Dreams from My Father

Chapter 2

Introspection and Research Questions

Discussion Questions

What did you learn about Obama from reading this chapter? What was of most interest to you? What do you need more information about? What, if anything, was confusing to you?

On page 29, when describing his trip to his mother’s office, Obama refers to “the pure and heady breeze of privilege.” What does he mean by this, and why is this detail important in the narrative and in our understanding of this chapter?

Obama learns many things about life from Lolo, his Indonesian step-father. Please pick one concept or approach to life that Lolo tries to teach Obama, and explain why you think it is important for Obama’s development.

On pages 28 – 30, Obama summarizes his developing ideas about race and identity. What does he discover? How does it make him feel, and what does the experience add to his knowledge about race and his sense of himself? How does what he learn in the beginning of the chapter contrast with what his mother tries to teach him at the end (See last paragraph on page 50 through page 52.)

Lolo invites Obama’s mother to attend dinner parties with American businessmen. She refuses and says, “They are not my people” (p. 47). What does this interaction tell us about Obama’s mother and her attitudes about the world and America’s role in it?

On pages 50-51, Obama refers to several famous African-Americans (see images below). Why does Obama’s mother tell her son about these people? What does she want him to learn and why?

Cultural and Historical References
	Sukarno (1901-1970) - p. 33 and p. 41 Leader of the Indonesian movement for independence and Sukarno later became the first President of Indonesia.
	Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972) - p. 51 Mahalia Jackson was a famous gospel singer from the 1920s through the early 1960s. Listen to her sing.
	Harry Belafonte (1927 – ) - p. 51 A Jamaican-American singer, Harry Belafonte popularized the Caribbean style of calypso singing in the 1950s and 1960s. Belafonte has always been a passionate activist for civil rights. Here is a video clip of Belafonte singing with Nat King Cole, Gramps’s favorite singer whom you learned about in Chapter 1.
	Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993) - p. 51 Thurgood Marshall served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1967–1991, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. Prior to serving on the court, he was a lawyer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); he led the legal team in the 1954 Brown v Board of Education case which ended segregation in public schools.
	Sidney Poitier (1927- ) – p. 51 Raised in a poor black family in the Bahamas, Sidney Poitier became a famous movie star in the 1950s. He continues to be an active fighter for social justice.
	Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) – p. 51 A civil and voting rights activist, Fannie Lou Hamer ran for Congress in 1964 on the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) ticket. The MFDP was fighting to integrate Mississippi’s all white congressional delegation and increase black voter registration. Watch Ms. Hamer’s speech to the Democratic National Committee.
	Lena Horne (1917- ) - p. 51 Lena Horne, singer and actress, was the first African-American performer to sign a contract with a Hollywood studio. She has also been a political activist throughout her life. Here’s a clip taken from a 1943 movie in which she sings “Stormy Weather,” a classic of the time.
	Bill Cosby and I Spy - p. 52 Bill Cosby (1937- ) is a black comedian who has worked in both television and movies. The 1960s series, I Spy, was the first television show in which a black character had a leading role.
	Mission Impossible – p. 52 Mission Impossible was a well-known television series from 1966–1973.