Three Questions
Please post your three essay questions here, taken from Barack Obama's Dreams of My Father's House.
Please post your three essay questions here, taken from Barack Obama's Dreams of My Father's House.
posted by Professor Wanda's Posse at 10:28 AM
12 Comments:
Rebecca Evans Eng 1A 9-10
Possible essay questions for Obama essay
1.How does Obama create himself through the presence and influence of his father who were the father figures in his life and what did they teach him?
2.“Dreams from my father” is a coming-of-age story in which a Obama straddles two cultures to seeks his identity in the adult world. How does he succeed? What conclusions does he reach?
3.Talk about his work as a community social worker on Chicago's south side. What does he learn or come to realize about his role in the African-American community?
4.Write about community in Obama’s book. What communities are there? How do they work (or not)? Explain how Obama evaluates various communities and show what he values in a community, as seen in his book.
Great questions Rebecca! Was any one a question you'd like to pursue in an essay?
Jason Bey Questions 1.As a black man why would B.Obama want more equality between men and woman in America?
2.Describe the events in Barrack's life that shaped his view of the world. What about his views is so attractive to the American public?
3.Despite being one of many children raised without a biological father in America, why was he able to achieve so much?
Jennifer Gonzales
English 1A
9-950a
Three essay questions:
1. What can other bi-racial and living in a single parent home people, like Obama, gain from his story?
2. What has Obama come to realize being a grass-roots activist toward the community he lived in? And what has he learned from it?
3. Learning about his culture from his father's side and living the culture on his mothers, how does he use the knowledge and life experiences to find his true identity??
Andre Stephens
March 17, 2009
English 1A – 9:00 – 9:50
Dreams Essay Questions
1. What role does forgiveness play in the blame game and how does forgiveness help in allowing someone to move on?
2. Does being biracial make it more difficult to define your identify?
3. Does not having a father in the household empower or hinder you?
4. How do you overcome obstacles and challenges in order to achieve and succeed?
Munkhjin Munkhbaatar
English 1A
9-9.50
!2 March 2009
1. What was the biggest impact that made him write the book?
2. Is there any benefits or difficulties having a African father and a white mother?
3. What is the key to his success?
Rebecca Evans eng 1a 9-10
I really like Jennifer’s question:
Learning about his culture from his father's side and living the culture on his mothers, how does he use the knowledge and life experiences to find his true identity?
I also feel I could write on my question:
Dreams from my father” is a coming-of-age story in which a Obama straddles two cultures to seeks his identity in the adult world. How does he succeed? What conclusions does he reach?
So I began to consider questions and from those questions arose more and more questions. Isn't that the process in which we learn? Certainly, Obama did.
1: Perspective:What elements of Barack Obamas life were able to lead him to goal towards positivity rather than negativity? How did his early personal struggles with identity as a man and a person of color play out to lead him there? Why is is that so many other people don't find that path? Can the lessons Obama learned be taught or must they be experienced to fully be comprehended? Does this story and his life serve as a lesson? How will his successes affect future generations? What if he fails or stumbles hard as our president? Would that likely be seen as due to the enormity of the task he has inherited or could some choose to blame other aspects of Obama? How would society be affected by that argument?
2: Strengths and evolution:How did his ability to see the larger picture about people affect how and who he has chosen to work with now? He has an unusual ability to see past peoples failures and focus on their purposeful strengths? How did that assist him in his early days as a community organizer? How did it work against him? Who are examples of this idea in his administration today? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses. How do these help or hinder the current process? Is a person who has made mistakes but learned from them an asset or a liability? Why has American politics been long obsessed with an illusion of perfection even though none of us are perfect? How many other leaders of this nation rose to status while the truth of their lives was so fully disclosed as is Obamas? Does the concept of “change” include the idea of Obamas ,as well as anyones, personal evolution? Identify that process in the history of America. How has that shaped us a a nation, both bad and good?
3: Race:I still encounter some who are disconcerted by Obamas race. Why is it that some choose to focus on that instead of his merits and experience? What led to his quick ascension? If McCain had chosen a better running mate would that have affected the out come of the election? Does it help that he is part Caucasian? How will the continued blending of the races help or hinder us as people and a nation? I read a book called “The Color of Water” by James McBride many years ago. It is the story of a black mans tribute to his white mother. In it he tells of the strengths and weaknesses each of the cultures in his background affected him. How did this play out in Obamas life? There are obvious and assumed struggles with identity as a black person in America. Are there socially addressed issues with identity as a white person in America? How have those changed or not and how does that affect us? How does Obama work work through those perceptions and his own identity within that blending? Does it affect how we see him? Would he have had as many opportunities or become the man he is today if he were not of part white? How does he bring his experience and understanding of these issues to the way he addresses his leadership and his goals for the nation?
What if he had been a woman? How is gender still a problem in this country? Some people find Michelle Obamas off putting. Is that due to race or gender or both? What if Barack had married a white woman?
Race and race relations has been a huge part of the story of our nation. How did the founders address the issue of freedom for all while discounting those who were not white? How have the battles over these issues shape us a nation? What and why are the battles we still need to fight in this issue? How does Obama see the continued oppression of races in this country and the world? In many ways in the book he sees a tendency in the African American culture to choose the wrong battles, use the wrong approach to fighting even the right ones and a stagnation of the process due to bitterness and blame. How did he rise above this? Are some of those issues, such a the history of slavery and racism still significant and why? Reparations has long been discussed. Would that have made a difference? How does Obamas story serve to honor the struggles of the past?
Nely Ruiz
English 1A 9:00am – 10:00am
March 20, 2009
Essay Questions
1. “Dreams…” is a memoir of the journey to find ones true identity, how did the author evolve into the President he is today?
2. What impact has race played in Barack Obama’s life in “Dreams…” and now as the President of the United States?
3. There are many key points and themes in, “Dreams...” what is the underlying message, the reason this book was made?
4. The journey to find one’s identity almost always includes getting to know your heritage, in “Dreams...” Obama follows his roots home, how did this affect him and / or did it solve all his questions?
Carla Poindexter
English 1A 9-10
26 March 2009
My three essay questions that were inspired by "Dreams From My Father" are as follows:
1. What is family? (DFMF).
2. What is American?, Who is American?, or What classifies an American or America?
3. Is there racial discrimination in Africa? If so, why?
Compare and contrast the community of Chicago's and of Kenya's. Discuss Obama's observation of both communities.
Discuss three men in Dreams from My Father and how they have affected Obama's life.
At the end of the book Obama discovered that he did not belong to either world(African or White) but felt that he finally belonged in this world. Discuss what steps it took for him to come to this realization.
The questions that everyone wrote are really interesting.
My questions in Dream from My Father:
1) What challenges did Obama faced throughout his life, and how he exceled?
2) Why did Obama identify himself as an African American even tough his mother was white?
3) What have Obama achieved for people especially African American community?
4) Why did some people associated Obama with Osama, and did that inhibit his successfulness?
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