Ta-Nehisi Coates
Symbolism
Themes
Random
100

Who did Ta-Nehisi Coates originally write his novel Between the World and Me to?

Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote his novel to his 14 year old son Samori Maceo-Paul Coates.

100

What did Coates mean when he says "to lose his body"?

The destruction of African Americans through racism and violence.

100

How does Coates define the term "The Black Body"?

The black body is constantly under threat through acts of racism. Throughout history people of color have be dehumanized, abused and subjected to violence 

100

How is whiteness a construct?

Whiteness is a construct because throughout history who is considered white has changed multiple times and still is.

200

Ta-Nehisi Coates was enrolled in what university?

Howard University 

200

How is Coates first love significant to Between the World and Me?

Coates first love symbolizes a bridge to a wider world where he can explore and experience more.

200

How does Coates portray and explain racism in the book?

Coates makes the statement that racism is enforced through the destruction of black communities and black bodies.

200

How is blackness a construct?

Blackness was created to make sure there was a "below" a group or mass of people that lay the foundation for privileged people to stand upon.

300

How many novels and comic books has Ta-Nehisi Coates written?

Four novels and two comic books

300

What does Howard University mean to Coates?

Howard University symbolizes Mecca, its a safe place for all African Americans where they can flourish, find acceptance and just be themselves.

300

How does Coates use the legacy of slavery in Between the World and Me?

Coates doesn't just focus on the present but uses American history to help showcase the first and most horrific examples of the destruction of black bodies.

300

How does Prince Jones death affect Coates?

Prince Jones death shatters Coates because it him it defies all logic. Jones had grown up in a good family and was educated not from the streets. It defies all which has been told to people of color that if you do nothing wrong and do everything right no harm will come to you but in this case the statement was null and void.

400

What award did Between the World and Me win in the year 2015?

Nation Book Award

400

What significance do battlefields of the Civil War have to Coates?

According to Coates the battlefields of the Civil War are reminders of racial pathologies.

400

What is the American Dream according to Coates?

The American Dream is the perfect little house with a white picket fence but Coates sees it as something only accessible to white people and built on the suffering of people of color.

400

What is a survivor in Between the World and Me?

A survivor is someone who worked hard and managed to make decent or even prosperous living, they were examples to the community of something to aspire to.

500

What company did Ta-Nehisi Coates found?

Black Classic Press, a company that publishes African American works.

500

What does Samori Coates symbolize in Between the World and Me?

Samori Coates symbolizes all the African American boys and girls growing up in an American that callously destroys black bodies.

500

How is family portrayed as a theme in Between the World and Me?

The novel itself is a letter from father to son on how to survive in a world where you aren't treated fairly. Coates novel also has his own personal experience where his friends that turned into family helped him navigate this world.

500

What is the irony of whiteness in Between the World and Me?

The irony falls in that white people who believe they have all the power are not actually white and only believe themselves to be white. Whiteness is a construct; many white people such as those from Ireland, Poland and Greece were not considered originally white.