"You hit a policeman but that it was an accident and that you didn't mean to hurt the policeman."
I said, "But it wasn't an accident."
And father said, "Christopher, please."
Christopher takes things very literally, and also refuses to say anything he believes is a lie.
100
Who is Coates writing to in the book?
His son.
100
Discuss the pressures in the stories to fell accepted that appear in the stories we have read.
100
Where is the family travelling in the story "Tamazunchale?"
In Mexico, where the boy's father has a job.
200
What is the prediction the witches give to Macbeth's friend, Banquo?
That his children will be kings.
200
"Belief in the preeminence of hue and hair, the notion that these factors can correctly organize a society and that they signify deeper attributes, this is the new idea at the heart of these new people who have been brought up to believe that they are white." (7)
Race is a created construct, and it's important to remember that being "white" is an invented idea as well as being "black."
200
What is the name of the college friend, whose death Coates takes so hard in the book?
Prince Jones
200
Give two examples of people asserting their own identity in the stories.
200
What does Peter threaten to do to his Little Brother in the story?
Shut him off and hide him somewhere he can't be found.
300
Who does Macbeth kill, or have killed in the play?
King Duncan
Banquo
Lady Macduff and her children
300
"And I remember looking at the two of you and seeing you together and thinking how you were really differant with him. Much calmer. And it made me sad because it was like you didn't really need me at all.
Christopher's mother explaining why she left him. (Notice the spelling mistake as well)
300
What is the name of the location at Howard University where Coates discovers the great diversity of the black experience?
The Mecca
300
Give at least two examples of people feeling they do not have power or control over their own lives in the stories we've read.
300
The boy typically doesn't like gym class, but has a great day when they play what?
dodgeball.
400
Make an argument that Macbeth is not really responsible for what happens in the play.
Fate, as stated by the witches, can not be stopped.
His wife is actually responsible for goading him into killing Duncan.
400
"But they weren't real fairies. They were drawings on pieces of paper that they cut out. . . And this shows that sometimes people want to be stupid and they do not want to know the truth." (90)
Christopher commenting on people only seeing what they want to see.
400
Describe what the "Dream" is.
This ideal life of a family, house, white picket fence, nice neighborhood, nice schools, etc.
It is a dream white Americans expect to have, but one that comes as the expense of other people.
400
Give an example of a person in one of the stories exercising their power. Did they use it for good, or ill?
400
In"Practice and Perfection" what do they get to do when they learn something new?
wring the "success" gong
500
The idea that life and human existence is empty and meaningless is called what?
Nihilism
500
"What we must never do is willingly hand over our own bodies or the bodies of our friends. We knew we did not lay down the direction of the street, but despite that, we could - and must - fashion the way of our walk." (69)
Coates talking about how Malcolm X was opposed to the Civil Rights Movements strategy of passive resistance.
500
Coates struggles with his emotions when 9/11 happens. Why?
With the death of Prince Jones still fresh in his memory, Coates has trouble with the hypocrisy that he feels white Americans display when they respond in a overly patriotic way after 9/11.
500
Discuss what kind of world the characters in the stories live in. Is the world a good place, a bad place, a little of both?
500
In the story "Pep Assembly" how does the boy deal with the bullies?
He challenges them to a boxing match at his house, which he promptly wins.