1. At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to the Thomas family. Describe this family and the conditions in which they live? Be descriptive and use concrete details!
2, The title of Book One is Fear, how is this title symbolic and prophetic at the same time? What was Wright's intention with this title?
3. What initial event happens in the beginning of the novel that is clearly a foreshadowing of events to come?
4. How does Bigger feel about his home and its surroundings?
5. Who are Bigger's friends and what event takes place that creates a level of aggression with these friends?
6. Who are the Dalton's, and where and how do they live?
1. the relationship between the members of the family are pretty different. The younger brother tries to take up for Bigger when his mother is undermining him. they each have a role to play in the househol however Bigger has no father nor father figure to help him learn to take care of his family and become independent and responsible. They live poor conditions. They live in a one room apartment where each room is seperated by curtains and they all sleep in the same room. The have wooden floors covered in plaster, thin walls and hole in the molding. rats and probably other bugs and rodents. As far as food they dont have much to eat but they do not starve. they dont have a lot of money because the only person working is the mother.
ReplyDelete2. the title of book one is fear because in this chapter you get the full essence of fear that bigger tries to hide and you learn more about his character. when he kills the rat he throws the pan across the room at it. once dead he takes a stone and bashes it's head in .throwing the pan was done out of fear, fear that the rat might attack him again. he bashes the head because of anger and frustration that had biult up in him. the frustration that he was had to live like this and was not able to provide for his family. the frustration that he didnt have any money to do anything or a job to pay for the things they lack. Wrights intention for naming this the title so that you were looking for the fear and you could see how Bigger isnt always as tough as he may seem. He wanted to show you a side a Bigger that Bigger wouldnt show you himself.
- Desiray W.
3. In the beginning , Bigger meets up with Gus and they talk about robbing a white man with some other friends. All four friends meet up at the poolroom and Gus and Bigger start to bicker back and forth until the argument escalades. With two people upset with each other they dont know if they will be able to pull it off but continue to go through with it .
ReplyDelete1. Bigger and his family live in a one room apartment. Buddy and Bigger have to sleep in the same bed, and when their sister and mother change, they have to turn away. His family consists of his younger brother, Buddy, his younger sister Vera, and his mother. Bigger’s mother treats him with slight distain, diminishes him every way possible, yet she still expects him to stand up for himself and to be the man of the house.
ReplyDelete2. This title is symbolic and prophetic because it foreshadows the fear he feels after killing Mary. Moreover, it also represents the fear he feels from dealing with the world and the responsibilities associated with it.
3. The event of Bigger killing the pesky ran in his apartment foreshadows what is to come later on in the story.
4. Bigger feels distain toward his home and surroundings.
5. Bigger’s friends are Gus, G.H., and Jack. The event that takes place that creates aggression with his friends is when Gus is late, and Bigger starts a fight with Gus and threatens to kill him because he wants to postpone the robbery which they were plotting to commit.
6. The Dalton’s are the very wealthy white family that hires Bigger to chauffer them to places. They live in a large house in a very affluent neighborhood. They have a housekeeper, yet they still act like human beings.
Comment By:
Leah Eisenberg
1. Bigger and his family live in a one room apartment. Buddy and Bigger have to sleep in the same bed, and when their sister and mother change, they have to look away, such as when, “The two boys kept their faces averted while their mother and sister put on enough clothes to keep them from feeling ashamed,”(Wright 4). His family consists of his younger brother, Buddy, his younger sister Vera, and his mother. Bigger’s mother treats him with slight distain, diminishes him every way possible, yet she still expects him to stand up for himself and to be the man of the house.
ReplyDelete2. This title is symbolic and prophetic because it foreshadows the fear he feels after killing Mary. Moreover, it also represents the fear he feels from dealing with the world and the responsibilities associated with it.
3. The event of Bigger killing the pesky rat in his apartment foreshadows what is to come later on in the story. After he killed it, he sadistically, “took a shoe and pounded the rat’s head, crushing it,”(Wright 6).
