[Of Our Spiritual Strivings begins at 5:00]
1."How does it feel to be a problem? I answer seldom a word," Du Bois writes. He is referring to the so-called "Negro Problem" that fascinated and perplexed many social scientists in the early 20th century (and later). In short, these scholars asked, why are African American's unable integrate into American society like other groups? What does DuBois have to say about this? How has the the question - "how does it feel to be a problem" - impacted Black Americans.
2. W.E.B. DuBois' use of the terms "the veil" and "double-consciousness" have been profoundly important for scholars of race and ethnicity. What does he mean? If you're familiar with Dunbar's poem "The Mask," you may see similarities.
3. Written at the dawn of the 20th century, what are the "spiritual strivings" that DuBois identifies? Why are the necessary or important? If we were to rewrite this passage for the 21st century, how and why would it differ?
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