English The color of water
What doesn't mom like to hear about in a sermon
Large churches with political preachers nor pentacostal churches that were too wild
what two similes do the author use while explaining the reverends sermons
Like a tiny choo-choo train into a roaring locomotive. Like shooting a gun bullets of amen flying all around
What made sams smile
Making his mother happy
How does Aunt May treat her
Mean
What does James use to escape
Music and book
Do you think Ruth over- reacted
No because that man was wrong for selling her spoiled milk
What activities were not allowed on the Sabbath
No light switches could be turned on or off. No tearing of paper. No riding in cars or going to the movies, not even a simple lighting of a stove.
What does Ruth love about NY
No one cares about race or religion
Why do you think Ruth avoids talking about her past with her children
Probably because she doesn't really care or want to remember them
What two hobbies did Ruth take up when James was fourteen
Riding a bike and Piano
Who is the bird who flies
Ruth
What is the promise and what do we find about it
Ruth promise her sister that she will stay but she breaks it
What would Ruth's father threaten her with
Saying he was a citizen and they were not. And he can send them back to Europe
How did she react to the news about peter
She cried and was heartbroken
What does ruth fear about death
She fears that what if she's not really dead and she gets buried alive
Why is it contradicting that his mother sends him to white school
She felt that whites were evil to black however the white school had the best education
How does James describe his mothers physical apperance
She had black curly hair with dark eyes and still was slender and pretty at 51
Why did Rachel Shilsky have to die? pg 2
She had to die in order to let the true Ruth live
Why do you think James mother only cried in churches
She is crying because she said she's happy. However James knew that there was pain
What does mom feel guilty about
She lost everything for her and her family
Why may Ruth have gotten upset when the teachers would ask her if her children were adopted l?
She probably felt angry that no one understands that these are her real kids
How does mameh react to the sailors
She seem to distrust them when they ask for the girls to see the boats
What does Mom do with all her money ?
She spent every dime on her children's college and grad school
in what way was ruth starving when she was a child
She wanted love and affection
Why do you think mom hides her emotions from her kids
She wants to maintain a positive and strong representation to her kids
What was Aunt may up to
She was cheating with her best friends husband
How do you think her life would be different if she stayed
She would probably end up marrying the man her father forced her to marry and she would've lived a sad life
What were the living conditions like back then according to Ruth
Sickness spread around people lived in poor housing with no running water, no foundations, no bathrooms
How does James react to the racism towards him
Sinks in his chair and is shy and doesn't confront them
How does James earn money
Sold reefers
How does her family deal with their feelings
Swept it under the rug
Why didn't Ruth want James to be a mucisian
Because his father was a musician and was poor because no one hired a black man
Why does James think it's best to move
Because his friends were getting into trouble and he thinks it's wise for them to move
Why do you think Ruth was so adamant about her children staying at home and keeping their business private
Because it can endangered her family due to the rising social tensions occurring
Why does he want to get away from his mom
Because it hurts him to see her mourn
Why didn't her parents go to her graduation
Because it took place in a gentile church
Why did Ruth go back to Virginia?
Because mameh was sick
Why does Ruth go to her graduation
Because of Frances
What is fair of mom to lay the responsible of making Helen stay on the kids
Because she doesn't go to school
Why is Ruth so afraid of guns
Because she feared that her father cleaning the gun could kill him
Why may James teachers have asked Ruth if James was adopted
Because she is a white lady with a black son
Why does Ruth say she's dead? pg 1
Because she is dead to her family. She never get an I love you from them and they mourned her when she married a black man
Why doesnt Ruth enter the church
Because she knew it was wrong for a Jew
Why do you think she pushes her children away
Because she knows that they can have a better life without her holding them back
Why do you think mom ignored the outside world when thy would go out
Because she knows who she truly is and doesn't care about the judgement she receives from people
What other reasons did he feel he had to leave Boston
Because there was racism
Why was Ruth family uneasy to live in Suffolk.
Because they always heard about someone being hanged and floating in a wharf and they were Jews.
Why do you think her dad hated black people
Because they were happy and poor and he was wealthy and miserable
Why does Ruth say people notice her
Because they were poor and Jewish and my mother was handicapped
Why did the parents get divorced
Because they were unhappy
How did Peter win Ruth over
By making her laugh and smile
How do Mameh sister tell her Bubeh had died
By writing a letter to her saying that there's three rooms worth of Furniture
What turned James around when he was 16
Chicken man life scared him and he didn't want to live like that
Why do you think his mother refuse to speak of her past
Cuz she wants to forget it
Who steered Ruth away from Rocky
Dennis
According to James what is the immigrant mentality
Hard work, no nonsense , quest for excellence, distrust of authority, and a deep belief of God and education
What does the statement " I belong to the world of one god and one people" tell you about James view on race
He believe that races doesn't matter cuz we are all human beings
What is James reaction to his mothers piano lessons
He didn't like it and he couldn't stand to hear it and he would go out.