4. Bigger feels distain toward his home and surroundings. One of the reasons for this is because he mother is always telling him to do things; this can be seen on the very first page of the story, “A woman’s voice sang out impatiently: ‘Bigger, shut that thing off!’… ‘Turn on the light Bigger’” (Wright 3).
5. Bigger’s friends are Gus, G.H., and Jack. The event that takes place that creates aggression with his friends is when Gus is late, and Bigger starts a fight with Gus and threatens to kill him because he wants to postpone the robbery which they were plotting to commit.
6. The Dalton’s are the very wealthy white family that hires Bigger to chauffer them to places. They live in a large house in a very affluent neighborhood. Even though have a maid and a nice house, they still act like human beings.
Comment By:
Leah Eisenberg
1. Bigger and his family live in a one room apartment. Buddy and Bigger have to sleep in the same bed, and when their sister and mother change, they have to look away, such as when, “The two boys kept their faces averted while their mother and sister put on enough clothes to keep them from feeling ashamed,”(Wright 4). His family consists of his younger brother, Buddy, his younger sister Vera, and his mother. Bigger’s mother treats him with slight distain, when she says to Bigger, “sometimes I wonder why I birthed you,” (Wright 8), diminishes him every way possible, yet she still expects him to stand up for himself and to be the man of the house.
ReplyDelete2. This title is symbolic and prophetic because it foreshadows the fear he feels after killing Mary. Wright writes, “She was dead and he had killed her. He was a murderer, a Negro murderer, a black murderer. He had killed a white woman. He had to get away from here,” (Wright 87). Moreover, it also represents the fear he feels from dealing with the world and the responsibilities associated with it.
3. The event of Bigger killing the pesky rat in his apartment foreshadows what is to come later on in the story. After he killed it, he sadistically, “took a shoe and pounded the rat’s head, crushing it,” (Wright 6).
4. Bigger feels distain toward his home and surroundings. One of the reasons for this is because he mother is always telling him to do things; this can be seen on the very first page of the story, “A woman’s voice sang out impatiently: ‘Bigger, shut that thing off!’… ‘Turn on the light Bigger’” (Wright 3).
5. Bigger’s friends are Gus, G.H., and Jack. The event that takes place that creates aggression with his friends is when Gus is late, and Bigger starts a fight with Gus and threatens to kill him because he wants to postpone the robbery which they were plotting to commit. He wants to postpone the robbery; Bigger states that, “He didn’t want to rob Blum’s he was scared,” (Wright 35).
6. The Dalton’s are the very wealthy white family that hires Bigger to chauffer them to places. They live in a large house in a very affluent neighborhood, which is located at, “4605 Drexel,” (Wright 32). Even though have a maid and a nice house, they still act like human beings. An example of this is when Peggy tells Bigger, “Mrs. Dalton made him go to night school. Mrs. Dalton’s always trying to help somebody,” (Wright 55).
Comment By:
Leah Eisenberg
1. The Thomas family is a struggling black family in Chicago. They have a one room apartment two beds and a stove. The house sounds poorly built because they have a pest problem, but they do their best to keep it clean and safe. The house may not be as big as they’d like it to be but its good enough and its shelter from the weather. The relationship that Bigger has with his family is one that can be interpreted many ways. In my eyes Bigger is a young black man who has dreams and ambitions, he hates so see his family struggle, and for that reason he hated being with his family. He wants to be able t provide for his mother, sister, and brother, but he is limited because of his race. Bigger grows up without a father figure. He struggles with knowing his true self. He is expected to act like the man of the house but he is still treated like a child. When there are arguments and confrontations words are said that are easily taken. His mother once said, “Bigger, sometimes I wonder why I birthed you,” and Bigger replied, “Maybe you oughtn’t’ve. Maybe you ought to left me where I was.” Even though its hard to tell, Bigger’s mother loves him dearly. If she didn’t she wouldn’t have given the only money that she had just so he could have food to eat. Bigger loves his family in return. If he didn’t he wouldn’t have accepted the job, in fact he wouldn’t have even showed up to the interview. Even though his family argues, yells, and curses one another at the end of the day they are that each other have.
