09 Jul Whitman looks at a variety of races in poems 10 and 13. Probably the most interesting examination in poem 10 is the trapper.

1. Whitman looks at a variety of races in poems 10 and 13.  Probably the most interesting examination in poem 10 is the trapper.  What does his assimilation into the tribe represent in the poem, and how does it reflect/juxtapose the following lines about the runaway slave in the next stanza of poem 10?

2. In poem 13, Whitman vividly describes the man on the bay mare.  As you know, slavery is dependent on the idea of racial/genetic superiority.  Through his description, what comment do you think Whitman is making about this “superiority?”

3. Desire’s Baby conflates two different social constructs–race and gender.  How do you see these two social constructs–both jointly and severally–operating in the story?

4. Both Washington and DuBois have distinct ideas regarding the struggle for civil rights.  Briefly summarize their philosophies.  How are they similar?  How are they different?  Which man’s approach to equality do you think will work best and why?

5. Dunbar makes a powerful statement in his poem.  What is this “Mask” that he refers to?  Why do black people “wear” this “mask?”  

6. McKay’s poem “Lynching” presents us with a disturbing image towards the end of the poem.  What do you think this image conveys when it comes to gender and racism?  What claim does it make about the perpetuation of racism?

7. Hughes’ poem also evokes gender and the relationship between mother and child.  Compare and contrast the themes of motherhood and the relationship it has with children to the one presented in McKay’s poem.