The Ways of White Folks

Compare the Carraway family in “Slave on the Block” to the Pembertons in “Poor Little Black Fellow.” How are their opinions and treatment of Black people similar, and how are they different? What commentary does Hughes communicate to the reader through these characters’ stories?

What role does music play in The Ways of White Folks? Cite multiple stories in your essay. 

What commentary is Hughes making about passing, both positive and negative? Cite “Passing,” “Rejuvenation Through Joy,” and “Father and Son” in your paper. 

Choose your favorite character from the collection. Then choose your least favorite. Compare and contrast them. What makes you love one character and hate the other?

Using examples from multiple stories, describe the ways in which Hughes gives his women characters agency and power, despite the racism they often face. 

What commentary does Hughes give about class and the economic structure in the United States? Refer to multiple stories in your essay.

Citing multiple stories, explain how the author utilizes dialogue to create complex characters and settings. 

Research the treatment of people of color in Paris in the early 1900s. Are Hughes’s depictions of Paris as a more equal and just place accurate? Explain.