No Name in the Street

The author criticizes Western culture and explains the reasons for its decline. Why does Baldwin describe Western values as a global problem and how does it connect to the American crisis?

The text extensively refers to the position of Algerian immigrants in France in the 1950s. How does Baldwin connect this issue to America? What were his emotions as an African American man in Paris?

Baldwin’s experience with Malcolm X contrasts with the civil rights leader’s representation in mainstream history and culture. How does Baldwin describe Malcolm X? Why is he significant for him as a leader?

What are the author’s main arguments on the importance of love? How does love counter racism and how does it connect to social change?

The text refers to discrimination within the legal justice system. Identify key points in the text where the author describes the systemic racism within American power structures.

Baldwin’s analysis focuses on Black men. Why was the idea of manhood crucial in the civil rights movement? What are the limitations and possibilities of centering masculinity in the quest for equality? Identify the author’s views on African American manhood.

How does the text represent white masculinity? How does white manhood connect to racism and oppression? Use textual evidence to support your response.

Baldwin analyzes the political and ideological shift between the civil rights movement and the Black Power movement. What was the main difference between the two periods of the civil rights struggle? How does the Black Panther Party reflect this change within the African American community?