Fresh Ink: An Anthology

Identify and discuss how the anthology relates to institutionalized racism. Provide evidence from at least three stories.

Examine how the characters Zakary from “A Boy’s Duty” and X from “Super Human” are tragic heroes. Discuss the literary elements of setting, conflict, and at least one other element in comparing these characters.

Using at least three stories from the anthology, discuss the ways in which US culture creates a lack of belonging for people. Discuss specific literary elements.

Choose three stories and identify the antagonist(s) in each. Explain how the antagonist pushes the protagonist toward change, and mention how their conflict explores at least one specific theme.

Explore the supernatural elements contained in the stories “Tags,” “A Stranger at the Bochinche,” and “Super Human.” Explain how these elements assist in developing the characters and themes within the stories.

Choose three stories and explain the importance of their titles to the text. Be sure to discuss symbolism and/or metaphor in your analysis, as well as the specific themes portrayed by the authors’ title choices.

In the Foreword, editor Lamar Giles notes that he “escaped into fictional worlds every chance [he] got because they were better than dealing with [his] mean peers, or [his] mean stepdad, or the mean real world” (1). Identify one theme of the anthology these thoughts convey, and then use at least three stories from the anthology to further explore this theme and how it relates to Giles’s note.

Read the poem “Dreams” by Langston Hughes. Identify and discuss the poem’s central theme. Then, choose two stories from Fresh Ink and discuss how they convey a similar theme. Reference specific literary elements.