Essay Questions

How does the author use cultural differences to depict the imagery of possibilities?

Woodson is tactical in appealing to the sense of possibilities in the text. For instance, Esteban reminds his son that he was born in America despite having immigrant roots, and that is what matters. Esteban tells his son that once you are born in America, you are part of the American dream, which means you can achieve anything in life. Consequently, the author uses cultural differences to portray them from a positive perspective and give hope to people born in American that they are part of the bigger American dream.

What makes Ms. Laverne unique?

Ms. Laverne is a teacher, and she uses the unusual tactic to enable her students to be debaters and critical thinkers without supervision. At first, students are resistant to her proposal to spend one hour of free and independent talk in room 501. However, students are resistant, but towards the end of the text, they are appreciative because of the unique abilities of Ms. Laverne's strategy.

Why is the author referring to the bad boys at school as 'neckers?'

The boys at school depict bizarre behavior of bullying, and they call that sporting activity. Consequently, the term 'neckers' refers to the act of slapping other students' necks. A group of boys is notorious for bullying weaker students, and the trend is getting out of hand. Therefore, the author refers to bad boys as neckers because they slap others on the necks to symbolize bullying.