Finding Fish

Antwone’s feels the reaches of systemic issues faced by those in his community: “In my community, I felt unhappiness all around me. In the shadow of Vietnam, the race riots of the earlier decade, the growing spread of drugs and guns, and the overwhelming specter of poverty, the Glenville area was showing the wear and tear being taken on black ghettos all around the country” (184). How do Antwone’s experiences in Finding Fish relate to broader social inequalities?

Many characters are harsh or cruel toward Antwone and others: “[…] anyone who demeans another person in word or deed demeans himself or herself” (197-198). Examine the ways that demeaning behavior functions in the memoir.

From his early childhood on, Antwone must endure acts meant to hurt and embarrass him and others: “I tried to look at her to say with my eyes that everything was all right, everything was all right, but she turned her face and looked away in awful shame.” What part does the feeling of shame play in Finding Fish?