Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America

Choose three stories and identify the protagonists and their foils in each story. Identify the major internal change that each protagonist makes in the stories and how the foil causes them to make that change.

Two stories in the text—“Out of the Silence” and “Gravity”—are written using the second person perspective. Discuss the way that this narrative choice impacts the text. Consider the themes, characterization, and conflicts in each.

What role does music play in the short stories in this collection? Identify one theme related to music and use at least three stories in your discussion.

What is one theme related to mental health in the collection? Use at least two stories in your exploration of that theme by discussing their literary elements.

One student in the story “Warning: Color May Fade” describes Nivia’s painting as follows: “The shadows are trying to break free. To show their colors. To be visible” (52). How does this thought connect to the broader themes explored in the collection? Use this short story as well as two others to discuss how this theme is conveyed throughout the collection.

What role does religion play in the texts? Compare and contrast the impact that religion has on at least three characters (from three different stories) while exploring at least one theme related to religion.

Sobechi in “Samson and the Delilahs” and Clara in “Gravity” are both immigrants to the United States. How does this impact their characters? Discuss characterization and at least two other literary elements in your analysis.

The stories “Gravity,” “The Trouble with Drowning,” and “Whoa!” contain supernatural and magical realism elements. How do these elements impact the stories and their characters? Be sure to discuss several literary elements in your analysis.