ReplyDelete2. The title of the first book is symbolic because Bigger is afraid and fearful but uses anger, violence and harsh words to cover it up. Bigger is afraid to rob a white man, he’s afraid to get a real job, and he’s afraid to have a real responsibility instead of being able to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Bigger is fearful of the white society he is surrounded by. He feels like everywhere he goes the only thing people see is the color of his skin. Bigger is fearful that his dreams and ambitions won’t be accomplished. Bigger complains that he hates white but with all truth he really is afraid of whites.
3. The initial events happening in the beginning of the book that are foreshadowing of events to come would be when Bigger kills the black rat that invades their home. The rat and Bigger are similar. When Bigger kills the rat, the rat is up against a rock and a hard place. He has no where to go and is trapped. He dies because he is trapped and can’t escape the flying pan that is being thrown in his direction. Like the rat, Bigger is trapped in a society where he has nowhere to go and nothing to do or be. The rat dies in his hard situation. Like the rat Bigger feels that he is being trapped and stuck in a situation where nothing but bad can happen.
4. Bigger has spent his whole life, ignoring responsibility. One reason may have been that he didn’t know how told handle such a situation. He is raised in a one parent home. His father is not there to teach him, groom him, and mold him into the man that he has the capability to be. His mother does her best to raise him but woman can’t raise a man. The result of this is that Bigger is childish and lacks the determination and will to be the provider for his family. Instead of taking the jobs that are available for him in this time period he makes up excuses. He fails to realize that it’s better to have a job and bring in some money than to not have a job and have no money. Quoted from the text, “as he ate he felt that they were thinking of the job has was to get that evening and it made him angry; he felt that they had tricked him into a cheap surrender.” Bigger would rather go through his days dreaming of the things he wishes to do than to go to the job that he really doesn’t want and work for hours at a time. Bigger rebels from responsibility also because he has a fear that he may fail. He would rather not try at all.
-kirsten
5. Bigger’s friends are Gus, Jack, and G.H. The event that takes place that causes aggression would be when Bigger pulls a knife on Gus because he was late. The truth is that Bigger was hoping that Gus wouldn’t show up but when he did Bigger had to find a way out of robbing the white man’s store.
ReplyDelete6. The Dalton’s are a white family who hired Bigger to be their personal driver. They live on the white side of town in a very nice home. They have a house keeper and that’s their only servent. They’re very down to earth and humble.
-kirsten
1. The Thomas family is a struggling black family in Chicago. They have a one room apartment two beds and a stove. The house sounds poorly built because they have a pest problem, but they do their best to keep it clean and safe. The house may not be as big as they’d like it to be but its good enough and its shelter from the weather. The relationship that Bigger has with his family is one that can be interpreted many ways. In my eyes Bigger is a young black man who has dreams and ambitions, he hates so see his family struggle, and for that reason he hated being with his family. He wants to be able t provide for his mother, sister, and brother, but he is limited because of his race. Bigger grows up without a father figure. He struggles with knowing his true self. He is expected to act like the man of the house but he is still treated like a child. When there are arguments and confrontations words are said that are easily taken. His mother once said, “Bigger, sometimes I wonder why I birthed you,” and Bigger replied, “Maybe you oughtn’t’ve. Maybe you ought to left me where I was.” Even though its hard to tell, Bigger’s mother loves him dearly. If she didn’t she wouldn’t have given the only money that she had just so he could have food to eat. Bigger loves his family in return. If he didn’t he wouldn’t have accepted the job, in fact he wouldn’t have even showed up to the interview. Even though his family argues, yells, and curses one another at the end of the day they are that each other have.
ReplyDelete2. The title of the first book is symbolic because Bigger is afraid and fearful but uses anger, violence and harsh words to cover it up. Bigger is afraid to rob a white man, he’s afraid to get a real job, and he’s afraid to have a real responsibility instead of being able to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Bigger is fearful of the white society he is surrounded by. He feels like everywhere he goes the only thing people see is the color of his skin. Bigger is fearful that his dreams and ambitions won’t be accomplished. Bigger complains that he hates white but with all truth he really is afraid of whites. Bigger is also afraid that one day he’ll make a mistake, a life changing mistake. He doesn’t even trust himself. He’s afraid of being the cause of his own demise.