Why won't Tateh buy his children new clothes
He didn't see the logic in buying clothes if you get hand me downs for free
How does he feel about his butler job
He doesn't like the people he serve
Why didn't James play Aubrey's greetings to his mother
He felt it would make her too emotional
What can you infer about the Reverends education based on the trouble he has with reading
He has no education because James said when he was twelve he was better at reading than him
How is the boy in the mirror different from James
He is free from racism rule and hunger
How has growing up in a dual-race household affected James as an adult
He knew that when races blame other races they are just twisting the truth
Why didn't hunter live at St. Alban's house
He liked neatness which St. Albans wasn't
How does "daddy" mention race
He mentions it by calling the kids special
What does James begin to notice about his mother ?
He noticed that she doesn't look like any of the other mothers and she doesn't look like him
What happened to Sam
He ran away to Chicago and worked as a clerk and then died in WW11
Why doesn't Dennis marry Ruth
He said the world isn't ready for them
How did the media effect James perception of the Black Panthers
He saw how angry the crowd was and he thought to himself that they would kill his mother
How does James deal with his pain
He used reefers wines and rugs to forget the pain
Why was Ruth afraid of uncle issac
He was a drunk and when he drank he was vulgar and mean
What was Ruth's Father Like? pg 3.
He was a hard stern man who was not easily fooled
What did Ruth's father do for a living
He was a traveling rabbi
Why doesn't James want to go places with his mom
He was ashamed of going outside with her
How did James react to and deal with his stepfathers death?
He was devastated. Started failing all his classes and dropped out of high school. He did bad things such as stealing, shoplifting and smoking
Why doesn't James want his mother to ride the bike?
He was embraced of his white mother and the fact she was riding an old bike
What happened with the brownstones
He was forced to move out because the city wanted to build low income housing
What are Rocky's plan for Ruth
He was gonna pimp her out
What was her dad up to
He was having an affair
What was James' stepfather like
He was loving generous and compassionate. He was gentle and careful with his work but also was hard and bold
Why did James sock the black panthers son
He was the son of a black panther and James felt that his father and him wanted to hurt his mother
What does a hunter do?
He worked as a furnace fireman
How does JAmes take advantage of this situation
He would go out and not care about anything
What did Ruth's father do to her
He would molest her in bed and when he taught her to swim he would put his body parts on her. Very very disguisting man
Why do you think it was best he wasn't raised Jewish
He would've been held back with all the rules
What is your reaction to how they broke the news
Heartless and cold
What did Peter risk in dating Ruth
His life
How does games interest in independence backfires
His mother ends up going to the store and he is seen with his white mother
Why is James so afraid of Black panthers
His mother was right next to one and he saw in the media how they attacked white people
How did Russians treat jews
Horrible they would line them up and kill them in cold blood
Who does James know as his father
Hunter Jordan
Do you agree with the above? Explain
I believe that it can help
Why does James become a butler
In exchange to going on a music trip a family payed for his trip if they worked for him
Who is more violent James or the black panthers son
James is more violent because he physically assaulted the son because of his fears that they wanted to hurt his mother
What keeps his mom going insane
Jesus and church
Why does James say whites and blacks hate his mother?
Jewish white women living a black life who wasvery different
How does James learn about his mother
Through his siblings gossip
Why did Ruth go back to Suffolk
To finish school there and graduate
Why does Ruth want to move
To start a new life
What was her aunts response when she asked for help
To stay out of her life
What did James parents believe was the way outta poverty
To use education and religion to climb out of poverty
how did tateh treat his wife
Very bad he had no love for her and made fun of her disabilities
why does mom say god is the color of water
Water doesn't have any color
Why does James continue to smoke pot
Weed kept him away from the truth which was his mother is falling apart
What made black people happy in the south
When they go to church
Do you think Ruth should feel guilty for leaving her mom
Yes because her mother needs her more then anything
Do you agree with James statements near the end of the chapter about life
Yes he was right that life is sacred
Why do you think Richie gets so mad at the white picture of Jesus
because it shows god doesn't like black people because most white people hated black people
how do the stepfather and moms priority match
both care about education and school
what was moms top priority
education
What did she do about the pregnancy
got an abortion
How was Ruth treated by other kids in Suffolk?
harassed and bullied her
What is the irony of Hunter spending his life savings in the house
he didn't even live there
How does Eddie describe Shilsky
he was a terrible man
why did the Jews get mad at Ruth's father
he was gonna open a grocery store on the black side of town
why did ruth fall in love with a black man
her dad hated them a black man was the first person to show love to her
who knows ruth is pregnant
her mom peter some black folks
How did Ruth deal with stepfathers death?
rode bike constantly depressed wasn't interested in marriages
what does mom do to keep the kids busy
sends them to free events in the city example block parties and the pool
Why do you think she reacts this way
she doesn't want them to hurt the girls
Why does Jack send James to the corner ?
