Reading Guide/Discussion Questions for Adults:
- Du Bois begins each chapter with selections of poetry and what
he describes as “a bar of the Sorrow Songs.” What
does he suggest by this juxtaposition? How does this material
reflect the text of each chapter? Why does he end The Souls of
Black Folk with a chapter about these songs?
- Several times Du Bois writes that “The problem of the
twentieth century is the problem of the color-line.” Now
that the twentieth century is over, do you think that Du Bois’
prophecy was correct? What will the problem of the twenty-first
century be?
- Du Bois studied at Fisk, Harvard, and in Berlin. In addition
to The Souls of Black Folk he is the author of many other important
texts (click on “Resources” and see the bibliography).
Du Bois is today one of the most carefully studied American intellectuals
of any color. What does he say about formal education –
from elementary school to the university – in The Souls?
What kind of education does Du Bois advocate? How does this relate
to your understanding of the importance of education?
- What, according to Du Bois, is the responsibility of the black
intellectual? Do you agree? Are contemporary black intellectuals
living up to these ideals?
- Chapter VI, “Of the Training of Black Men,” raises
the important issue of gender. How does Du Bois define masculinity
– and black masculinity? What do you think influenced his
thinking on this topic? Where and how does he write about women
and/or femininity generally? How does Du Bois’ understanding
of gender influence his understanding of race, and vice versa?
- At the end of Chapter III, Du Bois quotes the Declaration of
Independence, and one can argue that his larger concern is “the
souls of American folk,” or questioning the traditional
understanding of what it means to be an American. This is especially
true in Chapter VII, in which he offers an alternative history
of Georgia and, by extension, the USA. What does Du Bois think
about this country, about its potential, and about Americans as
a community or a nation?
- Du Bois describes in detail the abuse of freedmen and women
and their labor in the South. What might have been done to prevent
the economic exploitation of black workers? What does Du Bois
mean by “economic slavery” and “the slavery
of debt?” Are these terms relevant today? If so, how and
for whom?
- How does Du Bois link the predicament of blacks in the South
and oppressed peoples in European colonies?
- Du Bois was very concerned about the ability of modern, technological,
and economic energy and organization to destroy and make new older
patterns of life and thought. How does he describe this conflict,
and where do his sympathies lie?
The questions above are based on, or were taken from the websites
below; visit these sites for additional questions related to The
Souls of Black Folk:
http://www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/History/IS/HIS109/Lessons101.html
http://ishi.lib.berkeley.edu/history7B/W_E_B_DuBois.htm
http://ishi.lib.berkeley.edu/history7B/W_E_B_DuBois.htm
http://ets.cac.psu.edu/projects/prsj/souls.html#soulsq
http://www.ajdrake.com/teachers/Teaching/questions/du_bois_strivings_booker_drake.htm
http://faculty.wm.edu/rslowr/DuBoisQuestions.htm
http://www.columbia.edu/~sls27/Content/Courses/CC/Sp2k/Q13.html
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