3. The initial events happening in the beginning of the book that are foreshadowing of events to come would be when Bigger kills the black rat that invades their home. The rat and Bigger are similar. When Bigger kills the rat, the rat is up against a rock and a hard place. He has no where to go and is trapped. He dies because he is trapped and can’t escape the flying pan that is being thrown in his direction. Like the rat, Bigger is trapped in a society where he has nowhere to go and nothing to do or be. The rat dies in his hard situation. Like the rat Bigger feels that he is being trapped and stuck in a situation where nothing but bad can happen. Bigger thinks that he life he is living isn’t being lived to its full potential. He’s just going through the motions and not enjoying life like he should.
- Kirsten
4. Bigger has spent his whole life, ignoring responsibility. One reason may have been that he didn’t know how told handle such a situation. He is raised in a one parent home. His father is not there to teach him, groom him, and mold him into the man that he has the capability to be. His mother does her best to raise him but woman can’t raise a man. The result of this is that Bigger is childish and lacks the determination and will to be the provider for his family. Instead of taking the jobs that are available for him in this time period he makes up excuses. He fails to realize that it’s better to have a job and bring in some money than to not have a job and have no money. Quoted from the text, “as he ate he felt that they were thinking of the job has was to get that evening and it made him angry; he felt that they had tricked him into a cheap surrender.” Bigger would rather go through his days dreaming of the things he wishes to do than to go to the job that he really doesn’t want and work for hours at a time. Bigger rebels from responsibility also because he has a fear that he may fail. He would rather not try at all. Bigger claims that he hates his family but he really doesn’t he just hates to see them struggle. He hates seeing his mother work long days and he hates to see his brother and sister grow up deprived. He loves them and wishes they had a better life to live.
ReplyDelete5. Bigger’s friends are Gus, Jack, and G.H. The event that takes place that causes aggression would be when Bigger pulls a knife on Gus because he was late. The truth is that Bigger was hoping that Gus wouldn’t show up but when he did Bigger had to find a way out of robbing the white man’s store. Bigger used excessive force with Gus for reason at all. He uses the fact that he’s bigger than Gus to make a point. Bigger hides his fear behind violence and in this case his victim is Gus.
6. The Dalton’s are a white family who hired Bigger to be their personal driver. They live on the white side of town in a very nice home. They have a house keeper and that’s their only servant. They’re very down to earth and humble. The Dalton’s don’t treat Bigger like he’s less of a person. To the he’s just like them and they treat everyone in the family.
- Kirsten
1. The Thomas family is a struggling black family in Chicago. They have a one room apartment two beds and a stove. The house sounds poorly built because they have a pest problem, but they do their best to keep it clean and safe. The house may not be as big as they’d like it to be but its good enough and its shelter from the weather. The relationship that Bigger has with his family is one that can be interpreted many ways. In my eyes Bigger is a young black man who has dreams and ambitions, he hates so see his family struggle, and for that reason he hated being with his family. He wants to be able t provide for his mother, sister, and brother, but he is limited because of his race. Bigger grows up without a father figure. He struggles with knowing his true self. He is expected to act like the man of the house but he is still treated like a child. When there are arguments and confrontations words are said that are easily taken. His mother once said, “Bigger, sometimes I wonder why I birthed you,” and Bigger replied, “Maybe you oughtn’t’ve. Maybe you ought to left me where I was.” Even though its hard to tell, Bigger’s mother loves him dearly. If she didn’t she wouldn’t have given the only money that she had just so he could have food to eat. Bigger loves his family in return. If he didn’t he wouldn’t have accepted the job, in fact he wouldn’t have even showed up to the interview. Even though his family argues, yells, and curses one another at the end of the day they are that each other have.
