The student discusses having trouble connecting with the writings of Sui-Sin Far in her work "Leaves from the Mental Portfolio of an Eurasian". As a white person, the student finds it difficult to relate to Far's experiences of not being part of the dominant race. The student also cannot connect to the discriminatory people in Far's stories. However, the student notes finding a connection with Far through their shared belief in the importance of individuality. The student wonders if their stance on discrimination being able to be forgotten is too naive.

1. QHQ
student
samples
QHQ:
Sui
Sin
Far’s
“Leaves
from
the
Mental
Portfolio
of
an
Eurasian”
Q:
Why
am
I
having
so
much
trouble
connecting
to
the
thoughts
and
writing
of
Sui-­‐Sin
Far?
H:
I
have
never
in
my
life
had
to
deal
with
the
experience
of
not
being
part
of
the
dominant
race
(dominant
in
numbers
and
nothing
more)
in
society.
Being
white,
it
is
difficult
to
come
up
with
some
connection
to
the
experience
of
Sui-­‐Sin
Far.
It
feels
like
I
have
heard
her
story
before
from
other
authors
who
are
of
different
ethnic
backgrounds.
The
other
problem
is
that
I
cannot
connect
to
the
people
in
the
stories
that
are
discriminating
against
people
like
Sui-­‐Sin.
Race,
to
me,
has
nothing
to
do
with
skin
color.
When
I
hear
race,
I
immediately
want
to
know
who
won,
what
the
first
place
prize
was
and
is
there
a
chance
that
the
victor
used
performance
enhancing
drugs.
Discrimination
has
been
around
forever
and
will
be
around
long
after
I
am
gone
but
there
is
really
no
place
for
it
in
the
world.
What
is
the
point
of
denying
someone
some
aspect
of
life
because
they
do
not
look
like
everyone
else?
Don’t
we
all
pee
yellow
and
bleed
red?
I
began
to
find
a
bit
of
a
connection
with
Far
because
she,
like
me,
finds
that
individuality
is
the
most
important
thing.
Even
if
we
were
all
part
of
the
same
ethnicity
or
race,
we
would
still
be
absolutely
different
based
on
our
own
individual
differences.
Although
it
is
very
meaningful
to
find
comfort
in
knowing
who
we
are
and
where
we
come
from,
it
seems
a
side
not
to
who
we
are
going
to
be
and
where
we
are
going.
Maybe
I
am
being
ignorant
(not
purposely)
or
maybe
my
naive
nature
has
yet
again
gotten
the
better
of
me
but
I
believe
we
all
truly
can
live
together
even
among
our
most
opposite
differences.
Of
course
my
stance
that
it
is
easy
to
forget
discrimination
might
not
be
so
effortlessly
accepted
by
an
African
American
women
in
Louisiana
who
is
the
same
age
as
my
parents.
Q:
How
is
it
possible
for
discrimination
to
slowly
eliminate
itself
from
society
over
time
(although
we
know
it
will
never
be
gone)?
QHQ:
Chesnutt’s
The
House
Behind
the
Cedars
Q: Why or what triggered John to leave his home and family and start a new life? Was he pushed
or forced away?
H: John had higher expectations for himself. He knew what he wanted out of life and was not
going to let the fact that he was of black origin stop him for reaching his goal of becoming a
judge. He showed he had the willpower to change his life around and pass as a white man. He
always saw himself as a white man from the beginning since his skin color was lighter. However
society didn't accept him as such. So after seeking the help of judge Straight's he decided he
would leave the town and start a new life as a white man. (The judge even though he was a white
man, agreed to help John because he was friends with his father.) John was even more committed
to do this because of his desire to become a judge. So, in fact no one force John out of town and
his transition was made by himself for the sake of a better future.
I thought it was a great point that john makes to the judge when he says he is white and the judge
says "one drop of black blood makes a whole man black." and john replies "Why shouldn't it be
the other way, if the white blood is so much more superior?"
This shows how even though society didn't accept john as white, he knew that he was and was
determined to pass as such.

2. QHQ
student
samples
Q: If John left to reach his goals, why then did he return years later to take his sister away, even
when this meant leaving his mother alone and running the risk of being discovered?
QHQ:
Morrison’s
“Recitatif”
Q:
Between
Roberta
and
Twyla,
who
is
white
and
who
is
black?
H:
Throughout
the
entire
story
it
is
clear
that
these
two
characters
are
different
races,
however
every
other
minute
I
am
changing
my
mind
on
who
is
who.
In
the
beginning
of
the
story
when
Twyla
and
Roberta
first
meet
and
are
put
in
a
room
together,
Twyla
immediately
says
that
her
mother
won’t
like
her
being
put
in
a
room
with
Roberta,
and
the
reader
is
under
the
impression
that
it
would
be
because
Twyla
is
white
and
Roberta
is
black.
Years
later
in
the
story
when
Twyla
is
working
in
the
diner
and
Roberta
walks
in,
the
reader
is
lead
to
think
that
maybe
Twyla
is
the
African
American
because
Roberta
acts
like
a
complete
snob
with
her
friends,
and
seems
somewhat
ashamed
of
talking
to
Twyla.
There
are
many
more
incidents
that
occur
between
the
two
characters
that
make
you
continue
to
change
your
mind.
Clearly
that
was
the
point
of
Toni
Morrison’s
story,
to
make
the
girls
races
ambiguous.
I
feel
somewhat
guilty
of
attaching
stereotypes
to
the
different
races
and
using
those
stereotypes
to
help
me
figure
out
who
is
who.
Maybe
that
is
the
whole
point
of
Morrison’s
story,
to
prove
a
point
that
it
shouldn’t
matter.
Q:
So
now
that
I
still
have
no
idea
which
girl
is
which
color,
I
ask
myself,
why
should
it
even
matter?
QHQ:
Hughes’s
“Who’s
Passing
for
Who?”
Q:
In
“Who’s
Passing
For
Who,”
can
the
writers
be
mad
that
the
Iowans
pretended
to
pass?
H:
The
writers
can’t
blame
the
writers
for
passing
because
they
were
the
ones
that
gave
them
the
idea
in
the
first
place.
After
learning
of
people
passing,
their
curiosity
got
the
best
of
them
and
it
paid
off.
Getting
upset
for
being
tricked
is
hypocritical
on
the
writer’s
part
as
well.
Although
the
writers
were
not
passing
as
a
different
race,
they
were
passing
with
different
characteristics.
Once
the
Iowans
claimed
that
they
were
passing
as
whites,
the
writers
“dropped
their
professionally
self-­‐
conscious
negro
manner.”
They
too
were
passing
for
something
they
weren’t.
Their
true
character
emerges
when
they
thought
they
were
around
non-­‐white
people.
After
the
Iowans
decided
to
pass
and
the
writers
stopped
passing,
everyone
had
a
more
enjoyable
time.
Q:
Why
did
the
writers
hate
on
Caleb
so
much?