Reference no: EM132196710

Respond to the following questions from The Warmth of Other Suns.

The vast majority of the black migrants had left unbearable conditions and headed for the unknown. Many figured that anything had to be better. They had high hopes but they lived in fear of leaving their homeland and loved ones behind for a better life. But there were no guarantees. The author writes about the adjustments that the people had to make in their new lives. She also tells of the disappointment and disillusionment that many experienced once they arrived at their destinations. Many had thought that their new homes would solve all their problems but they soon found out that was not the case. It is human nature and a kind of internal defense mechanism that spurs a person on to improve his lot in life, especially if, like the migrants, he was living under egregious conditions. If the migrants hadn’t fantasized about how their lives would start anew in a better place, they would have never gone. There was racism and bias in the large urban areas of the north. It wasn’t as blatant as it was in the Deep South but it was there. It was difficult for migrants to find decent places to live – rent was higher in the North and West and many white landlords didn’t want to rent to them. Finding work was difficult as well. Black migrants were thought of by some as lazy and unreliable. Black women especially had difficulty finding work and when they did, they had to be concerned about sexual exploitation.

Assignment: In rich detail, describe the life that the three main characters found in the new cities that became home.

1. What were positives and negatives related to the color of their skin that was still an issue in most of their experiences.

2. They had left the South but shades of the hatred and racism they left awaited them in their new locales. The struggle wasn’t over. Identify at least five examples examples.

3. They had traded one set of problems for another… but there was light at the end of the tunnel. At least in their new cities, there was no threat of lynching and they were able to enter a store without being arrested. Why was this so important?