Themes & Central Ideas
What central idea is conveyed from the line “instead I was left with a brawl of ancestors…?”
a. Knowledge is power
b. Black Excellence
c. History is complex
d. Fighting isn’t always the answer
c. History is complex
“C.L.R. James was a great wave and Basil Davidson was a swirling eddy, tossing me about.” How does the author use the ocean metaphor?
a. It represents how vast the ideas he was learning became, like the sea itself.
b. It creates a tone of rest and relaxation as he enjoys his reading of black history.
c. It compares the feeling he had processing all of the conflicting ideas to struggling to stay afloat in the ocean.
d. It dramatizes the impact of the library time to a moment of survival.
Who is Coates addressing when he says “Had any people, anywhere, ever been as sprawling and beautiful as us?”
Black or African American people
What is an allusion?
An indirect, or occasionally direct, reference in a text to another well-known person, place, event, or literary work.
What is Mrs. Spence's favorite food?
Ice cream (sometimes gelato)
What central idea does the author convey by repeating the word “fear” throughout Chapter 1?
a. Low-income communities have no one to blame but themselves
b. Sometimes the actions of others are influenced by their fight for survival
c. Bad neighborhoods can be scary to live in
d. Coates loathed those in his own community, as they scared him
b. Sometimes the actions of others are influenced by their fight for survival
What is the meaning of “naked before the elements of the world”?
To be vulnerable or exposed to all kinds of oppression.
What is Coates’s purpose in referring to “black people as kings in exile…..severed from…..majestic Nubian culture?”
a. To highlight the slave trade and its impact on Africa
b. To present slaves using a positive connotation rather than a dehumanizing one
c. To offer insight into ancient civilizations and cultures globally
d. To highlight that some nationalities are superior, even royal, when compared to others.
b. To present slaves using a positive connotation rather than a dehumanizing one
Why does Coates refer to Howard University as "The Mecca?"
It represents a sacred, almost spiritual, place for Black or African American individuals.
What context clues help to determine the meaning of the word "factions" as it is used in paragraph 4 of the excerpt?
Multiple answers. Examples: "factions within factions;" "coherent;" "brawl of ancestors"
What central idea is conveyed in the line “my working theory then held all black people as kings in exile”?
That the heritage of Black people includes nobility but that they have been separated from that status.
Interpret the following quote: “I would imagine Malcolm X, his body bound in a jail cell, studying the books, trading his human eyes for the power of flight.”
a. The quotes suggests the transformative experience education has in freeing someone from their station in life
b. The quote emphasizes how important understanding the civil rights era is.
c. The quote provides a reference to the school to prison pipeline.
d. The quote illuminates one’s ability to see beyond their circumstances.
a. The quote suggests the transformative experience education has in freeing someone from their station in life
What is Coates’s purpose for including the anecdote about his Great-Grandmother beating his Grandmother?
To illustrate how older generations taught younger generations about "the fear."
Why does Coates allude to famous authors and activists in section two of excerpt #2?
a. To show how expansive the library is
b. To show that some writers were correct and some were incorrect
c. To show how juxtaposing Coates realized Black history was
d. To show which authors Coates had a preference for
Which context clues helped you determine the meaning of the word "ennoble" as it is used in the excerpt’s final sentence?
Multiple answers. Examples: "kings in exile;" "majestic;" "the Mecca;" "beautiful"
Write a central idea statement for excerpt #1. Explain your answer.
Up to teacher's discretion.
Interpret the following quote: “The smokescreen would lift. And the villains who manipulated the schools and the streets would be unmasked.”
a. Coates is alluding to the fact that slaves were not allowed to earn an education
b. The smokescreen represents a covert effort to manipulate information
c. The unmasking represents how good people do not want to reveal their true intentions
d. Schools and neighborhoods are a product of the people who inhabit them.
b. The smokescreen represents a covert effort to manipulate information
What is the author’s purpose of saying “The Dream thrives on generalization, on limiting the number of possible questions, on privileging immediate answers. The Dream is the enemy of all art, courageous thinking, and honest writing.”
To inform about the false promises made to Black or African American individuals through the American Dream.
Why does Coates allude to Nubian culture at the beginning of excerpt #2?
To establish the powerful past that characterizes Black history.
What is Mr. Romer's favorite food?
Fresh bread (and butter)
Write a central idea statement for excerpt #2. Explain your answer.
Up to teacher's discretion.
“I didn’t yet realize that the boot on your own neck is just as likely to make you delusional as it is to ennoble”. What does the boot represent in this metaphor?
Systematic oppression
What is the difference in Coates’ purpose for writing excerpt #1 and excerpt #2?
Excerpt #1 informs Coates' son specifically with personal anecdotes, while excerpt #2 informs the greater audience with the complex reality of Black experiences.
Coates asks the following question: "If the Eighteenth Dynasty pharaohs were alive today, would they live in Harlem?" How would you answer this question, and why?
Up to teacher discretion. Must include a clear answer and specific reason.
What is Mr. Haarmann's favorite food?
Rice and beans