59 pages • 1 hour read
Crook Manifesto
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Essay Topics
Violence is a motif within Crook Manifesto. How do each of the important characters respond to and/or participate in violence? How does this shape how the reader sees them?
Discuss how the game of ringolevio functions as a symbol. What does it represent, and how does it speak to the novel’s broader themes?
How does Crook Manifesto blur the lines between “crooked” and “straight”? What might Whitehead be suggesting about morality in the way that he represents the thin line between a life of crime and one of obedience to rules and laws?
How does Crook Manifesto represent the relationship between power, corruption, and institutionalized racism?
What is the importance of family to Ray and to the narrative as a whole?
How does the Jackson 5 function as a motif in Part 1? What bigger-picture ideas within the text does it speak to?
Discuss the way that arson and urban decay function as symbols within Crook Manifesto.
Discuss the character of Pepper. Which of the broader themes does he embody? What is the nature of his relationship to Ray and Ray’s family?
Discuss the way that Black culture in the 1970s adds to this text. How might Blaxploitation films and the Black Power movement add richness and depth to the narrative?
Discuss the character of Ray. Can he be said to be a true hero? A “good” man? What drives his choices?
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By Colson Whitehead
