Introspection and Reflection
Give some thought to the notion of inheritance. What have you inherited from your family? Think, as Obama does, not only about concrete things, but more broadly: What ideas? Values? Character traits?
Granny tells us that Onyango was a stern father who sent his son (Obama’s father, Barack) away because he misbehaved. Eventually, Barack becomes a serious student, and his father, “softened towards his son when he saw that he was becoming more responsible (p. 421)” Has this kind of thing ever happened in your family? What occurred? Who was involved? Were the people involved ever reconciled? How do you feel about what happened? How is the situation you describe different from the story Obama tells about his father and grandfather?
Suggestions for Essays, Presentations, and Research Projects
On pages 403-404, Granny tells Obama how his grandfather captured Akumu. She explains to Obama and Auma, that “grabbing the woman was part of Luo custom.” Using the links below, research the courtship and marriage customs of some other cultures in which you are interested. Write a paper or create a digital story in which you explain one of the customs and cultures that you have investigated, and compare it with the Luo custom. Consider what the custom says about how men treat women in that culture. Please be sure to include information about how the custom is practiced today, and how men and women in that culture respond to it now.
Obama, his father and his grandfather all confront the problem of being black men in a society dominated by whites. Using the text and what you have learned from reading it closely, write an analysis of Dreams from My Father in which you contrast the life experiences of these three men. The following questions might help you get started:
What connections can you draw between how the British treated black people in Kenya and the Jim Crow laws of the American south?
Think carefully about how Obama’s half-brothers and other relatives live their lives in Kenya and compare their experiences with those of the people Obama works with when he does his community organizing work in Chicago. What is similar? What’s different?
All three men find different ways to cope with their situations. What approach does each of them take? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of their approaches?
What do you think Obama learns from his trip to Kenya that will influence his life when he returns to the U.S.?
- In theory, life is supposed to get better over time. We are supposed to learn from the mistakes our parents make, and provide a better world for our children. While reading Dreams from My Father, you have had the opportunity to learn about four generations of Obama’s father’s family. Create a digital story or write a paper that describes the progress the Obama family makes.
Useful Links for Further Research
Kenya History
http://www.kenya-advisor.com/kenya-history.html
http://www.globaladrenaline.com/africa/Kenya/Jim Crow
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/remembering/laws.htmlCourtship and Marriage Customs
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/infomark.do?action=interpret&source=gale&srcprod=GVRL&tabID=T00-3&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=cuny_laguardia&docId=GALE|CX3400100270&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&finalAuth=true&version=1.0&authCount=1&u=cuny_laguardia