Page 81 - 2021-bfw-aufses-alr-1e

7. In Ancient Rome, armed combatants called gladiators entertained audiences in violent 5
confrontations in an arena with one another, wild animals, or criminals. In most cases, it was
a fight to the death. In what ways might Adjei-Brenyah be drawing on this practice in “Friday
Black”?

Analyzing Language, Style, and Structure Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

1. Vocabulary in Context. The narrator tells Richard, his manager, that that when he wins the
sales contest, he intends to give an expensive parka to his mother. “Richard frowned but said
that was honorable” (para. 7). How does this response challenge the conventional meaning
of the term “honorable,” which generally means adherence to what is right according to a
conventional standard of conduct? What does this word choice reveal about the stakes of the
world of “Friday Black”?
2. The second sentence in this story is “Ravenous humans howl.” From there on, Adjei-Brenyah
describes the dehumanization of shoppers and sales associates alike. What choices in
diction, especially verbs and figurative language, support this depiction? Cite specific
examples to illustrate your analysis.
3. Several reviews of this story have pointed out that although the characters in “Friday Black”
are in some ways complicit in the dehumanization of their consumer-driven society, some
deviate from that norm through empathetic acts of generosity, even kindness. Explain why
you do or do not agree with this interpretation. Examine at least two different characters and
the narrator in your analysis.
4. Broadly speaking, the purpose of satire is to expose and criticize cultural shortcomings
through humor, irony, exaggeration, ridicule, or some combination of those. What is
Adjei-Brenyah satirizing in “Friday Black”? Find examples of at least two of the four satiric
strategies listed here and explain how they contribute to themes in Adjei-Brenyah’s story.
5. What is the narrator’s attitude toward the shoppers? What choices does Adjei-Brenyah make
to ensure that they are not simply antagonists?

Topics for Composing

1. Analysis. How does Adjei-Brenyah use literary devices to demonstrate the shoppers’ loss of
humanity in paragraphs 00–00?
2. Analysis. Writer Colin Grant began his review of the collection in which “Friday Black”
appears with a quotation from James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time (1962):
“‘To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious,’ wrote James Baldwin, ‘is to
be in a rage almost all the time.’ In Friday Black, a surreal, startling debut collection of short
stories, the US writer Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah updates that sentiment.”
In what ways do you think that the short story “Friday Black” is an “update” of Baldwin’s claim?
3. Argument. Adjei-Brenyah made the following comment about the physical and emotional
violence he depicts in his short stories: “I turned up the volume because it’s interesting to think
about how bad the violence has to be for us to care.” Do you believe that we live in a society
that is so numb to violence that the only way to draw attention to it is through exaggeration or
hyperbole? Along with actual current events, you might consider examples from popular culture
such as films or television shows as well as sports to support your position.
4. Connections. Read at least one other story in the collection Friday Black and discuss how it
explores one of the main themes present in “Friday Black.” You might compare and contrast
61
Copyright © 2021 by Bedford, Freeman & Worth High School Publishers. Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample chapter.
Distributed by by Bedford, Freeman & Worth High School Publishers. Strictly for use with its products. Not for redistribution.

AufsesALR1e_24889_ch05_002_097.indd 61 5/4/2020 3:58:11 PM