Essay Questions

Why is Clare fascinated by the stories of oppressed people throughout history?

Clare wants to understand why certain people are oppressed in society and reads anything she can about oppression. She reads of the Holocaust, the internment of the Japanese, and the fight related to LGBTQ society. She connects with the people who are oppressed because they are different. Being half white and half black, she wants to make sense of why people are viewed differently. Her search leads her to understand herself and her ancestors’ plight in society.

Why does Clare not understand Zoe’s bitterness toward white society?

Clare is half white on her father’s side, so she has been sheltered from the discrimination that Zoe has suffered because of her skin color. This has caused Zoe to become bitter and resentful to those she sees as oppressors. Clare has not experienced oppression and has only read about it or been told stories about it. She cannot fully understand her friend’s experience.

Why has Clare’s mother not told her the stories of her family and how they suffered at the hands of colonization?

Kitty, Clare’s mother, wants her daughter to not be defined by how others view her. In fact, Kitty grew up in fear and does not want her daughter to have the same experience. She wants her daughter to be empowered and not feel that she is different.