ReplyDelete2. The title of the first book is symbolic because Bigger is afraid and fearful but uses anger, violence and harsh words to cover it up. Bigger is afraid to rob a white man, he’s afraid to get a real job, and he’s afraid to have a real responsibility instead of being able to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Bigger is fearful of the white society he is surrounded by. He feels like everywhere he goes the only thing people see is the color of his skin. Bigger is fearful that his dreams and ambitions won’t be accomplished. Bigger complains that he hates white but with all truth he really is afraid of whites. Bigger is also afraid that one day he’ll make a mistake, a life changing mistake. He doesn’t even trust himself. He’s afraid of being the cause of his own demise. Bigger says, “that’s when I feel like something awful’s going to happen to me…Naw it aint like something going to happen to me… It’s… It’s like I wa going to do something I can’t help….”
3. The initial events happening in the beginning of the book that are foreshadowing of events to come would be when Bigger kills the black rat that invades their home. The rat and Bigger are similar. When Bigger kills the rat, the rat is up against a rock and a hard place. He has no where to go and is trapped. He dies because he is trapped and can’t escape the flying pan that is being thrown in his direction. Like the rat, Bigger is trapped in a society where he has nowhere to go and nothing to do or be. The rat dies in his hard situation. Like the rat Bigger feels that he is being trapped and stuck in a situation where nothing but bad can happen. Bigger thinks that he life he is living isn’t being lived to its full potential. He’s just going through the motions and not enjoying life like he should. Quoted from the text, “I reckon we the only things in this city that can’t go where we want to go and do what we want to do.”
- Kirsten
4. Bigger has spent his whole life, ignoring responsibility. One reason may have been that he didn’t know how told handle such a situation. He is raised in a one parent home. His father is not there to teach him, groom him, and mold him into the man that he has the capability to be. His mother does her best to raise him but woman can’t raise a man. The result of this is that Bigger is childish and lacks the determination and will to be the provider for his family. Instead of taking the jobs that are available for him in this time period he makes up excuses. He fails to realize that it’s better to have a job and bring in some money than to not have a job and have no money. Quoted from the text, “as he ate he felt that they were thinking of the job has was to get that evening and it made him angry; he felt that they had tricked him into a cheap surrender.” Bigger would rather go through his days dreaming of the things he wishes to do than to go to the job that he really doesn’t want and work for hours at a time. Bigger rebels from responsibility also because he has a fear that he may fail. He would rather not try at all. Bigger claims that he hates his family but he really doesn’t he just hates to see them struggle. He hates seeing his mother work long days and he hates to see his brother and sister grow up deprived. He loves them and wishes they had a better life to live.
ReplyDelete5. Bigger’s friends are Gus, Jack, and G.H. The event that takes place that causes aggression would be when Bigger pulls a knife on Gus because he was late. The truth is that Bigger was hoping that Gus wouldn’t show up but when he did Bigger had to find a way out of robbing the white man’s store. Bigger used excessive force with Gus for reason at all. He uses the fact that he’s bigger than Gus to make a point. Bigger hides his fear behind violence and in this case his victim is Gus.
6. The Dalton’s are a white family who hired Bigger to be their personal driver. They live on the white side of town in a very nice home. They have a house keeper and that’s their only servant. They’re very down to earth and humble. The Dalton’s don’t treat Bigger like he’s less of a person. To the he’s just like them and they treat everyone in the family. Peggy works for the family as well, she said, “ Everything is simple and nice around here, they’ve got millions but they live like human beings. They don’t put on their airs and strut.”
-Kirsten
4. bigger feels sad and ashamed towards his family and others because he hates living in poverty and not being able to provide for his family. he feels deprived of not being able to live in better conditions. he sees his family suffer but he knows he isnt able to do better for them. he is so ashamed of the way they live because he feels like white people are to blame for the way he lives and he despises them.
ReplyDelete5. Biggers friends are Gus, Jack, and G.H.. When they meet at the poolroom Gus was late and Bigger overreacted and started a fight with Gus. He starts the fight because he knows if he does this the robbery they planned would be called off. Bigger put a knife to Gus's throat and takes it too far. He makes Gus cry just to get out of the robbery.
