Period+1+Dreams+from+My+Father+Part+3

-Does Obama's experiences living abroad influence his perspective of the world and politics in the United States? How so? - Why doesn't Obama want to go to college at one point? What do you think may have caused this feeling? - Why does Barry begin to question his identity as he gets older and has more experiences? - What do you think of the descriptive details Obama uses throughout his story? - Why do you think Obama wants to feel more connected to his father's heritage? How does this influence him?
 * Discussion Questions**

"Issues, action, power, self-interest; I liked these concepts.They bespoke a certain hardheadedness, a worldly lack of sentiment; politics, not religion." (155) "Often as I listened to these stories, I would find myself reminded of the stories Gramps and Toot and my mother had told--stories of hardship and migration, the drive for something better. But there was an inescapable difference between what I was now hearing and what I remembered, as if the images of my childhood had been run in reverse. In these new stories, For Sale signs cropped up like dandelions under a summer sun. Stones flew through windows and the strained voices of anxious parents could be heard calling children indoors from innocent games. Entire blocks turned over in less than six months; entire neighborhoods in less than five years. In these stories, wherever black and white met, the result was sure to be anger and grief." (156) ** "It contradicted the morality my mother had taught me, a morality of subtle distinctions--between individuals of goodwill and those who wished me ill, between active malice and ignorance or indifference. i had a personal stake int hat moral framework; I'd discovered I could escape it if I tried." (199)
 * Literary Luminary:



Menacing- A person who is likely to cause harm or danger**
 * Word Wizard-
 * Rebuking-** to express sharp criticism or disapproval
 * Alderman**- One who is elected member of a municipal council
 * Frazzled-** exhausted or wear out
 * Prodigal**- spending money in a reckless manner


 * Connection:** While reading, I have found it very interesting how Obama seems to have more of a general fascination with one part of his heritage over another. Perhaps that's what drives his curiosity about his father. Also, maybe the public's view of Obama being more "black" than "white" plays a role in how he chooses to identify himself. Though I don't have a direct personal connection with this situation, I can clearly understand the way Barrack feels, and I imagine that I would probably have a greater interest in one nationality over another if I were of mixed descent. However I'm not, so I have no real life situations that are relative to this one.