Internal and External Conflicts of Walter Burke Anthony Groom's novel Bombingham is about a middle-class black family riven by its personal chaos. ... Walter is an eleven- year-old African American boy who lives in a modest little house in Birmingham. His father is a high school science teacher and his mother works as a secretary for a black entrepreneur Mr. ...

• Word Count: 709
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Facing It by Yusef Komunyakaa My black face fades, hiding inside the black granite. ... In the black mirror a woman's trying to erase names: No, she's brushing a boy's hair. ... His references to skin color leave the reader questioning whether the memories of the war, also stirred reminders of how Yusef's "black face" could have played a role in the way he was treated during his war effort. The speaker alludes to his own reflection in the black granite as "the profile of night slanted against morning"; this juxtaposed metaphor of night and day reinforces Yusef's co...

• Word Count: 665
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School