- Desiray
1. The Thomas family lives in very bad conditions. At the beginning of the book, Bigger wakes up and kills a rat. This shows that he lives in a very tight condition if rats are in his house. The book also mentions that Bigger lives in a one room house with his family of four.
ReplyDelete2. The title of Book one is Fear, because the beginning of the book, Bigger shows his fear with a rat. This shows his symbolism with oppression, and the rat representing the oppression of african americans. It also foreshadows Bigger killing Mary and the fear that overcomes him once he has done it.
3. The rat in the house symbolizes the oppression of racism
4. Bigger feels isolated from his home. His mother is always telling him to do certain things because
5. Bigger’s friends are a “gang” that consists of his friends G.H., Jack, and Gus. The confrontation happens when Bigger creates tension with his friends because Gus is late, and Bigger uses anger in place of fear on Gus to back out of Robbing the store.
6. The Daltons are a rich white family, and they live in an upperclass part of town which surprises Bigger.
1. The Thomas family lives in very bad conditions. At the beginning of the book, Bigger wakes up and kills a rat. This shows that he lives in a very tight condition if rats are in his house. The book also mentions that Bigger lives in a one room house with his family of four. In he beginning of the book, there’s a quote that shows that he lives in a packed house. “Light flooded the room and revealed a black boy standing in a narrow space between two iron beds, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands.” This shows that light eliminates the whole house in a matter of seconds and shows that Bigger lives in a tight spot.
ReplyDelete2. The title of Book one is Fear, because the beginning of the book, Bigger shows his fear with a rat. This shows his symbolism with oppression, and the rat representing the oppression of african americans. It also foreshadows Bigger killing Mary and the fear that overcomes him once he has done it.
3. The rat in the house symbolizes the oppression of racism because Bigger, like the rat, is misunderstood and eventually killed because he’s different, and he murdered Mary out of fear and desperation.
4. Bigger feels isolated from his home. His mother is always telling him to do certain things because she wants to be a father figure and to bring in income. Bigger’s mother doesn’t realize that Bigger has desires wants and needs. Bigger’s mother treats him like he has more responsibility than a 20 year old.
5. Bigger’s friends are a “gang” that consists of his friends G.H., Jack, and Gus. The confrontation happens when Bigger creates tension with his friends because Gus is late, and Bigger uses anger in place of fear on Gus to back out of Robbing the store.
6. The Daltons are a rich white family, and they live in an upperclass part of town which surprises Bigger.
1. The Thomas family lives in very bad conditions. At the beginning of the book, Bigger wakes up and kills a rat. This shows that he lives in a very tight condition if rats are in his house. The book also mentions that Bigger lives in a one room house with his family of four. In he beginning of the book, there’s a quote that shows that he lives in a packed house. “Light flooded the room and revealed a black boy standing in a narrow space between two iron beds, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands.” This shows that light eliminates the whole house in a matter of seconds and shows that Bigger lives in a tight spot.
ReplyDelete2. The title of Book one is Fear, because the beginning of the book, Bigger shows his fear with a rat. This shows his symbolism with oppression, and the rat representing the oppression of african americans. It also foreshadows Bigger killing Mary and the fear that overcomes him once he has done it.
3. The rat in the house symbolizes the oppression of racism because Bigger, like the rat, is misunderstood and eventually killed because he’s different, and he murdered Mary out of fear and desperation.
4. Bigger feels isolated from his home. His mother is always telling him to do certain things because she wants to be a father figure and to bring in income. Bigger’s mother doesn’t realize that Bigger has desires wants and needs. Bigger’s mother treats him like he has more responsibility than a 20 year old.
5. Bigger’s friends are a “gang” that consists of his friends G.H., Jack, and Gus. The confrontation happens when Bigger creates tension with his friends because Gus is late, and Bigger uses anger in place of fear on Gus to back out of Robbing the store.
6. The Daltons are a rich white family, and they live in an upperclass part of town which surprises Bigger.They hire Bigger, and treat him as an equal, they act like he is more than a servant. This scares Bigger because he thinks that they might be making fun of him.