1. Describe the environment in the short
story with special focus on the relationship between the community and the
police in Harlem. Use specific examples.
The environment is tough. There is poverty
and crime. The white cops don’t have any respect for the black people who live
in Harlem. “…and told all the kids to get off the street immediately. He must
have meant that as a joke. The kids didn’t have anything to do and they weren’t
going anyplace.” The cops don’t care if some black kid gets shot. The
storyteller says “but then I wasn’t looking too hard. The one thing I don’t
want to be is a witness”. The quote shows that the black people are afraid of
the cops. They don’t want to get in trouble.
2. Comment on the language in the short
story. How is it told and by whom? What characterizes the tone of voice and
word usage of the narrator? Use specific examples.
The storyteller is a young black guy. He
uses slang “big-eyed kids”. The storyteller is young because he talks about a man
in his thirties who he calls old. He describes himself implicitly through his short
story.
The language isn’t formal. There is a lot of
spoken language example “I don’t want to see no dead people.”
3. Select three quotes from the text that
you believe are central to the story in terms of plot and/or themes. Explain
the quotes – what do they mean? Is there any hidden meaning to them?
“That dog looks like a terrorist to me” a
cop says that. The quote shows the relationship between them and the community.
The policeman has just shot a dog and one of them makes a joke about it.
“…She wasn’t going anywhere with them
unless she had a black man with her.” It shows the distrust between the black
and white people.
“The cops made us go up first and they came
behind” The cops don’t care about their protection. They are not important to
the cops.
Katrine og Maria
Ingen kommentarer:
Send en kommentar