Chapter 3
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?
- In 1970, Obama returns from Indonesia to Hawaii and lives with his grandparents. He and they are older now, and all are different. How have Gramps and Toot changed? What does Obama see about them now that he didn’t see when he was younger?
- Obama attends Punahou Academy, a “prestigious prep school, an incubator for island elites” (p.58). What does Obama mean by this description of his school? Please describe Obama’s first impressions of Punahou. How do his feelings contrast with the attitudes his grandparents express? How does he relate to other students at the school?
- Up to this point, Obama has always been called, “Barry.” But, on the first day in his new school, his teacher calls him “Barack,” his full name. How is this a significant moment for Obama?
- At one point, Coretta, a little girl in his class, and Obama begin to play, and then they stop. What happens between them? What does Obama realize about himself from this interaction? How does he feel about what happened?
- Both Obama’s father and his mother want him to be a good student. How does each of them encourage Obama in this regard? What is different about their approaches to child rearing and development?
| Cultural and Historical References | ||
| On page 62, Obama refers to listening to top 40s radio. We don’t know exactly what he listened to, but in Rolling Stone interviews many years later, he gave us an idea of who his favorite artists were and are. We imagine he might have listened to some of these well known songs from the early 1970s. | ||
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Marvin Gaye – What’s Goin’ On |
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Earth, Wind and Fire - Let’s Groove Tonight |
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Stevie Wonder – Higher Ground |
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Elton John – Your Song |
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Bob Dylan – Hurricane |
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