so he can see what happens when he doesn't go to school and so he could see what his life could be like if he doesn't go to school
Why does James like the corner
sometimes has a lot of action does whatever he wants to do everyone is out here had beer and drugs gets a true street education nobody knows him
What does Ruth say about the South
they always had secrets never what they seemed like was like a bomb waiting to go off
Why does Ruth say her father married her mother?
they had a forced, arranged marriage. Ruth parents had a lot of money and her father saw this as a way to get to America
Why do you think Tateh spent his family time slaughtering chickens
to make money by selling the chickens
What were some of the things people ate back then
turtles fish crabs
How did Frances and her family treat Ruth
very nicely; Frances stuck up for her at first she wasn't allowed to see Frances
What did the kids eat for dinner
whatever their mom brought home from work or whatever was in the cabinet
why did Helen quit school
white mans education was not for her
how does mom say being poor was different back then as compared to nowadays
you didn't need as much money to survive back then
What does she find out about peter
That he is getting married and got her pregnant
Why can't Ruth stay in Suffolk
That life is not for her
What do we find about their education
That many Jewish friends of the kids payed for their education
What does the driving incident tell us about Ruth
That she left her past knowledge on driving and she didn't care
What lesson is learned by chicken mans death
That you're life is whatever you want to do but his life was not great
Where does James Mother like to hang out
The Red Hook Housing Project in Brooklyn
How was James treated the first time her asked to see synagogue
The lady said he was a janitor and had a black Jew working there which was a janitor
What was her mother like? pg 3
The opposite of her husband. She was gentle and very pretty but she had polio
How is James like his Jewish aunts when it comes to pain
They both pushed the pain down and don't let it out
How did people react seeing Ruth and Dennis together
They didn't react bad they accepted it
Why do the older brothers think they should move
They felt that Ruth can't afford to live in New York
How was Ruth treated by white people
They insult her for having black children
Why don't his younger siblings want to move
They loved where they lived
What does Ruth say she loves about black folks
They nevered judged her
Why doesn't James tell his stepfather how he felt about him
They nevered said I love you to each other
Why are they lost in Delaware
They new nothing about Delaware
How does Ruth extended family treat her
They really didn't care about her
Why won't they give her a job in Harlem
They thought she was a prostitute because she's white in a black neighborhood
how was Ruth treated by black people
They treated her with disrespect
How did the Jewish people in Suffolk treat James
They were kind to him
What would they do to interracial couples back then
They would hang the man and chase the girl out of town
How did James and his siblings deal with the "realities we had no control over"
They would spend hours playing tricks and teasing one another
Why did Ruth's family move so much
Because her father was a scoundrel and congregations began to figure out that he was not a man of god and sent him away. And they signed contracts which only last a year
Why do you think Helen ran away
Because her fight with Rosetta and she was sick of her life
Why didn't Ruth mom want to move to Suffolk
Because her sisters and mother were in NYC
Why does mom hate Delaware
Because her son David was innocent and was arrested at a traffic stop
What does James compare his mothers signing to
A cold engine trying to crank on an October morning and a whining Maytag washer
What phrase does Ruth use to describe black peoples live in the south
A dead end
What was most important to mamehs sisters
About money
How does she describe Andrew McBride
As a kind generous funny guy
How does Eddie describe racheal
As a kind girl
How does the store owner act to ruth
Astonished that she has a black child
Why do you think the old man is laughing so hard at James
Because Rabbi Shilksy was hated blacks and his grandson is one
Why do you think Ruth hears her moms crying in her head
Because Ruth is sadden by her mothers cry and she hears it when she is sad
Why won't Ruth eat crabs
Because a crab ate a dead body
Why did James fear for his mother's safety?
Because at a young age he deep down knew that White and Black people didn't get along
Why do you think James avoided visiting hunter in the hospital
Because he didn't understand what really happened and thought he could hang out with his friends as long as he could
Why doesn't James track dee-dee down
Because he doesn't want to introduce more pain in her life
Why does Ruth say she went out with Rocky
Because he had money and a nice car
What is ironic about Tateh worries that blacks would steal from him
Because he sells cheap good for 100 percent markup and he is worried from stealing from him
Why did James want to quit the Boston globe
Because he wanted to be a musician
Why didn't Ruth have any Jewish friends in Suffolk
Because her family was seen as low and they dealt with black people
What does the metaphor of you throw water on the floor it will find a hole
It means that by hiding the feelings eventually they will break down
Why was Ruth so confused about death
It seemed not to long ago that the people were alive and joking and being silly
Why is mom always on the go
It was her way of mourning and she's running for her own sanity
Why doesn't Ruth like the Jewish religion? pg 2
It was too strict with all the rules and regulations. And there was no sense of love within the family
How was the school in New York different that the one in Suffolk
It was very hard
What's mom beans story bout
It's about the different beans out there but at the end of the day they are all human beans