Jewell Parker Rhodes’ Black Brother, Black Brother (2020) -
Key quotations
1.dreadful dreads. p7
2.It hurts. All of it. p7
3.You don't get to bring your NY behaviour here. p7
4.'not fair' p9
5.Non nobis solum - school motto
6.‘What’d you do?’ Trey’s yell penetrates the glass. I turn from my brother’s face. He should know. I didn’t do anything. P11
7.‘I’m sorry, Donte. I’m sorry.’ My brother taps the window, trying to get me to look at him. ‘I know you didn’t do anything’ p12
8.I could shout, "It's OK" though I'd be lying. P12
9.I don’t want Trey to feel bad, but I do want him to feel bad. I keep quiet.” p12
10.Being well educated is the best way to fight prejudice. p31
11.It isn’t fair. p32 reused on p36.
12.Racism pure and simple. p30? [except that racism is never pure and simple. It is always ugly and diseased]
13.It isn’t fair, p34
14.How many others are like Dylan, wanting to speak up but scared? P87
15.Let your core be your strength. p89
16.Swiftness, intelligence can win a match. But patience is the real necessary skill, p90
17.Rule no. 1: See everything. Look for the subtle signs. The subtlest of intentions. P96
18.We’re tangled with love. P118
19.Not fair – p103 / Not fair - p112 / Not being fair – p115. not fair p115 /
20.Not a fair match p142 / Unfair bias. P145.
21.I don’t think the judge’s verdict is fair. P146. not fair. P146
22.Fencing has aristocratic roots. But you belong here. We all do. P160
23.We fenced fair and square. P168 same expression occurs 2 more times.
24.Fence fair. P169
25.Ever since the arrest, I sometimes feel life is going to crash, out of the blue, unexpected. P171
26.It’s about leadership, giving respect. Patience and control. P172.
27.Losing isn’t disgraceful. It’s how we learn. P175.
28.People make mistakes. Not everyone is defined by their mistakes. You have to rebound. P176.
29.I didn’t think grown-ups acted so small. P177
30.I see you, Michael. I didn’t then. But I see you now. p177
31.I buckled. Let his gaze define me. I stopped being myself, being able to see myself. P180 […] I gave up on me. Became invisible. 182.
32.Bullies, biased people, can’t see clearly. P182
33.Be you. Stay confident, visible. Even if others can’t see you, p183
34.Everyone wants the try-outs to be fair. P191.
35.It’s not fair. P204. isn’t fair. P204. unfairness. P212. unfairly. P235.
Key questions
1.Is Donte a fool to be upset at being called ‘Black brother’? p12
2.What is problematic about the use of the word fair, rather than just / justice?
3.P36. How could Donte stop Alan’s racist disrespect? Is it ever possible to win the respect of a racist? Should we even try?
4.Why does the writer include the scene in which Donte cleans up the milk that he’d caused to spill? p50
5.Why does Donte regret seeing the photo of the much younger Arden Jones? p54
6.How does the writer compare & contrast the Mattapan vs the Newton regions of Boston, Mass
7.Why does Arden Jones, initially, refuse to become Donte’s fencing coach? p55
8.Why does Arden Jones later agree to become Donte’s fencing coach? p66
9.To what extent are Alan & his fencing team – white suited & masked – depicted as the KKK? p85
10.What are the dimensions of a fencing strip?
11.Why don’t the ideas of Philip K Dick’s science-fiction story, ‘Minority Report’ seem ‘old time’? P101
12.How is Trey able to ‘manipulate and strategise’ to get special favours? Why does this not work for Donte? P103.
13.In what ways is Donte’s mother a ‘warrior mom’ p127
14.To what extent are the writer’s reference to food, esp. chicken, unnecessary stereotypes?
15.Why are juveniles seen as delinquents rather than criminals? Why do they have adjudication hearings, rather than trials? p134
16.How are children disappeared into the school to prison pipeline? P136
17.Why is Donte tempted to become a lawyer? P146
18.What are the three types of fencing blades?
19.Why does Coach Arden Jones make Donte his padawan? P173
20.Study Donte’s exercise regime, p185-188. what does it show about Donte?
21.What are chivalry, honour, integrity & chivalry? P189. throughout the novel, how does Donte show each of these attributes?
22.Which of Alan’s ‘henchmen’ show positive qualities? Which do not? Why did the writer include such details?
23.Why does the conversation with Headmaster McGeary & his observations about Monsieur Durant lead Donte to reject the Middlefielld Prep’s fencing team? What hypocrisy is apparent to Donte? P192-199
24.Why does the writer include a discussion about the numbers of black americans who are unable to swim?
25.Who was Alexander Dumas? Why does the writer include a discussion about the father of Alexander Dumas?
26.What title did the black American fencer, Peter Westbrook, choose for his memoirs? Why is it such an important title?
27.List 7 key fencing terms that the novel enables readers to understand.
28.Interrupted lives: how do white ‘gatekeepers’ and white ‘saviours’ hold back black lives?
29.Why didn’t Arden Jones win an Olympic medal?
30.Did Donte need to beat Alan? How different would the story be if Alan had won the fencing contest in chapter 33?
See A Study of Character Understanding the World in “Other People’s Skin” jewellparkerrhodes.com/children/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Copy-of-Black-Brother-Black-Brother-Novel-Study-2.pdf
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