Studied by 0 people
Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
At the beginning of her memoirs, Ruth declares herself dead because
her family declared her dead because she married a black man
As a girl, Ruth's running symbolized her...
escape from her father's sexual molestation
Ruth's childhood is best described as...
lonely and fearful
In their public school education, Ruth's children
have teachers who show racist attitude toward them
Why did Fishel Shilksy marry Hudis?
to get to America
What were the two things Fishel Shilksy wanted in life?
Money, two be an American
When does Ruth believe her claustrophobia developed?
When her grandfather died
Explain the symbolism of the love Ruth's mother had for birds that fly?
She was trapped in a loveless marriage and longed to escape, but she was crippled and could never "fly away"
To what does James attribute the ache inside him that gets bigger as he grows?
the whiteness of his mother's skin
Identify and explain the two things Ruth was starving for in her childhood home.
love and affection; she received neither from her father
Explain the significance of the book's title.
Ruth says God is neither black nor white but is the color of water; the understanding helps James in his search for identity
How does Ruth most convey her Jewishness to her children?
her sense of education
Explain James' primary method of escaping the reality of his life when he is a child?
personifies his "mirror image", the boy in the mirror
What two ideaologies/movements nearly tear the McBride/Jordan house apart?
black pride and black power
Why is James unable to tell his stepfather that he loves him?
they had never spoken to each other that way
After Hunter Jordan's death, what is the one thing about which Ruth is never confused?
her faith in Jesus
Identify and explain two things Ruth's bicycle symbolizes to James.
her whole existence, oddness, lack of fear, unawareness of what others think
What two things help Ruth snap out of her depression following the family's move to Delaware?
prayer, the public school system
Where does James' search for the Shilsky family end?
at the steps of the Jewish synagogue in Suffolk
How many years elapse before Ruth can face the ghosts of her past?
more than 50
Ruth's inability to learn to drive Hunter Jordan's car is an example of...
irony; the distinct separation between her childhood and adult life
Ruth's mother learned of her mother's death through
a letter from her sister asking if she wanted 3 rooms of furniture
Ruth's father told her she could never come home again if
she married a black man
Ruth became deeply depressed after
her mother's death; Dennis McBride's death; Hunter Jordan's death
James' search for the Shilsky family ends at ____________ in Suffolk
only Jewish synagogue
___________ tape records a message for James to give to Ruth
Aubrey Rubenstein
After Ruth became a Christian, she told Dennis she would leave unless
he married her
After Dennis and Ruth had four children, they moved to
Red Hooks Housing Projects in Brooklyn
Dennis and Ruth started the ____________ church
New Brown Memorial Baptist
Dennis died from
lung cancer
When Ruth went to her Aunt Betts for help after Dennis died, her aunt
slammed the door in her face
The __________ is James' great hurdle.
color boundary
After graduating from college, James alternates between ____________ and __________ as a profession.
journalism, music
Ruth graduates from college when she is _______ years old.
65
After more than 50 years, Ruth finally faces the ghosts of her past by
returning to Suffolk
A commonality between James McBride and David Lee Preston is
both have Jewish mothers
State 3 qualities that make Dennis a "ghost" in the family.
finished college, is an artist, has money, going to be a doctor
State three ways Helen rebels.
wears liberation insignias, becomes a hippie, drops out of school, leaves home
To what kind of store does Ruth take her children to shop for school clothes?
those owned by Jews
What type of school does Ruth choose for her children?
Predominately Jewish schools
What is the significance to James of the boy in the mirror?
all the things James wishes he could be
Identify and describe Ruth's "first love".
Peter; black man, tall, handsome, never judged her
Why didn't Ruth marry him?
a black married to a white woman would be killed in the South
Why doesn't Hunter Jordan live full-time with his family?
likes neatness; can't live with the "madness"
James reacts to his stepfather's death by
becoming truant from school, smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol, stealing
When James asks his mother where she is from, her standard answer is
God made me
James fears black power because
he thinks it will be the end of his mother
James' father and stepfather, like his mother, both emphasize the importance of _________ and _________.
education, church
Ruth tells James that God is
the color of water
