Download “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” Discussion Questions What is

“How It Feels to Be Colored Me” Discussion Questions
What is Hurston’s view on slavery?
What is the main idea of the essay? In what ways does race shape Hurston’s sense of identity?
This essay is flippant, irreverent, and sometimes sarcastic (find specific evidence to support). What point does Hurston make
by choosing this tone to discuss the subject of race?
4. Hurston employs flashback paragraphs 1-5. Why do you believe she chooses to perform this rhetorical move?
5. Hurston uses anecdotes as a rhetorical strategy. Judging from the anecdotes Hurston includes, what experiences and traits
does she consider distinctively African American? (Find specific evidence.)
6. Another rhetorical device that Hurston uses is the analogy (a point by point comparison that uses one thing or idea to make
sense of another). Reread the analogy Hurston develops I the last paragraph. What message does this comparison convey? In
your annotations explain the meaning of each part of the analogy (at least 3 parts).
7. Hurston’s views set her apart from most of her Harlem Renaissance contemporaries. Review the poets you have read in this
unit and juxtapose their perspectives with Hurston’s. What similarities and differences do you find.
8. Review the author biography on page 858 and the background on page 860 of the text book. What connections can you draw
between Hurston’s personality, her life, and her unique perspective on race.
9. The author Alice Walker, one of Hurston’s greatest admirers, finds Hurston’s views sometimes “exasperating.” She notes
that this essay “presents two stereotypes: the ‘happy darky’ who sings and dances for white folks, for money and for joy; and
the educated black person who is, underneath the thin veneer of civilization, still a ‘heathen.’” Do you agree with Walker’s
views? Why or why not? Be specific and provide details.
10. In what ways is this essay an essay that might be characterized as both a letter of introduction and a personal declaration of
independence.
1.
2.
3.
STRATEGY AND STYLE
a.
b.
c.
d.
The syntax in the title is unusual. How can you relate the order and choice of the words there to the author's feeling
about her racial identity?
"How It Feels to Be Colored Me" is a narration about a part of one specific woman's life, but it has widespread
significance. What are some of the ways Hurston makes this more than just the story of a single individual? Where in
the essay did you go to support your answer?
In paragraph ten, the author uses a metaphor to compare herself to an inanimate object. What is the comparison?
What mental image does it evoke? How can you relate the use of this literary device to her feelings about being
black?
Study paragraphs eleven, twelve, and thirteen. What content do they provide? Examine their rhythm: one very long
paragraph followed by two very short ones. How can you tie in this choice to the author's feelings about the
differences between blacks and whites?