arms round her waist. She stand up. My name Mary Agnes, she say.”
What makes a strong African American woman? What are the most important contributions of women in African American History? Were African American women of the past stronger than those of today? Respond using examples from class and personal experience.
Kindred: Black and White
“[The slaves] seemed to like [Rufus], hold him in contempt, and fear him all at the same time. . . . I had thought my feelings were complicated because he and I had such a strange relationship. But then, slavery of any kind fostered strange relationships.”
Give examples of what the relationship between Blacks and Whites has been like over the course of American history? Are Black America and White America friends, adversaries, or something totally different? Can the idea of race ever be undone? If so, what must be done in order to fix it? Given examples from the classroom and personal experience to answer the questions
The Glory Field and Family
"That's not just dirt out there, " Grandma Saran had said. "Somebody in out family been working that land since we was first brought over here. We've been up and down these fields till we know them like we know our own hands. Back in slavery times it was us who sweated over those fields, bled over them, and Lord knows cried over them."
What is the importance of family for African Americans? Do African Americans value their history, heritage, and ancestry? What is the most important part of African heritage for African Americans to hold on to? Use examples from the classroom and personal experience to answer the questions.
“It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes that held the pictures, and knew the sights—if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different.”
What role has beauty, materialism, and whiteness played in Black History? In today’s world, what symbolizes beauty? Is the African American ideal of beauty different that White Americans? Use personal and classroom examples respond.
Good Fortune and Education
The consequences of learning to read were severe for slaves. Stories of a slave's tongue or fingers getting cut off haunted me from time to time. Surely I had a right to learn! I could hide, but was it really worth the risk? I didn't know. But these lessons served as an advantage to me, and I took that seriously. I would store in my head every word that slipped out of their "innocent" little mouths, to go over in my mind in the fields.
My secret churned in my heart. I was getting educated!
How has education affected the plight of African Americans historically? Is education valued as much as it once was by African Americans? Use examples from class and personal experience to answer the questions.
The Color Purple and the Role of Women
“Harpo say, I love you, Squeak. He kneel down and try to put his arms round her waist. She stand up. My name Mary Agnes, she say.”
What makes a strong African American woman? What are the most important contributions of women in African American History? Were African American women of the past stronger than those of today? Respond using examples from class and personal experience.
Kindred: Black and White
“[The slaves] seemed to like [Rufus], hold him in contempt, and fear him all at the same time. . . . I had thought my feelings were complicated because he and I had such a strange relationship. But then, slavery of any kind fostered strange relationships.”
Give examples of what the relationship between Blacks and Whites has been like over the course of American history? Are Black America and White America friends, adversaries, or something totally different? Can the idea of race ever be undone? If so, what must be done in order to fix it? Given examples from the classroom and personal experience to answer the questions
The Glory Field and Family
"That's not just dirt out there, " Grandma Saran had said. "Somebody in out family been working that land since we was first brought over here. We've been up and down these fields till we know them like we know our own hands. Back in slavery times it was us who sweated over those fields, bled over them, and Lord knows cried over them."
What is the importance of family for African Americans? Do African Americans value their history, heritage, and ancestry? What is the most important part of African heritage for African Americans to hold on to? Use examples from the classroom and personal experience to answer the questions.